3 Valuable Tips to Save on Fuel When Traveling
There are many expenses to consider when you want to travel more. We’ve already discussed the options of making an income from the road in this post. But you’ll still have additional expenses from fuel while traveling. With most SUVs and minivans getting around 20-24 mpg on the highway, and fuel costs averaging $3.30 nationwide, your road trip will cost about 15 cents a mile. That does not even consider your maintenance costs.
What is the best way to save money on fuel when you’re on a road trip? Are there insider tricks? How do people afford to travel full-time? Here are my best suggestions…
If you can get your mileage reimbursed by driving for a company, that’s the way to go! There are companies like Roadie that will pay you to take a suitcase from the airport to its owner, or to carry a piece of artwork cross-country. But it’s rare to find a trip that matches your vehicle size, your travel dates, and the direction you want to go.
Another way to save money on fuel is to join a membership club. In many cities, the fuel costs at Sam’s Club or Costco are significantly below other fuel stations on the same block. In Kansas City right now, I can purchase fuel for $2.99 at the local grocery store’s station, $2.97 at a regional convenience store chain, or $2.84 at both Sam’s Club and Costco. A savings of 13 cents/gallon adds up to about $2.60 on a 20-gallon fill-up. It doesn’t seem like much, until you’re counting every penny for a road trip!
Our road trips average vary in length from 500 to 1400 miles. We either visit one our son in Memphis, one of our sons in Ohio, our daughter in San Antonio, or our daughter in Los Angeles. We have not yet made the drive to Connecticut, since one son moved there this fall.
On a drive to northwest Ohio, which is 702 miles from our front door to our son’s, we purchase 35 gallons of fuel. The difference between those two KC stations or Sam’s Club would add up to nearly $10 on that round trip. We make these trips 4-5 times a year, which easily pays for a Sam’s Club membership. There are Sam’s Clubs in most of the major cities where we travel. It just takes planning to figure out where to stop.
The other thing to consider when using Sam’s fuel is that they do have limited hours, compared to non-membership fuel stations. They are open Monday to Saturday 6am to 9pm, but only 9am to 7pm on Sundays.
That brings me to my next tip, and the best travel tip in this whole post: the Gas Buddy app! In this app, I can ‘favorite’ a station to make it show up at the top of my search results. I can also search for fuel costs by city (comparing on two sides of a state line, for instance) or by map, to compare along my travel route. When I click on a fuel price, it tells me the mileage to that station, so I can figure out where that would put me on my gas gauge. I generally know I can get 350 highway miles to a tank of fuel without causing any problems, so that helps me decide where to schedule my stops.
The app will also show me how long ago a user confirmed the fuel price. Again, in major cities, the prices are often confirmed within the previous 2-4 hours. Additionally, any user can confirm or edit prices as they encounter changes at a specific fuel station. I like to feel like I’m helping other travelers, especially because I depend so heavily on the accuracy of this app.
My final tip for maximizing your fuel savings on a road trip is to use a cash-back card. Many credit cards offer a much higher percentage back for payments made at the pump. If you pay inside, you’ll lose this benefit. But as long as you’re paying at the pump (as is required at Costco and Sam’s, anyway), you can earn back 5% or more in rewards! Just use it wisely, and be prepared to pay it off as soon as you get home from your road trip!