How to $ 50 per day

How to $ 50 per day -

The Great American Road Trip is a rite of passage to travel to the States in the United States. We Americans have a unique fascination with the open road. It is built into our cultural DNA. In Jazz Age America, the car was a symbol of freedom - a chance to escape their small town and the watchful eyes of parents. Since the highway system was developed in the 1950s, set off a wave of children on the streets of the country to explore, new life in America's car and road trip culture. Today, many still dream in a car to get in and drive wide open spaces for months on end

And I have to do just that -. For four and a half months and 13,000 miles I traveled to all corners of this country.

in diversity and scope, the United States is great.

But this is not a post is (this post) over the United States over fawning. This article is about how you can travel around the United States on a budget, because, as it turns out, this country is incredibly easy to travel on the cheap.

In this post I will explain how much I spent and show you how you can save money on your trip.

Traveling to 116 days around the United States, I spent $ 6,262.67 or $ 53.98 per day. While slightly higher than $ 50 per day, there were many parts of my budget, I splurged (see analysis below) the number wrong upwards. I guess you could visit the country even cheaper if you do not have on my addiction to Starbucks or sushi. Here's how the numbers of my US road trip break:

Accommodation: $ 1,036.36
Food: $ 3,258.23
Beverages: $ 438.94
gas: $ 696.98
Parking: $ 253.00
Bucks: 75, $ 26
Other (movies, toothpaste, shampoo, conferences, etc.) .: $ 170.00
interest $ 269.40
taxis : $ 41.00
bus: $ 17.50
Metro: $ 6.00

injured a few things my budget. My Starbucks Addiction * was unnecessary and to my cost. Moreover, as a lover of sushi, various restaurants while traveling around trying drastically increased my food costs. Sushi, after all, is not cheap. Generally I ate as if I was not on a budget and rarely cooked, why were my food costs so high compared to everything else. I would have gone definitely under $ 50, if I bothered to cook more often

But while I indulged in some places, three other things is to keep me really helped costs low. First, the gas prices were low, around $ 2.35 per gallon for the duration of my trip ( Update 2016 : They are even lower now!) On average. Second, if you drop the big cities, leaving prices for everything by almost half. Thirdly, I and used hotel points often down to keep Couchsurfed accommodation costs.

Overall, while I could have done better, and I did not do badly and I am happy about how much I spent. So as you can see, it does not need to be expensive to travel around the United States, but as you do to reduce these costs? What are the tips and tricks?

How to save money on your trip

There are numerous ways to the United States to travel on a budget. Whether you want to make it cheaper, as I have done, or splurge a bit more, there are ways to reduce your costs and your expenses are focused on what matters most to you. Here's how to reduce your costs, without cutting into your experience!

Accommodations

This will be your biggest fixed costs, and reduce it to do the most to reduce your overall costs. Fortunately, you have many options:

Couchsurfing - CouchSurfing is a service that allows you free to stay with the locals. Using this site, or similar is the best way to reduce accommodation costs, since you do not get cheaper than free. More than that, it is a wonderful way to meet locals and off-the-beaten-track stuff around you visit do. The page is a win-win situation: you cool people and save money at the same time meet! I Couchsurfed in Richmond, Napa, Reno, Phoenix, and several other cities. There are so many hosts in the United States, you will rarely trouble finding someone you can find to put up

With Airbnb -. A convenient alternative to the cheap hotels above Airbnb is a service that allows you to stay in people's homes and apartments. It is much more comfortable than any hotel! You can get a lot of singles and common spaces for $ 30-40 per night, see. I have this option much on my trip. Prices are affordable, you live in a beautiful house, you have access to a kitchen, and you get to cool to meet people

Staying in cheap hotels -. If you can not find a couchsurfing or Airbnb to use at the last minute, there is an abundance of cheap roadside rand ~~ POS = HEADCOMP hotels like Motel 6 and Super 8 to the rescue. Rooms start around $ 40 per night, including taxes but they are working to be an average of $ 60. The rooms are simple and always look well worn. You will get a bed, bathroom, TV, small closet, and maybe a desk. You are to write nothing else to sleep at home, but for a quiet place for the night, they do the trick. . Tip: Even if you are traveling with someone, say always room for one person is because these hotels you charge more for two people

Hotel Points - Make on it, register for Hotel credit cards before you go these points and use when you are traveling. You can get a signup bonus, translating into a week's worth of lodging upwards of 70,000 points. The points were very useful in places where I could not find any Airbnb, hostel or couchsurfing host. This saved my butt in major cities throughout the country. I was glad that I had arisen before my trip so many hotel points. Be aware that most hotels charge in the big cities parking fees if you have a car, and adjust your budget accordingly. (To find out how much you get, how to get many hotel points, read this post.)

Lodging - There are not many hostels in the United States, and most of them are overpriced. A sleeping room typically costs about $ 30 per night, which means that you get a similar private room on Airbnb for the same price. If you are traveling with others, a budget hotel, it is often cheaper to obtain than a few dorm beds. but if you are traveling solo and want to meet others who benefits can the lack of a value exceeding. There were only a few times I did not want to be alone - I wanted to be other people. Some hostels I loved: Sweat Pea (Asheville, NC), South Beach Hostel (Miami), India House (New Orleans), Jazz Hostels (NYC), International House (San Diego ), and the green turtle (San Francisco and Seattle)

Camping -. to all national parks are inexpensive campsites, so if you have an RV or transmission, my recommendation to the warehouse if the parks to visit. Campsites are between $ 10-30 per night. In addition, you can download a TON of RV parks and campgrounds around the country on the national company KOA for $ 20-30 per night, see. In addition, check out the Sharing Economy website

to hold camp in my garden, where you can camp in the backyard people for a small fee

My recommendations for the prices low. CouchSurfing Try as often as possible, use Airbnb or hotel points in major cities, staying in hostels, if you want a good social scene and camp in the National Parks.

Food

cook your own meals and avoid expensive meals and restaurants, as much as possible. If you are looking to find cheap food, use Yelp People CouchSurfing on websites!, Ask or inquire on the desks in hostels. Avoid Whole Foods. Avoid trying to eat sushi as I everywhere! Do not feed cook your Starbucks addiction and often. The food in the United States is very affordable and there is no travel Ninja Hacking techniques to help. Easy cooking, save and be happy

Sightseeing

There are three ways to lower your tour costs .:

A national parks pass - For $ 80, you can get an annual National parks pass, which provides access to all 59 national parks (managed by the National Park service and other recreational areas). At $ 15-20 a visit, five during your trip to see what makes pass a money saver. When you visit your first Park, just buy the pass and you're good to go. There is no need to order them in advance. The US National Park system is amazing and really highlights the diversity of the scenery in the country. You can not travel around the country without stopping many of the national parks, especially as you get out to the west. While there are many ways I recommend Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Glacier, Redwood National Park, Zion and the Grand Tetons

City tourist maps -. City overview map you can send a large number of attractions for one low price, usually $ 30-40 (and often included free public transport). They offer free access to museums, reduced access to attractions and restaurant discounts. Be sure to look at them if you plan on doing a lot of sightseeing because they usually save you money. They can be purchased at the Tourist Information Centres or online before you go

Free museums and events -. Request In tourist centers, use Google or ask hotel or hostel staff for information about free events and museums. Many museums offer occasional free or reduced entry during the week. There are always tons of free activities in every city in the United States.

transport

Getting from point A to B in the US is not always easy, because our infrastructure is not as robust. (I wish we had a national railway system!) Unfortunately, to really see the country, a car is a must. We have some non-car options outside the major cities, and also organized tours, it's hard to get the landscape and to the National Parks

hitchhike -. That's not something I did on my trip, as I had a car, but it is very doable (and relatively safe). Here is a post from my friend Matt, who was hitchhiking in the United States to explain how to do this and come alive

Carpool -. Acquisition driver may be a way to reduce costs. On my first trip to the US, I offered rides to people who I met in hostels. On this trip I had friends and readers with me on the way. You can post ads on Craigslist and Gumtree and find in hostels tab. This not only makes the journey more enjoyable, but also lowers your gas costs. Or if you are a rider, you can use the same services to find rides you get places

Get a car -. You can buy cheap used cars from car dealers or owners on Craigslist. There are many lists, and you can leave the car at the end of your journey back to amortize sell some of your original cost. While this is easily in other countries, it is hard to do in the United States, so consider a few key points:

1. you get a US address for the registration of documents need to get sent , I would use a hotel or an address, and then set up a forwarding address with the post office.
2. You will auto insurance to purchase, which can add to the cost of the journey considerably.

is another way to use a car relocation service. This is when someone take the car and drive it across the country. They are usually paid, and gas is covered. The downside is that you do not often have a lot of leeway on timing, so you may not have much time to stop along the way and visit. Auto shift options are limited and generally. Two companies are worth Transfercar and hit the road.

Some different things

1. The highways are with junk food restaurants. I'm not proud to say that I ate a lot on my trip in the subway. On avoid up to Sandwiches in grocery stores to choose between Taco Bell, McDonalds, and Subway.
2. add parking costs. I did not really find a super awesome way to reduce the parking fees when I was in the big cities overnight, but if you have suggestions, please leave them in the comments.
3. Take a metal water bottle on the way to refill. Plastic bottles of water, add!

A Road Trip in the United States is a fun way to see many different landscapes, experience different cultures and meet interesting people. The United States is not very expensive outside the major cities and you can easily extensively across the country on a budget travel through the advice in this article. Not that fooled USA - it is one of the cheapest Western targets in the world

READ MORE -> WHAT IN THE USA ON A BUDGET

to see and

Next -> 21 cheap and delicious LOCATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES TO EAT

* Note : I drink actually no coffee. I'm addicted only to their iced green tea lemonade!

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