How to Travel the US on a Budget

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How to save money while traveling the US in a campervan

Exploring the United States is an exciting adventure that allows for freedom on the open road whether that be in a campervan or traveling from hotel to hotel. Being budget-conscious travelers requires a unique form of travel that offers a cost-effective way to discover the diverse landscapes while finding unique travel opportunities along the way that don’t break the budget.

I love to travel and visit new places but having a large family to travel with can get expensive. I always try to find new and unique places to visit and fun things to do when we travel. I often cram as much as I can into a trip and find things that everyone will enjoy, especially the teenagers. In order to do this, I need to do a lot of research and find ways to save money along the way. I wanted to share some of those tips with you so you can save money too. I have had to be creative and find different ways to save money as we travel across the US in our campervan.

I created this list to give you an idea of ways to save money while you travel so you can enjoy many more day’s adventuring without having to worry about travel expenses getting too high. This list will give you some great ideas of ways to decrease your travel expenses.

Boondocking instead of Hotel Stays

Traveling often requires an overnight stay at your destination. Staying at a hotel can get so expensive especially if you travel multiple days. A decent hotel can range from $125 to $300 per night. Well, that is out of our price range and really increases the budget quick. To save money I have started boondocking. I had been camping in a travel trailer in the past so camping wasn’t new but what was new was camping in the middle of nowhere without amenities or electricity. I am used to camping at a campground with full hookups, but I knew to save money I would have to adjust my expectations of travel.

I researched what boondocking would involve and after a lot of research, I decided I could do it. I knew I would be camping in the middle of nowhere without any amenities so I needed to figure out what all I would need to make this happen. I continued to research and buy things for my campervan that I needed to make our stay out in the middle of nowhere more comfortable. Check out a list of essential items needed for boondocking.

Boondocking is FREE in most areas and is a cheap way to camp. It is quiet and so peaceful and totally worth not having any amenities to experience the calm of the night as you sit by the campfire and view all of the amazing stars. I have a couple different blog posts on FREE boondocking locations. The first one, blog post shows FREE boondocking locations across the US. The second one shows FREE boondocking locations near National Parks.

Stay with Family or Friends

While traveling, make a point to stay with family or friends along the way. This is a great opportunity to visit with loved ones that you might not get to see often. It also gives you a chance to do laundry or take a nice hot shower if you have been boondocking for a while. Plus, it’s FREE.

Visit or Stay at State Parks

I love State Parks. There are several state parks within each state across the US. They tend to be cheaper to visit and some are even FREE. State park entrance fees can range from FREE to $20 per car. Some state parks also have camping options if you need to camp for a night and allow the opportunity to take a nice warm shower and have electricity to charge things if you do not have solar or a generator. Most state parks have trails, waterfalls, fishing, boating, wedding options, camping, ranger led activities and so much more. Check out your local state park for more details. This blog post has several state parks that are worth visiting across the US.

Purchase a National Park Pass

A National Park Pass is a good investment if you plan to travel to multiple National Parks within a year. You can purchase a National Park Pass for $80 a year that allows you to get into national parks for free. Most National Parks charge $20-35 per car per park without the pass. On our last month-long trip, we visited 5 National Parks which would have cost us around $125 or more but since we have a National Park pass, we got into the parks for FREE.

There are several other options for national park passes as seen in the picture below for purchasing a pass. Military and children in 4th grade can get a FREE pass. Individuals with a disability might also be able to get a FREE pass with proper documentation from your doctor.

To Purchase or Not to Purchase Souvenirs

If you have followed along my journey enough you will know that I LOVE souvenirs. So, in order to limit those, we have chosen to only purchase one item at each location, if desired. Some places you won’t want to purchase souvenirs and other spots, taking pictures of the location will serve the purpose as a reminder of your time there. My elementary age child only gets one souvenir total as he often loses them, or they break over time. My teens might get more as they tend to take better care of them. I also love to purchase Christmas ornaments at national parks to enjoy during the holidays and give us a chance to reminisce about our travels. Some souvenirs we often purchase are clothing items, pins, post cards, kids’ books, stickers and more.

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Eating out or Eating in

I love trying new foods and new restaurants while we travel. But eating out for our family can get really expensive. IF we decide to eat out, we always get water to drink instead of soda which can save us about $20. I also often share a meal with my youngest child, or he shares with one of my teens who doesn’t eat very much.

But most of the time when we travel, we cook our own meals in the van. This saves us a lot of money. We would typically have to get groceries while at home anyways, so we just buy our groceries as usual and cook our meals in the van as we travel. We tend to eat more prepared foods instead of fully home cooked meals to save on water (boiling water for cooking pasta, etc) and to save time. See my blog post on camping food ideas. We have a two-burner camp stove that we use while camping for all of our cooking. We have enjoyed our meals we prepare in our van and enjoy the time sitting around a campfire and talking about our journey as we eat. Don’t forget your roasting sticks so you can roast marshmallows at night which is my kids’ favorite part of camping. We put our roasted marshmallow between two Fudge Stripe Cookies we purchase at the Dollar Tree, so yummy and way cheaper than buying the graham crackers and Hershey bars.

Use the Vehicle You Already Have and Borrow Needed Items

When you are first starting out on your travel journey you do not need to buy a large expensive camper or a brand new van to convert into a campervan. You can start out with what you have before you decide whether this travel journey is right for you. Many people camp out of tents or put a blow-up mattress or this blow-up twin mattress in the back of their car to sleep on. Search Pinterest or Instagram to see how others camp for cheap.

You can also borrow needed items from your own house or from friends/family to get your started on your first camping trip. Kitchen items for cooking can come from your own kitchen at first. Borrow a tent from your family and sleeping bags from your neighbor. Don’t buy new until you know this is right for you.

Shop Thrift Stores

I have found a lot of things at thrift stores that we used during our first year of our travel journey. We have purchased dishes, sleeping bags, camp stove, utensils, hiking gear such as clothes, trekking poles, and more. This can save you a lot of money. Then if you decide you don’t need the item or it doesn’t meet your needs, you can re-donate it and you are not out a lot of money. When the time is right you can also upgrade as needed.

Find FREE Attractions

My final recommendation is to find as many FREE attractions as you can while you travel. I try real hard to find things to do within each state we travel that are FREE or really cheap. Here is a list of FREE attractions we have visited that I think you will enjoy. Follow the links to my blog post with more information on each attraction.

• Seven Magic Mountains 20 minutes outside of Las Vegas

• Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles California

• Toadstool Trailhead in Utah

• Forrest Gump Point in Utah

• Snake Alley - Crookedest street in the world located in Iowa

• Beer Can Island (Greer Island) - Beach in Florida with FREE parking

• National Parks with pass

• Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign

• The Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas

• Visiting the Full House house in California

• Visiting Magnolia Market at The Silos in Waco Texas

• Devil’s Bridge 3.6 mile round trip hike in Arizona

• Garden of the Gods park in Colorado

• Big Sur along Highway 1 in California

• Umbrella Alley - San Francisco, California

• The Bean or Buckingham Fountain in Chicago

Use a gas app to get cash back

While traveling I use the Upside app every time I get gas which allows me to get cash back with each purchase. Not every gas station participates with Upside so you can use the map in the app to find the nearest gas station that participates. Each time you get gas you get a percentage back from 1% to 15% per gallon. The cash back amount slowly adds up and then you can either cash out or get a gift certificate to certain vendors from Target, Walmart, Starbucks, AMC Theatres, Cabela’s, Cold Stone Creamery, Domino’s, Lowe’s, IHOP, Panera Bread, Red Robin and more!

Sign up now and use my Invite code to get started XJZTTH

There is no need to wait for the perfect time to start your travel journey. If you can Dream it, then you can do it!! Start small and work your way up to a longer journey once you are more comfortable. There is a thrill you can experience as you travel the open road.

Start making your plans now for your next trip. Whether you’re planning a cross-country road trip or exploring a specific region, traveling the US in a campervan on a budget can still be a memorable and flexible way to see the best places around the country.

Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions regarding budget traveling or about any of the places I listed that offer spectacular travel attractions. I am always happy to help.

Enjoy your next journey,

Meet the author: Jennifer

I am a girl who loves to travel and enjoys sharing expert family travel advice. I am a content creator and influencer on Instagram with years of travel experience and provide readers with advice, tips, and details on adventurous family travel and tips on saving money while boondocking or traveling across the US.

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