With the airlines assessing fees for just about every little thing, many travelers this year will be turning to the old-fashioned road trip to stretch their travel dollars.
Here are some tips for a hassle-free road trip this summer:
- Don’t pack everything – just the right things. Start out with travel-sized toiletries and make do with the hotel handouts. Pack just a few days’ worth of clothing and wash your clothes as you go using the local laundromats or hotel laundry facilities.
- Have an emergency kit in your car. Your emergency kit should include flashlight, blanket, rain ponchos (ever changed a tire in the pouring rain?), bottled water, and a little food. Sure, you’re traveling in the summer, but you never know when you might run out of water or find it too far between travel stops and need a little snack.
- Locate the best gas prices using GasBuddy.com. Enter the city and state or zip code and it will tell you the price of gas at nearby locations.
- Locate local deals with Groupon, who also has mobile apps.
- Of course, call your auto insurance company and find out whether you have towing coverage on your vehicle. If not, consider purchasing travel roadside assistance services for your trip.
- Avoid major road constructions delays by consulting your state department of transportation, or rely on the number 511 which works in most states to give you road information.
