This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cooper Tires for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
Summer vacation is in full bloom, and that family road trip you have been talking about taking all year is almost here. Time to crunch the final numbers and make sure everything is packed and ready to go. Ready to maximize every mile and every dollar on your road trip? Here are 5 tips to save money on a road trip.
5 tips to save money on a road trip:
- Prepare most of your food– We all know the price of a meal these days, then multiply it by family size, times 3. What’s that equal? Too much! Prepare individual healthy and mess free snacks for the road. Granola bars, trail mix, etc. Purchase water by the case. You’d be surprised at the price of one water bottle. Almost $2! If you have access to a stove or a grill (most campsites and parks have them) create aluminum foil meals -this is where Pinterest comes in. If you decide that you’d like to eat out, look for coupons online (they can scan your phone or give them a code), perhaps even look to see if any local restaurants have a children eat free night, while you’re there.
- Look for free/cheap entertainment– You have your days and locations all ready to go. I’m sure hiking, biking and possibly sight seeing is already on your list. But what about if it rains? Or your family is just too tired for physical activity? Maybe you want to take advantage of the local night life? Figure out the counties of the zip codes you are planning on spending more than a few hours or possibly days in. Go to their website and look into their community calendar. Maybe there’s a fair with free music. Perhaps their library is having a story hour. There might be a free day at their zoo or museums. At the very least, you can look for a local lake to relax in.
- Choose where you are going to sleep wisely– Are you trying to stay as close to the outdoors as possible? Consider renting a cabin at a local state park. Want to stay at a hotel? See if they have cots, that way you can all bunk in one room. Regardless of where you are planning on staying, call around and compare prices. Look into online websites that are able to find hidden savings, Expedia is one of them. Are there any freebies? The continental breakfast that has hot food available for your family is probably worth the extra $10. As always, look for coupons!
- Download a gas app– Gas is going to be an expense you can’t avoid. Every state is different, best bet is to load up when you find the cheapest pumps along your route. Gas Guru is an awesome app that uses your location, and shows you the cheapest gas prices along your route. This way you’re not looking at your quarter tank and tempted at pulling into the next gas station, due to fear of running out of gas, when just three miles down you can save up to twenty cents per gallon.
- Make sure your vehicle is road ready- Make sure your oil is changed, you’ve had a tune up and that your tires are ready for the wear and tear of the open road. Getting a flat tire with a car filled with cranky kids, out in the middle of nowhere is not fun! Right now, through July 15th Cooper Tires is having a Cooper Tire Summer Drive Event, and could you imagine, if you get all four tires they’re giving you a Prepaid Visa card, worth up to $70! (DVD’s for the road anyone?) Find a Cooper Tire Dealer near you with their Dealer Locator.
-Cooper Tires has a tire made just for your vehicle! Do you have a SUV? The Cooper Discoverer SRX has an amazing wear square that changes shape beginning with a full square and ending with an exclamation mark when tire tread is low.
-Planning on having some off-roading fun? The Discoverer STT is Cooper’s latest high performance dedicated off-roading tires.
-Looking to explore on a wet terrain? Get dirty with The Discoverer A/T3 tread, which enhances wet traction and reduces rolling resistance.
-The Discoverer SRX offers a premium 65,000-mile Tread Wear Protection Warranty and a 45-Day Road Test guarantee ensure a confident choice and smooth ride for SUV and CUV drivers, if you aren’t satisfied with your Discoverer SRX tire purchase you may return them to your original dealer within 45 days of purchase for a FREE OF CHARGE Cooper brand replacement only, including mounting and balancing.
Don’t let finances hold you back from having an amazing road trip this summer. Using these 5 tips on saving money while on a road trip should help ease the stress of planning. Enjoy your time and make memories. Do you have any tips on saving money while taking a road trip? If so, let us know in the comments.