Great 'MoneySaving city guides, #6: USA road trip' Hunt

Julia4J

If you are going to drive in US, take a couple of plastic mugs with safety lids with you and when you stop for petrol you can also fill up your mug with coffee for free!

Julia4J

I also forgot to add DON'T speed you will be fined exponentially!! And when there is a Stop sign do stop even if it is the middle of the night, we didn't as there was no traffic and got pulled over!! Were given a citation but nothing else thank goodness. Mind you it was just after 11th September 2001 so I suppose the cop was being nice because we were stranded in the country!

GreenEcoGirl

I just wanted to comment on the following:

"Also, those coupon books you get with all the discounts are a nice idea, but 90% of the time the motel deals are for single rooms and single occupancy. Not much good for most roadtrippers..."

I agree with a lot of the original post, but I have to say that I've visited the US many times and have used the motel voucher booklets almost every time. I've always found them to cater for a range of travellers' needs - I've travelled as a pair with my sister, and also as a group of three with my parents. We've always managed to find rooms to suit, so don't let the above put you off. Sometimes you have to do a bit of scanning, but there's generally a room for you! Often, they have breakfast included.

Some years ago, my parents and I stayed in a fab hotel on the west coast of Florida (think it was in Naples) overlooking the marina, with a posh swimming pool, fantastic room facilities and lovely breakfast, all for the equivalent of £29! Obviously prices will hav gone up since, but it's still a great way to get cheap accommodation. I think you can get some of these brochures online now, but you can certainly pick them up in supermarkets and fast food restaurants along your route.

One final point, don't be afraid to go into the hotel lobby and ask to see a room. I was nervous about doing this at first, but have it down to a fine art now! The hotel staff won't mind and you'll know if it's really a dive, or the penthouse suite! :rotfl:

Susan

cubegame

One great tip is that every state in the USA provides a state road map for free. These will almost certainly be the best map that you can get in terms of scale and will show all federal, state and county highways as well as US Forest Service roads.

They can usually be obtain at State Tourist offices and if you ask in time (4 to 6 weeks) via the post for free.

As for cheap room bookings, we usually follow the walk-in late and haggle policy. The coupon books are handy because even if you want a double occupancy room they will usually honour the rate. Also gives you a good guideline of what they have in any location.

Chia

Indiana state park lodges for accommodation! The rooms are good value and of a high standard, plus you're surrounded by the woods, trails, etc of the usually very large parks.

Chia

GreenEcoGirl wrote: »

One final point, don't be afraid to go into the hotel lobby and ask to see a room. I was nervous about doing this at first, but have it down to a fine art now! The hotel staff won't mind and you'll know if it's really a dive, or the penthouse suite! :rotfl:

Susan

Yes, no problem about viewing rooms. I've done this many a time.

FarleyFlavors

louthemoo20 wrote: »

Thanks for all the tips so far! I'm planning to drive route 66 next year so any tips will be most helpful!

There's a series of books by Jamie Jensen called Road Trip USA, including one which covers Route 66. They are full of excellent information on sightseeing along the routes, hotels, roadside cafes etc. Highly recommended !

punkinafreezer

If you are hiring a car do not get talked into purchasing their insurance policies as they are a total rip off, for peace of mind you can get annual hire car insurace from places like icarhireinsurance dot com for loads less than the rental companies charge. Especially good value if you are on a long road trip.
Just print off the docs and show them when you collect the car.
I used this last year when in USA for 3 months, drove 3 sides of the country on £1000.

FarleyFlavors

A tip which won't save you any money but is worth mentioning - get up early. I always try to get on the road for six in the morning on road trips, stopping somewhere for breakfast around eight with maybe a hundred miles already completed. For one, your body clock will be telling you that five in the morning is really ten in the morning to one in the afternoon, depending on the time zone. But the main reason is that you don't really want to be driving in the dark at the end of a long day. I recall the end of a road trip from Chicago to Denver via North Dakota and Wyoming - 8.30 at night, having driven 550 miles and lost in Denver in the dark and in the rain. Not a lot of fun. Besides, it's pleasant to have found a motel, checked in and have a cold beer in your hand by four in the afternoon !

Barbarah_2

FarleyFlavors wrote: »

A tip which won't save you any money but is worth mentioning - get up early. I always try to get on the road for six in the morning on road trips, stopping somewhere for breakfast around eight with maybe a hundred miles already completed. For one, your body clock will be telling you that five in the morning is really ten in the morning to one in the afternoon, depending on the time zone. But the main reason is that you don't really want to be driving in the dark at the end of a long day. I recall the end of a road trip from Chicago to Denver via North Dakota and Wyoming - 8.30 at night, having driven 550 miles and lost in Denver in the dark and in the rain. Not a lot of fun. Besides, it's pleasant to have found a motel, checked in and have a cold beer in your hand by four in the afternoon !

I agree that getting up early gets you to your destination early, plus you may have time to see something that is not on your planned list.
We find that when you go to the supermarket ( Walmart or others ) that they may have cooked food, chicken and in some cases they will steam fish for you. Buy some bread a bag of salad a couple of tomatoes a bottle of wine and you can put your feet up and chill in the evening without breaking the bank.( no tips or tax either);)