Words by Kyle Doran from MobileRVing.com
How do I save money and spend less while traveling in an RV? It's a common question asked by anyone who's ever experienced an over-budget vacation that resulted in more stress rather than enjoyment and relaxation. Luckily with some proactive planning and a little flexibility, you too can learn how to save money in all kinds of ways. Owning or Renting an RV and traveling with your loved ones should be an enjoyable experience that creates lasting memories. In this article, we'll cover some very useful money saving travel hacks for your next vacation, so you can focus less on your wallet and more on having fun. Let's dive into some ways to save.
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
Credit Cards With Rewards
Credit cards are a funny concept. Spend money that you don't really have and pay it back at a later date. For people without the discipline or responsibility gene, credit cards can spell disaster. This is due to the ability to impulsively buy, high-interest rates and late fees. However, if you use a credit card wisely, it can end up benefiting you in all kinds of ways. Cashback, airline miles, gas, and retail points are just a few of the different rewards that you can earn with a credit card.
The first step is to do your research thoroughly. Find a credit card with rewards that fit your goals. There are lots of different choices of cards that have a $0 annual fee and offer a range of different benefits. Earn gas points so you can fuel up your RV for less during your trip or receive retail rewards that will immediately put money right back into your wallet. The next step is to spend wisely. Never make impulsive purchases and only use your credit card on things that you would be buying anyway. Groceries, gas, parking, recurring subscriptions or memberships are great ways to build up your credit card spending in a responsible way.
The final and most important step here is to set up auto pay on your credit card. This is crucial so you don't run into high-interest rates and late fees. If your card doesn't allow auto pay, then just set a reminder to pay off your card in full each month. Using a credit card to make your regular purchases while paying off your entire balance each month is intelligent. It allows you to build up your credit score, develop a responsible relationship with credit cards and reap all different types of rewards.
Find Fuel For Less
Finding cheap gas is essential for saving money while driving your RV on a road trip. Thankfully technology has come a long way in helping us to track down the lowest gas prices available. There are a few different apps that will help you save on gas. The GasBuddy app is a crowdsourced app that helps to narrow down the stations with the lowest fuel costs, look into fuel insights based on your location and even plan out your trip route to maximize your savings.
Buy Local Groceries or Grab Lunch
Besides paying for fuel, dining out can be one of the most expensive costs while traveling in your RV. Going out to a sit-down restaurant every night for dinner can add up very quickly. This will limit the number of activities that you're able to enjoy on your travels. There are some great alternatives to eating out. These will allow you to save big and spend that money elsewhere. You're traveling in an RV, so take advantage of the fact that you have a kitchen on wheels. Stop at the local market or grocery store and stock up on food for your trip. Making your own meals on the road is an enjoyable and healthy alternative to eating food from restaurants.
If a big part of the reason why you're on vacation is to enjoy the cuisine of the destination you're visiting, there are still ways to spend wisely and save. Most restaurants offer smaller servings of their dishes at lower prices during lunch hours. By going out for lunch instead of dinner, you can eat for less and still get to experience food cooked by professionals. Another way to save big on food is to eat at street vendors when it's available. You get the added benefit of experiencing the local tastes of the town and having fresh food prepared right in front of you.
Take Advantage of Free Days and Discounts
What are free days? Free days are the days that places like museums, national parks, and zoos offer free entrance. You can plan your trip around these free admission days and save a ton of money while still having fun. Most cities have a long list of different places that offer free days.
Finding discounts on activities during your travels are even more widespread than free days. You can use sites like Groupon and Livingsocial to find amazing deals on everything from sushi and spa days to comedy nights and shopping sprees in the city that you're visiting. These sites offer hidden gems for savings while you travel. The best way to approach this is to search for an experience that you were already interested in having while on vacation, and seeing if there are discounts offered.
Boondocking
Also known as dry camping and wild camping, boondocking is essentially RV camping without the hookups and other amenities available at RV parks. Staying at an RV park can cost anywhere from $30 to $60 per night, so boondocking is a great way to save money when traveling in your RV. Just like any other tip to save money, boondocking just takes a bit of planning on your part. You'll want to first consider your location options. This will depend on where you're traveling to, how long you'll be off-grid and how much you'd like to spend. BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land, national forests and national grasslands are all free to stay on for up to 14 days. There are also very inexpensive campgrounds which offer hookup free campsites.
The second thing to consider when boondocking is how you'll conserve your electricity and water. If you're simply staying one night at a free campground then conserving your resources is easy. Just fill up your gas and water tanks beforehand and you'll be set. If on the other hand, you're planning on staying off-grid for more than a few days, you'll want a solid plan for how to conserve your water and electricity usage. Installing low flow faucets on your sink and shower is a great way to limit your water usage while boondocking. Adding solar panels and an extra battery to your RV setup will allow you to replenish your electricity without using a generator or emptying your gas tank.
As you can see, there are a ton of different ways that you can save money while traveling in your RV. By planning ahead, being flexible and taking the road less traveled you can afford a nice getaway for yourself. These are just a few of the top tactics you can use while on your journey without hurting your wallet.