budget-travel

Tips On How To Prioritize Travel

Published on January 23, 2025January 23, 2025 by Skylar M. Beck1 Comment

Traveling is something I love because it brings so much to my life and has introduced me to so many amazing places. For the last decade, I’ve made travel a priority in my life even when I’m working full time and balancing other life needs. I truly believe it’s possible and I wanted to create a small guide of some tips on how to prioritize travel for those who would like to travel more in the new year or make it more of a priority.

My Tips

Start close. I would recommend starting with a destination that’s close to your home town if traveling often is new for you. Travel is really whatever you want it to be! Exploring somewhere an hour away could still be exciting and new.
Go on a weekend trip. One of the best ways to start traveling is to plan a weekend trip. Patrick and I love to go away for the weekend and usually are willing to drive up to 6 hours away but even 1-2 hours away, makes for a great weekend getaway! This kind of trip is fun because it’s nice to explore other areas within your home state or a neighboring state. I find weekend trips to be worth prioritizing because it’s a fun way to end the work week and reset yourself before a new week.
Make a list of trip destinations. At the start of every year, Patrick and I like to sit down and plan out some trip ideas we have. This usually includes weekend trips and a longer trip. It gives us something exciting to look forward to and it always helps make travel plans a priority because it’s something we are preparing for.
Create a budget friendly plan. We like to camp which saves some money and we also enjoy outdoor activities which are usually free. We also always drive to our trip destinations within the U.S. Traveling in this way, helps the cost and preparation required which seems to make it more likely for us to plan several trips per year. Additionally, staying with family or a friend while exploring a new area is another great way to save some travel costs.
Start planning early! One of my favorite traditions has become our annual two week road trip that we’ve prioritized for the last four years. There’s a lot of planning that goes into these kinds of trips but because we plan in advance, it creates less stress and makes it a priority for the year.
Create a travel fund. Patrick and I both have a travel fund we contribute to regularly that makes it more manageable to save for trips each year. It really helps make the planning process more realistic and affordable.
Take a day trip. Even if going far away isn’t realistic right now, take some time to explore an area near home that wouldn’t require an overnight accommodation. A day trip is still worth prioritizing and romanticizing! I guarantee there are some fun activities or attractions nearby your home that could be done in a day trip.

Camping is one our favorite budget friendly ways to travel

Where to Start with Trip Planning

Planning a trip should be fun! I recommend starting with a list of places you’d love to go to, this could be bucket list places or places close to home. If a big and far trip is possible, definitely go for it! If you’re looking for starting off slow, I’d recommend pulling up a map and looking around the areas that are closest to your home. This could be neighboring towns, neighboring states, or a place that are within driving distance of a few hours. Once you’ve selected a spot you want to visit, the planning can begin!

Looking For More Tips? Check Out Some Of My Other Posts:

Tips on How to Plan a Trip

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How To Take a Road Trip on a Budget

Camping Essentials for Beginners

I still consider myself new to the camping world. Before I met Patrick, I could count on one hand the amount of times I had camped. Camping became more frequent in my life when Patrick and I started traveling to national parks…

How To Take a Road Trip on a Budget

Published on July 25, 2024January 8, 2025 by Skylar M. Beck1 Comment

Throughout the last three years, taking a road trip has become Patrick and I’s favorite way to vacation. We’ve seen some incredible places throughout the country and we do so all from our own car, driving across several states. There’s something about long car rides that I love and that make the trip even more memorable because of the journey involved to get to the destination. One of the main reasons we started driving everywhere on our trips was primarily to save money. The expenses on any trip will inevitably add up so it’s helpful to find some ways to reduce cost if that’s your goal! In this guide, I’ll be sharing my tips on how to save and budget money for a road trip.

Budget Tips

Camp

Camping can either be free or much less expensive than other accommodations. I was never a big camper until we started road tripping to various national parks and forests, but now it’s usually all we book when traveling. We found that campgrounds typically charge anywhere from $25-$50 per night which is much cheaper than nightly costs of hotels or airbnb’s! Free camping is also possible too, we’ve had luck finding free campsites by using apps or other online resources. Keep in mind, free camping is definitely different than an established campground, mostly because there aren’t any amenities and it’s all first come first serve. For finding campgrounds or free spots I’d recommended:

Make a Packing List to Follow

For the last three years, we’ve planned a big road trip and one thing that has made the whole experience less stressful was following a packing list. Writing out everything needed for a big road trip from clothes, food, camping equipment, and other necessities made the packing and planning process so much smoother! When following a list, you’re more likely to pack everything you need and not have to buy things along the way. Another plus is you can pack more when driving compared to flying.

Select Budget Friendly Activities

Depending on where you are road tripping to, there will likely be activities you are looking forward to. I’d recommended finding as many free or less expensive activities as possible to save money. If you like national park travel, like me, one of the main things I enjoy are the hikes (which are usually free!). However, depending on where you’re going, there may be activities on your bucket list that do cost something and that’s okay! It’s all about balancing and prioritizing what you want to do and spend money on.

Plan to Make Most Meals

One of the luxuries of road tripping vs. flying is you can pack as many snacks and food items as you want! Making your own meals while road tripping will be a huge cost saver! If you’re planning to stay at hotels, take advantage of free breakfast if offered too. Of course we love to eat out but we usually plan to make majority of our meals + coffee while traveling.

Plan Road Trip Route in Advance

Planning your route in advance will not only save money but also time. It’s a big relief to know the route you’ll be taking, if there are tolls, how many hours til your destination, where you’ll be stopping to sleep, etc. Planning out stops in advance, will make it more likely for you to budget expenses for each spot which can really save money! Another helpful tip is to use navigation (i.e., apple or google maps) to find the fastest route, a route without tolls, if there will be any traffic delays, etc.

Save On Gas

The biggest expense while road tripping is gas. If possible, in the planning process you can consider how many miles per gallon you need to fill up or when you’ll likely have to stop. We’ve used the app gasbuddy too to try and find cheap gas in the areas we’re in. While saving money and budgeting for your trip, keep in mind, gas is something that will add up and that you’ll have to stop for the most while road tripping.