When my dad traveled the continental US back in the 70′s, they often slept in the car. Since most of us are completely unwilling to do that anymore, (and for good reason,) here are some cheap ways to get some shut eye.

1. Stay with friends and family. What a great way to catch up! Just don’t abuse the privilege by staying too long or taking advantage of relatives you’ve never actually met before. And don’t forget to write a thank you note.
2. Camping. If you’ve got the gear, camping is a great way to get close to nature and save a little money. It probably won’t be worth your while to buy all your camping supplies if you don’t plan to do it often, but if you have it (or can borrow it), why not? Just beware of rising prices during holidays.
3. Hotels and Motels. Thanks to the magic of the internet, you have a whole host of ways to save money on hotels and motels. If you stay out of the way of large cities or tourist attractions, you can get nicer rooms for less money.Before you decide on a hotel, check out Travel Advisor and Travel Post. They have saved me from many a bad night. Then, try using a bargin finding service like Travelocity, Expedia, or Orbitz. Remember to look into any discounts you may be entitled to as well (military, AAA, government, etc.)

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Seeing as you’ll be driving on the road trip, it is important to get good gas mileage if you don’t want it to become the most expensive vacation you ever took.

Like we discussed in part one, your car should have all its regular maintenance done. The U.S. Department of Energy thinks that an ill-maintained car can cost you between 4% and 40% in fuel efficiency.

The less weight you have in your car, the better gas mileage you’ll get. Don’t leave anyone at home to keep the weight down, but make a conscientious effort to pack simply and efficiently.

Aerodynamics also effect your gas mileage. You aren’t going to be changing the body of the car, but all that stuff you strapped to the roof may be acting as a nice wind catcher.

Unsurprisingly, the way you drive also has a lot to do with how good your gas mileage is. Try the following to get that MPG higher:

1. Drive defensively. It takes more gas accelerate and brake aggressively than it does to just cruise along.
2. Drop your speed. According to U.S. Department of Energy estimations, every 5mph you hit over 60 can cost you around $0.20 per gallon of gas in efficiency. So if you’re zooming along at 80mph, that’s quite a chunk of change.
3. Use your cruise control. Set it at a reasonable speed and it can help you avoid the problems in 1 and 2.
4. Don’t idle. Don’t just sit in the car with the engine running. If someone needs to run into the store or to the powder room, get out and stretch your legs rather than burn gas to keep the radio on.

There’s all sorts of crazy theories out there about getting better gas mileage, but the truth is that keeping your car in good shape and driving sensibly are the easiest and fastest ways to gain those precious MPG.

Source Fueleconomy.gov

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Packing the right stuff is the easiest way to save money on any car trip.

The first step in packing is to make a list of EVERYTHING you think you’ll need. Write down everything, even if you think it’s something you could never, ever forget, like underwear. Keep this list with your luggage and double check every item before you get into the car.

Some things to make sure are on this list:

• Feminine hygiene products (nothing like buying a $10 pack of tampons at 2am), suntan lotion, any medications and prescriptions, first aid supplies, over-the-counter allergy medicine and painkillers.
• An extra day’s worth of clothing in case of delays or an unplanned stop.
• A little extra cash, not to be touched except in case of dire emergencies.

When packing the car, avoid attaching luggage to the roof unless absolutely necessary. Obviously, you can’t cram the kayak or bicycle in with you, so don’t sweat things like that, but reconsider what you’re bringing if you can’t cram it all into the trunk or cargo area. The less stuff you bring, the less weight in the car and the better the gas mileage.

You can trim down the amount of clothing you need to bring by remembering that you can re-wear things like pants, sweatshirts, and pajamas. It’s probably not necessary to bring ‘nice’ clothes that need to be hung in the car unless you know you are going someplace fancy. Don’t worry about coordinating your shoes; bring a pair of sandals, a pair of sneakers, and (if you are going to spend some time in nature) a pair of shoes you can get dirty.

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If you’re like my friends and I, summer is the time for fun road trips. With the rising prices of gasoline, people everywhere are wondering if they can really afford to do so much driving, but with a little forethought, you can keep the price of a road trip down.

First off, before you even start planning your route, make sure your car is in shape to take a trip like this. If you break down in the middle of nowhere, the cost of towing alone is going to astronomical.

• Your oil should have been changed recently.
• Your tires should be properly inflated (check the treads too!)
• You should have any regular maintenance and tune-ups done.
• You should have a spare tire or a donut, the proper tools to change a tire, and the knowledge to do so.
• Make sure all your tags, registration stickers, insurance cards and other identification are up to date and in the car (we got caught on this one last night because the DMV screwed up.) Who needs a ticket for this sort of thing?

Of course, I’m assuming that you’re not driving a beast of an SUV that gets 15MPG on the highway. (If you are, why?) If your car really is that big a gasoline guzzler, there’s not really much you can do except trade the car in at a loss or wait until your lease is up and make a more economical decision next time.

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