Are you planning your next road trip, but are a little concerned about these high gas prices and what that may mean for your wallet? We just got back from a month on the road and have a few tips for you to enjoy your time in nature, without constantly checking that bank account.

1. Travel with a camper

This is probably no surprise coming from us, but traveling with your sleeping arrangement will save you a TON of money! No more hotels or airbnbs. Teardrop trailers are a bonus because they are so light that your gas milage shouldn’t change much from the norm!

2. Don’t pay for campgrounds

We traveled for a month and spent a grand total of $0 on campgrounds. You read that right! We did not pay a cent for accommodations. Thank you public lands! (…and Cracker Barrel)

Our teardrop trailer has a 100Ah battery that will last us about 2 weeks running the vent fan, charging our electronics, and all the lights are LEDS. A few other items that make it possible not to hook up are our solar panels and portable charging stations. We have a briefcase solar panel that hooks up in seconds to charge our battery, then we just leave it for the day! We also only charge our laptops on our portable charging station because it has AC power and the station itself can be charged off the car while we drive, or by the solar panel as well. This keeps our teardrop battery for the low drawing items.

So how do you find free camping?

There are a number of great apps out there to find campgrounds including the dyrt, Free Roam, and our personal favorite iOverlander. We primarily used iOverlander this trip which shows you wild and established campground locations in a map view. After deciding where we were going to travel, we’d pull up the map, read the reviews, and make sure we chose a spot that was dispersed, free camping.

I will say, the west side of the United States is EXTREMELY easy to find free camping compared to the eastern states, but there are still some gems out there.

3. Cook your food

We honestly ate more hot dogs in the course of our trip than in the rest of our entire lives combined. It’s not that we were trying to just buy inexpensive food, but those hot dogs were not only delicious (all beef baby) but they are also SO EASY to make gourmet. If you’re like us and know it’s dinner time by when the sunsets, you will realize dinner time becomes 9pm when you’re up north in the summer. So quick and easy were our go to’s!

If you’re going on a hike or through a National Park, bring a sandwich and some trail mix!

Tacos, burgers, pasta, salads, fajitas, soup, and hot dogs are a few personal favorites for dinner.

4. Gas Buddy

If you don’t know about the app Gas Buddy, download it NOW! This app shows you a map view of where you are and all the gas stations with updated prices in your area. When you’re on a road trip, saving 20 cents per gallon by going to the right gas station adds up!

Pro Tip: If you’re traveling to a National Park, fill up before you get close! Gas is usually more expensive right around the parks.

5. Don’t get carried away with souvenirs…

Okay, this one is tricky, because you should bring back souvenirs to remember your travels, but opt for something meaningful and unique to the places you go. A lot of times if you’re visiting popular areas, the prices of everything is inflated because they know tourists are there to buy things at any cost!

We collect stickers and ornaments. These are inexpensive items that help us remember all the awesome spots we’ve gone to together, and don’t end up in the back of our closet a few months later.

So there you have it! Five easy ways to save money on your road trip. Now get to planning and happy camping!

Are you ready to start camping in a teardrop trailer? Check out our custom build options, handmade in Aiken, SC or our DIY Plans to build your own!

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5 EASY ways to save money on a road trip