I turned 30 this month.
In the last six months, I suddenly felt very adult. I have a steady job, a paycheck, a 401(k) and an apartment in a Florida neighborhood filled with retirees.
I used to be cool.
For the previous four years, my partner Stefan and I lived in college towns and trendy cities. We were broke and chasing improbable dreams. We made the poor choices that later became great stories.
We lived without money, without a car for a spell, and even without a place to call home for eight months. We couchsurfed across the U.S., savoring the grind of being starving artists.
This week, my biggest hardship was rummaging through the Tupperware cabinet to find the matching lid for the container I was packing my lunch in.
We have a Tupperware cabinet.
Turning thirty never truly frightened me. Age is just a number and all that.
But then I found myself sifting through various sizes of matching green plastic lids thinking, “We need a system for this,” and suddenly 30 felt very real.
I scooted out from the cabinet, snapped the lid on my lunch and said to Stefan, “We need a getaway.”
A Savinly Reader’s Road Trip
I didn’t want just any getaway. Flights, fancy dinners and mid-tier hotels — those are things adults with steady incomes can manage.
But I wanted to do it like we used to: strapped for cash and without a plan.
So I drew a six-hour circle around our Tampa-area home and picked a spot. I withdrew $300 from the bank and told Stefan to clear his weekend.
We were headed to Savannah, Georgia.
How We Took a 720-Mile Road Trip for Under $300
I chose Savannah almost on a whim, mainly because neither of us had been there.
I also knew we could drive there in roughly six hours for under $30 in gas.
Luckily, Savannah is a beautiful historic coastal city on the Atlantic.
It was an idyllic early-spring weekend in the Deep South — about 70 degrees and partly sunny — so we could do our favorite low-cost things: stroll and watch people.
But I wanted more than that. “We took a walk” doesn’t make for an exciting tale, even if it was inexpensive.
So I pulled a few simple Savinly tricks out of my hat to make the trip memorable without busting our budget.
- Use rewards to cut gas costs.
- Find an inexpensive hotel rate.
- Use deal sites for discounts on food and activities.
- Pack cleverly so we don’t buy stuff we don’t need on the road.
- Seek out free things to do.
We took this weekend road trip 360 miles from home for a total of $278.64.
Here’s the breakdown.
Cut Gas Costs
What we spent on gas: $44.56
One major component of a road-trip budget is fuel.
We used these tactics to keep our gas bill low:
Redeem Rewards Points
We used a grocery rewards card to shave cents off a gallon at Shell and other stations whenever we bought groceries.
The Winn-Dixie program we used before has changed, but most supermarket cards provide similar perks even if your grocer doesn’t operate its own fuel stations.
Our grocery fuel rewards knocked about 15 cents off per gallon when we filled up before leaving town.
Fill Up in Smaller Towns
Avoid highway-adjacent gas stations if possible.
Wait until you hit a small town away from the main route. Prices tend to be lower there because demand is lower.
Also skip stations in very busy urban spots. Land value and demand are higher there, and that often drives up prices.
Save on Lodging
What we spent for two nights in a hotel: $131.02
We book most of our rooms through the Hotels.com app. Like other aggregators, it often lists discounted rates.It also gives a free-night credit for every 10 nights you book.
We reserved two nights, Friday through Sunday, at a Motel 6 in Pooler, just south of Savannah.
The rate was $60 per night, plus $25 in taxes. We shelled out $145, but after accounting for about a 10% offset from the free room rewards we’d earned, our effective cost was $131.02.
We stayed outside the city because even the discounted downtown rooms were at least twice that price per night.
Unless there’s an outstanding deal, we avoid booking inside the city limits. It’s a road trip — what’s an extra 15 minutes to get downtown?
We used a discount hotel aggregator because it’s cheap. Keep in mind this can limit flexibility for changes or refunds if plans shift.
If you can save with travel rewards or a member discount, I suggest booking directly.
Also, I’ll generally take a chance on Motel 6. The budget chain is light on perks but many locations have been updated in recent years.
If you’re picky, budget for a mid-range hotel or accumulate travel points to afford a nicer brand.
Trim Food Spending
What we spent on food and drinks: $81.06
Even budget travelers who avoid pricey attractions can easily overspend on meals and drinks — sometimes without noticing.
Or they feel forced to eat only the cheapest items for the whole trip.
You don’t have to do either.
Here’s how we kept food costs down.
Never Buy Gas-Station Snacks
They might be cheap per item, but convenience-store snacks add up quickly.
We packed bottled water, chips, crackers, nuts and granola bars we already had at home and skipped the convenience-store impulse buys.
Snacks are part of our normal grocery spend, and supermarket prices are a fraction of what you’ll pay at roadside shops.
We buy water by the case at home — about $3 for 24 bottles. You’ll pay over $1 per bottle at a gas station, so load the car before you leave.
Use Hotel Breakfasts
Check whether your lodging includes a continental breakfast. For two people over two mornings, that can save $10 to $20 and might justify a slightly higher nightly rate.
Our Motel 6 didn’t provide breakfast, but they had free coffee — saving me about $2 per day.
Choose Healthier Fast-Food Options
We made a stop at Chick-fil-A Friday night because… road trip in the South.
While known for fried chicken, many fast-food spots offer lighter options at similar prices: fruit cups, parfaits, wraps and salads.
Outside the South, Subway is our fallback for healthier fast-food choices where we can often stretch food for two meals per person for about $10.
Before you pull into a drive-thru, search for coupons and download the restaurant’s app. Lots of chains give a free item just for installing the app or signing up for emails.
Find Inexpensive Local Restaurants
For Saturday’s lunch and dinner, we used Yelp and Groupon to locate local spots and snag discounts.
In any town I search Yelp’s “diner” category to find cheap, off-the-beaten-path fare. Local diners typically have diverse menus with most items under $10. You can use this method to find affordable restaurants when traveling.
We had lunch at Henry’s Restaurant in Savannah’s historic district for $23 including tip.
For dinner we chose Aroy Jung, an Asian-fusion spot downtown that has since closed. They were offering a Groupon: $14 for $22 worth of food, ample for two people.
Our bill was only $1.54 over the voucher, so we had a date-night-level dinner for $20.54, tip included.
(P.S. Enjoy your Groupon deals, but don’t forget to tip on the full pre-discount amount!)
Skip or Bring Your Own Alcohol
One big saving for us was not drinking. We don’t drink often, so it was an easy way to keep costs down.
If you do drink on vacation, advising you to skip it isn’t very realistic.
But you don’t need to blow your budget on booze.
Channel a college-era habit and have a drink at home before heading out. Stock up at a grocery store or convenience store when you arrive rather than paying bar prices.
If alcohol is less expensive where you live than at your destination, consider bringing some along — just be aware of laws on transporting alcohol across state lines.
Also, order cleverly at the bar. For example, my old favorite was “gin on the rocks with a splash of olive juice.” It’s essentially a dirty martini on ice, but ordering it without saying “martini” often cost about 30% less.
Calling it a “martini” can add to the price — and you’re stuck with the silly stemmed glass.
Here’s our food tally:
- $13.31 for Friday dinner at Chick-fil-A
- $23 for Saturday brunch at Henry’s
- $20.54 for Saturday dinner at Aroy Jung using Groupon
- $20.80 for Sunday breakfast/lunch at Waffle House (because… Southern road trip)
- $3.41 for coffee and drinks on Sunday afternoon
Enjoy Free Activities
What we spent on entertainment: $14
What we paid for parking: $8
Most of what we did was free.
We paid only $7 each to enter the national site Fort Pulaski, plus $8 total for parking at the beach and downtown.
Even on this modest trip, I wince at our parking fees. We could have saved $5 if we hadn’t been running late for a dinner reservation — so plan ahead!
Here’s what we did for free in Savannah:
- Strolled the Historic District
- Walked and window-shopped along River Street
- Visited the Atlantic at the beach on Tybee Island
- Explored the historic Bonaventure Cemetery
We found many free options on lists like the one at Mr. Free Stuff, but you can’t squeeze everything into a single weekend.
When planning your trip, start by searching “free things to do in [that city],” and you’ll turn up a lot of interesting options you might not expect.
Also get offline and ask the locals. They’ll point you toward spots and events that aren’t full of tourists — and tend to be cheaper.
Pick up a local paper. Free weeklies are often distributed around town or at hotels. Scan them for trivia nights, open mics and other low-cost or free happenings that travel websites might miss.
Alex Rivers is a staff writer at Savinly. She’s contributed to various outlets focused on personal finance and travel.
For planning future trips on a budget, check out resources like cheap road trip map, our road trip tips, and ideas for how to save money on food while traveling.
