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Road trip: Tips for saving money on a driving vacation

You have the vehicle, the road awaits you though cash is short. It's a whole new adventure that's going to take you far away from home, visiting new places and seeing new things. The only problem facing you is cost, and that's quite a stumbling block when it comes to a driving vacation, although there are ways you can cut down the cost and economize, and still enjoy your trip in the safety of your own vehicle if the holiday is planned out in advance.

What are those extra expenses that can pull at the purse strings on a motoring holiday ? There are so many factors, though those that spring to mind immediately are:

*Fuel costs.
*Breakdown
*Food costs
*Accommodation costs
*The cost of getting lost

Taking each of these one by one, there are ways that economies can be made to cut down on expense.

Fuel costs.

Cars work more efficiently if they are serviced, if the tires are checked and are running at the correct pressure for the vehicle. Check oil and water, and screen wash water. Cars also use less petrol on open highways than they do in built up areas since changing of gears costs money. Servicing the car regularly helps your car to give it's best when you are on holiday. Taking the high roads between towns and avoiding areas of heavy traffic will also cut down fuel consumption. This may not amount to a great deal, but every little bit helps in the drive to save money.

Breakdown.

If the car breaks down thousands of miles away from home, repairs can become costly, and here, look into what breakdown cover is available for holidays. It costs far less to take out an insurance than it does to have to deal with unexpected breakdown, accident or emergency. In areas where you are unfamiliar with the road, your chances of accident are actually increased, so preparing for a holiday and taking out insurance really does pay off.

Food costs

Here, a fortune can be saved by buying provisions from grocery stores, making your own sandwiches and having one of those small one ring gas stoves in the back of the car means you can also make basic hot food and drinks. When you consider the amount of mileage that you cover within the course of a holiday and the number of coffee and snack costs you would incur, the investment in a small item such as this really isn't a lot and saves so much. What is wonderful is that there are so many stop over points where you can soak in the local atmosphere without it costing you money, and instead of spending

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