8 Easy Ways to Save Gas and Money on a Road Trip

Going on a road trip? Here are 8 practical tips on how you can save gas and money.

Don’t let gas price hikes discourage you from going on a road trip. You can enjoy a classic road trip with your whole family without worrying about the expense, thanks to these money-saving and gas-saving tips.

If your car is perfectly tuned up, you will be able to maximize your fuel usage and thus increase overall gas mileage by an estimated 4 percent. Considering how expensive fuel has become, even this small increase can make a huge difference in the long run.

Do you know that if your tires are properly inflated, you will enjoy another half mile for every gallon of fuel? And a simple oil refill can help save around three-quarters of a mile for every gallon. And if you have a newly cleaned air filter, that’s another mile and a quarter per gallon.

You’re on a road trip, so take the time to enjoy the scenery. It’s part of the package, after all. So instead of zooming past everything in your past, drive at a leisurely pace. The additional benefit of doing so is that rapid acceleration and rapid braking – in other words, speeding – waste gas and reduces your mileage by up to 33 percent.

Check your trunk; make sure your daily baggage is not there. Bring only the stuff that you need for your road trip. Removing unnecessary items can help improve your fuel economy by around 2 percent.

Unless you’re driving in a heavily polluted area, go ahead and roll down the windows. If you’re driving through the countryside, the fresh air will even do you and your family a lot of good. Plus, without air conditioning, you can increase fuel mileage by a whopping 10 percent. Imagine how far that will go in terms of cash savings.

Do your research; use your iOS map or Google maps to map out the fastest, shortest route to your destination. Take potential traffic into consideration. By choosing the best routes with the least traffic, you will limit the unnecessary stop-and-go, which can really drain your gas.

If you’re feeling hungry and want a bite to eat, stop at a restaurant or a fast food instead of going to the drive-thru. The drive-thru equates to a lot of idle time, which can waste gas. Besides you could use the chance to stretch your legs.

Prices of snacks and drinks tend to go higher the farther you get from the city center. Along the road, your only sources of snacks and drinks are convenience stores, and their prices are usually higher. So make sure you go shopping for some road trip goodies before you leave; it’ll save you a lot of money during the trip.

These tips can easily reduce more than 20 percent of your overall traveling expense, so although some of them may require a bit of effort, they will definitely pay off.