Despite the sharp upsurge in gas prices–and, by the way, the U.S. still has some of the lowest gas prices by far–a driving vacation is still usually a lot cheaper than flying, and has lower carbon impact as well. Here are a few ways to keep it affordable:

1. If you have a gas hog, swap. Find someone with a car that gets 30 MPG or better, who isn’t going to be doing much driving. Pay that person $100 or so, and trade cars for a couple of weeks.
2. Lower the cost of lodging: join a homestay organization such as Servas (real, in-depth visits, http://www.usservas.org in the U.S., or http://www.servas.org elsewhere) and/or Couchsurfing.com (crash space), and spend some of your nights with members of these organizations. Plus you’ll meet great people!
3. Lower the cost of lodging again, by camping. All you really need is a decent tent that’s easy to assemble and stores in a small space, and a good sleeping bag (get the zip-together kind) and foam pad for each person. For two people, even if you have to buy all of that new, you’d make up the cost by the fourth night, if not sooner–and you’ll have this stuff for years to come.
4. Drive efficiently. Keep tires properly inflated, change the oil regularly, fill your tank in the early mornings when the gas hasn’t expanded, back off on the accelerator when you’re going to need to slow down for an exit or stoplight or tollbooth, avoid jackrabbit starts. Set cruise control for 55 miles an hour; it’s a lot more gas-efficient than 65 or faster, and you won’t have to worry about the very expensive speeding tickets and the even more expensive insurance surcharges they bring. Plus, you’ll actually get to see the scenery.
5. Put a sunshade across the windshield when you park, so you’ll need less air conditioning when you get back on the road.
6. Once you get to your destination area, get around by bike and/or public transit and leave the car where you’re staying.
7. Limit yourself to one restaurant meal a day, and picnic for the rest.
8. Use member discounts on attractions: AAA, AARP, your union…or take advantage of the numerous free or discounted choices you’ll find in every area, if you know where to look.
9. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need, just to have a souvenir. Take digital photos instead.
10. For a whole $8.50, buy a copy of my e-book, The Penny-Pinching Hedonist: How to Live
    Like Royalty with a Peasant’s Pocketbook. It includes specific techniques for many of these tips, as well as a great deal more. For instance you’ll learn several ways to locate free or cheap attractions and entertainment, slash the cost of dining out, find cheaper places to stay, and much more.
    280 pages of great frugal fun advice! Learn about the book at http://www.frugalfun.com/pphtoc.html, and buy it at http://www.frugalmarketing.com/shop.shtml.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 at 5:17 pm and is filed under Environment, Green/environment, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.