The best road trips are the road trips that you actually take. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve only “thought” about taking a road trip, how many times I’ve opened Google Maps and calculated my fuel costs, and done nothing more. If you want to take a road trip, give yourself a budget, take a few minutes to plan, then go.

If you can come up with $50 to spend on your road trip, there are ton’s of possibilities available to you. If you have a small cooler, grab a 6-pack, dump the ice in your fridge over it, make a few sandwiches for lunch, gas up and head out. Want to spend the night? Grab your sleeping bags or pull the sheets and blankets off your bed.

Day Trips

One of the cheapest trips you can take is a simple day trip. If you don’t spend the night you don’t need to think about bedding, shelter, hotels, or anything else. Just grab some snacks or pick them up on the way and hit the open road.

Extend your day trip into the evening for that overnight feeling without the gear or planning. Bring your lawn chairs or pull up a stump. Gather some scrap wood and build a fire. A night at a local campground will probably set you back around $20; but you don’t have to stay all night.

Overnight Camping

If you do decide to spend the night, you probably already have everything you need. Maybe not for the most comfortable night, but enough to make this happen.

If the weather outlook is good, why not sleep under the stars? Clear the ground, throw down a tarp, and sleep on top of it. The more padding you have, the better. A couple of thick blankets will work okay if you’re young. If you have nothing else, gather all the leaves and small vegetation you can find and set your tarp on the softest ground you can find. For the five star treatment, buy or borrow a blowup mattress and a pump. A queen size air mattress costs about $15 at most big box stores.

If you own a tent or can borrow one, you’ll be doing some all out camping. If not, a large tarp and some rope can make a pretty nice shelter and will provide protection even in light rain. If you’re not into that, there’s always the car. Most of us can sleep in our car one way or another.
If you own a tent or can borrow one, you’ll be doing some all out camping. If not, a large tarp and some rope can make a pretty nice shelter and will provide protection even in light rain. If you’re not into that, there’s always the car. Most of us can sleep in our car one way or another.

Get Going

In order to make the road trip happen you just have to decide to do it. If you’ve been thinking about it but haven’t gone, then set your mind to going. Head out tonight or this weekend. Don’t procrastinate anymore – go.