I took a solo road trip and spent less traveling for six weeks than I would have if I’d had a home base. Yes, traveling CAN be less expensive than staying put. Here’s how.
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Let me start by saying: I’m not a numbers person. I have a lazy budgeting method for a reason. When it comes to numbers, I hide. I round up. I ignore.
It’s not just about money; I do this for all kinds of numbers. I budget exclusively so that I can travel, have no idea what I weigh, and use clothing items instead of temperatures to describe the weather. Not a numbers girl.
However, I quit my job with a number in mind of what I could spend per month to sustain myself for a year. Therefore, I have to keep tabs on what I’m doing and spending. The following numbers might not be 100% accurate (see the first paragraph), but this is the approximate total of what I spent and experienced over the last 5 weeks of my solo road trip around the United States.
A really mediocre drawing of the route that I took
Solo Road Trip: Cost of Gas, etc
67+ hours of driving
4,765 total miles driven
My Honda gets 33mpg hwy
About $370 spent on gas
Got an oil change before I left for about $55
Thought: this would be less if it weren’t a solo road trip and if I had friends to travel with!
Solo Road Trip: Cost of Lodging
Amarillo – CouchSurfing $0
Denver – stayed with friends $0
Wyoming – Solo camped 3 nights $30
1 night in a hostel in Jackson $50
Bozeman – 2 nights in a hostel in Bozeman $30
Billings – Conference hotel with a shared room for 5 nights – $140
Minneapolis – stayed with friends $0
Iowa – stayed with family $0
Kansas City – stayed with friends $0
Total cost of lodging: $250
Solo Road Trip: Cost of Food
Grocery run #1: $47
Grocery run #2: 53
Other food such as snacks at gas stations: Budgeted $6/day or about $200, but didn’t spend it
Dining out and drinks with friends: probably about $600 over 6 weeks (my family and friends treated a bit, and we did lots of at-home fun)
Beer runs: $150
Total food and beer bill: about $1000
Other Fun Things
10 States visited (TX, CO, WY, MT, ND, MN, IA, IL, KS, MO)
2 other states crossed (NM, OK) but no stops so they don’t ‘count’
2 side trips to NE Iowa and Wisconsin with family
Returning to the ‘not a numbers person’ thing, let’s say my car was in 13 states total
13 different beds/couches/tents
37 days away from home
2 weeks with family
5 nights in hotels
4 National Parks/forests visited $80 park pass
Total Solo Road Trip Cost Breakdown:
$1693 spent, plus some petty cash here and there
Averages to about $42/day including gas, lodging, food, fun, etc.
Doesn’t count the $340 plate ticket I purchased for later because I’ll pay it off with points
About $1100 on living expenses at home such as insurance, rent, etc, but not including investment/retirement accounts
Total home expenses + travel spend – money earned = $2180
Getting some work done while on a press trip
What the Numbers Mean
I’m still deciding what I’ve taken away from these numbers. My first thoughts are this:
If I didn’t have expenses at home such as rent, my loss would be significantly less. I’ve run these numbers several times over the last few years, and it’s what’s led me to decide that I’ll take next year off of having a home base. I can build my business and brand while on the road, thus marrying my living and travel budgets.
I spent 37 days traveling on less than $3000 – and could have done it for less. Even though I’m in the negative, I knew I would be and planned for it. Still, even if I didn’t make a little bit of money, I’d come in below $3k. This comes to less than $36k/year, which is a lot less than most people I know live on. Not bad, right?
Additionally, these numbers help me to realize what I spend in the US – one of the more expensive places that I spend time. If I spend time in cheaper places, I’ll have lower expenses.
Finally, it proves that I can work while travelingand that I can increase what I make on the road every month until I find a surplus. To that note, I have enough set aside to last me for a year, but every dollar made while traveling extends the amount of runway that I have before going back to the corporate world. My goal is to never have to go back, and that’s why I’m working to build my income up now rather than just traveling aimlessly.
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Where would you go if you had a month to spend on the road?
If you can, conjure up the feeling of waking up on vacation. You know, the one where you realize where you are and have a feeling of peace come over you. This was my experience at Eagle View Motel, and really, in all of Guttenberg, Iowa
Physically, you’re wrapped up in a big blanket. Mentally, enveloped by the feeling that the most important thing you have to do that day is to find a place to spend leisure time. Simply put: you wake up happy.
Guttenberg, Iowa in a Nutshell
Like so many Iowans, I grew up on a river. The Mississippi is the lifeblood of Eastern Iowa. My definition of an ideal view was taken directly from a Grant Wood landscape: rolling hills, quaint towns, and always a river running through it.
Recently, I had the opportunity to take an early fall trip to Guttenberg, Iowa from Davenport, Iowa. I was giddy with the idea of driving through the Mississippi River valley bluffs. One of my favorite things is to crack my windows open to smell the earthy scent of leaves as they begin to change.
Imagine waking up to this view, and breathing in the crisp morning air <3
I covered my retreat to Northeast Iowa in this post. However, the cherry on top of this overnight retreat was calling home the Eagle View Motel. I rolled into the gravel parking lot late afternoon – just as the sun was retreating behind the bluffs to the west. This painted a perfect view of the river from the deck. You can imagine my excitement when I spotted several sets of lawn chairs and even a fire pit on the lawn. My thoughts immediately went to where I would sit to enjoy the sunset skies. This spot must be lovely that view would be in every season – fall foliage would abound, and I’m sure that there would be plenty of bald eagle spotting in the winter.
LOVE river view at dusk!
I Loved Eagle View Motel
I have a few simple things that made this motel feel like home:
The doors had keypad entries, eliminating the check-in process. I never mind checking in, but it was nice to not have to keep track of a key during my stay. Plus, it made my room feel all the more private.
The hotel is only 7 rooms and has both indoor and outdoor community areas. That makes me think of all the great ways people could use this as a retreat. My first thought was to rent out the whole place for a group girls weekend. It could also be perfect for a family reunion or a place to hold a holiday gathering.
The view brought me back to how I would define ‘ideal landscape’. The motel has a sprawling front lawn with lawn chairs, a fire pit, and a grill, and I could look down over Guttenberg, Iowa and across the river from the room. Not only that, but every room faces the same direction, so every guest has a phenomenal panorama view.
Working Remotely
As a digital nomad, I’m always chasing places that are practical for me. Practical means: budget-friendly, strong Wi-Fi, and quiet enough to get some work done. I decided to take this trip on a Monday because it meant I still got to spend the weekend with my family but was pleased to learn that the hotel offers lower rates during the weeks than on the weekends. As ‘leaf peeper’ season approaches, I can imagine that is a great opportunity for people who don’t have to work during the week to take a few days away from the city.
Proof that the room views were to die for: I snapped this shot while sitting on my bed. Imagine being there when all the leaves are changing!
I so loved rolling over in the morning to draw open the blinds to the breathtaking scenery of the Mississippi River. The river is an anchor, and it is home. I got to wake up in it’s embrace, and spend a day in it’s echo. I woke up in this adorable retreat, and I woke up happy.
A quick note on accessibility: The Eagle View Motel sits on a hill has two rooms at ground level. The rest require going up a short flight of stairs to access. The showers are bathtub style.
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Man, I’d really like to spend a weekend with friends. We should go to Billings.” Yeah, me neither. But when I had an opportunity to spend a long weekend here with a group of travel bloggers, I was so wonderfully surprised by this little city.
Billings has always conjured up images of the wild west. Perhaps a train depot with tumbleweed in the streets, or cowboys in old pickup trucks returning from whatever ghost town they had come from. While Billings did put John Denver songs in my head on repeat, the western vibe meshed perfectly with the hipster tones that make Montana’s Trailhead so inviting.
This begs the question then: What does one do in Billings?
While there’s plenty to do in Billings, most of my time was occupied with the conference, yet I still got a great flavor for ways to spend time in Billings:
The people
I’m starting with the end here, but the moment that sums up Billings for me the most is an encounter in a coffee shop as I was leaving town.
I walked into Yellowstone Coffee & Canvas and immediately noticed the hodgepodge of paintings on the walls and easels set up on tables waiting to be filled with blank canvases. The space could accommodate crowds, but save for the art supplies and finished products, the place was empty. I suppose that’s normal for 10 am on a Saturday.
This is where it gets fun. I was greeted by a woman who I learned was named Billie. Billie was the kind of person that pulls stories out of people effortlessly. Before I knew it, I had a drink recommendation and we were chatting about our dreams to write books in the future. She told me about the mission of the coffee shop and how people can go in and paint any time – creative expression is integral to the community they’ve created around their coffee.
Yellowstone Coffee & Canvas
The thing is, while Billie is incredible, she isn’t unique in Billings. What I mean by that is that the folks in every coffee shop, hotel front desk, and everything in between, were so incredibly kind. I come from the Midwest originally, and Billings outdoes the Midwest in nice. Hands down.
The city is known as Montana’s Trailhead because people coming from the East stop there on their way to the skiing in Big Sky, the adventures in Yellowstone National Park, and the thrills in Glacier National Park – all of these destinations are about 3 hours away. Shouldn’t every trail start with a smile?
The brew trail
Every good vacation in my book includes a great local beer scene, and Billings nails it. Not only are most of the breweries close together and in an area of town that lends to other tourism, but the local tourism board has a convenient map that navigates the best way to visit all the breweries, distilleries, and alehouses in the downtown area.
Visit Billings arranged a 4-stop tour for several of the conference attendees that included tours and samples at each stop. The brewmasters were all so fun to listen to and the guide that took us from stop to stop was full of jokes and additional Billings information.
A note on accessibility: the sidewalks in Billings are constructed in such a way that people in wheelchairs are able to get to each brewery. Of the four I visited plus one on my own time, Yellowstone, Montana Brewing Company, Uberbrew, and Thirsty Street are all at street level. There is a ramp inside of Last Chance brewing.
The one thing I hear from my W2 friends is, “I want to travel more, but I think I’m almost out of PTO.”. Every year, I travel over Thanksgiving. It has been my #1 trick to sneaking in an extra week-long vacation every year. Read on to hear why it makes sense for YOU to leverage the holiday to travel.
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Three Reasons to Travel Over Thanksgiving
PTO
Just about every company in the US gives Thanksgiving Thursday off. Most either give that Friday off or let people loosely work remotely. Honestly, very few people come into the office anyway. Therefore, you can leave the Friday before Thanksgiving and return the Sunday after. This 10-day trip would only ‘cost’ you 3 PTO days. 3 days of PTO for a 10-day vacay? YES!
Thanksgiving Day 2016 – Novi Sad, Serbia
It’s Cheap
It’s well-known that Thanksgiving is the holiday in the US that people travel most for. People who live outside of the US come back during this time as well. However, because other countries don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, the flights going to pick those people up are typically nearly empty. People tend to stay in the US during Thanksgiving week, especially business travelers. For that reason, flights out of the US before T-day and returning after the holiday are often SUPER cheap.
An example: I once flew from Boston to Budapest and back for $420. One Thanksgiving, I went from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona and back from Madrid for about $400. Another year, I flew Miami to Guatemala City and back from Honduras for $225.
Saturday before Thanksgiving 2018 – Andorra la Vella, Andorra
Off-season
November isn’t really high season anywhere. It’s nearly winter in the northern hemisphere which usually means a high chance of rain, and in the southern hemisphere summer isn’t quite in full swing. For this reason, hostels and hotels are typically the cheapest during Thanksgiving week, restaurants are super easy to get in to, and you’ll run into fewer tourists. It’s a great way to have a low-cost time at your destination!
Thanksgiving Day 2017 – La Libertad, El Salvador
My Thanksgiving trip in 2017 in Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Bosnia with details here.
Thanksgiving 2018 in Central America trip details here.
Have questions about Thanksgiving travels? Comment below!
Have you ever been to a place that feels 100% authentic? I spent a day in Bozeman, Montana, and it was amazing. Bozeman is one of those ‘hometown USA’ type places, and the town just seems to flow together. From local shops on the main strip to quaint breweries around town, Bozeman is beautiful.
I stayed in Bozeman for two nights while on a solo road trip and found that although shopping small often means shopping pricey, I could still visit Bozeman on a budget. Here’s how I would recommend spending a day in this college town:
My Day In Bozeman Went Like This…
7:00 AM – Wake up at Treasure State Hostel and enjoy the included breakfast spread of fruit, bagels, and coffee with new hostel friends followed by organizing my day on the free Wi-Fi in the hostel library.
One night in the hostel plus breakfast = $28
8:00 AM – Yoga in the private living room in the hostel
Yoga on my own = $0
“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.” – Oprah
9:00 AM – head to Zocalo, a local coffee shop to get some work done. Zocalo has a ‘take a book, leave a book’ library and local art on the walls. Again, Bozeman is just SO supportive of local businesses!
Coffee and culture, plus a lunch snack = $5
12 noon – Wait out the rainstorm before walking up and down the main street. It’s so classically Main Street, USA. I walked the 4 blocks toward the Museum of the Rockies to take in their huge collection of dinosaur fossils while the rain passed.
Walk and museum = $14.50
Another option for a rainy afternoon would have been the Bozeman Hot Springs. For $10.50, patrons can relax in the healing waters of the hot springs or exercise in the lap pool, and for $5 more can use the fitness facilities.
Had it been nicer out, I’d have headed out to one of the several free hikes in the area.
3 PM – Walk to the other end of downtown to the Montana Ale Works building. I grabbed a local beer here and enjoyed the historic railway building.
Happy hour beer = $4.50
4 PM – I spent a while popping in and out of shops before going back to my hostel to do a load of laundry. The great part of it being downtown was that I could go walk around while waiting for my laundry to be done!
Laundry, soap, and window shopping = $4
Local bars supporting local businesses with some sticker advertising
6:30 PM – I reached out to my brother’s friend that was in town to grab dinner together. The Bozeman Taproom was packed so we sat at the bar and had the most amazing service from the bartenders and ended up joining the evening’s trivia game. After a couple of brews and some heavy competition, we came in 3rd place and won a $10 gift card towards our dinners!
Trivia, beer, and dinner = $27-$10 = $17
10 PM – Head back to the hostel to read and sleep. The hostel has strict quiet hours which is SO nice, especially for a downtown location.
How To Spend a Day in Bozeman, Montana on a Budget
So there you have it! A full day of entertainment in Bozeman, Montana came out to a whopping $71- less if you don’t include the hostel – and I could have done more free activities if I wanted to! It was such a pleasure to walk around the quiet little town and see local businesses thriving.
Have you ever planned a trip with friends, and one by one, your friends back out? Same. Which left me wondering: does anyone know how to take yourself on a solo road trip?
In this article, I’m going to give you a tongue in cheek look into how to take yourself on a solo road trip. Buckle up, and I hope you giggle 🙂
My first night camping alone, my down the way neighbors invited me over for dinner. Afterward, we had a beer, made a fire, and watched the sunset. They even saw me off with coffee in the morning and let me play with their dogs!
So, here’s the dish. How to take yourself on a road trip, a tongue-in-cheek, slightly factual guide, by me.
How to take a solo road trip:
Decide you want to go on a road trip. Possibly be inspired by someone else’s trip and think, ‘I’ll add a solo road trip to the bucket list’.
Pick an elusive time parameter. For me, I had a girls weekend in Denver, and 10 days later a conference in Billings. A normal person would fly twice it, but hey. It’s me.
Add other stops to the trip that sound fun. For me coming from Dallas, it was parts of Texas and the National Parks that I’d always wanted to visit, plus visiting friends and family on the way back from Billings.
Realize a few days before you’re scheduled to leave that you need to pack for hot, cold, parties, work conferences, hiking, sleeping, and more. Wait until 40 minutes before you plan to leave to throw it all in the car, creating a ‘homeless-hoarder-chic’ aesthetic for the Semi-Truck drivers that look down into your car. Top it off with that super cute hat you probably won’t wear at all on the trip.
Run back in the house for the phone charger, but end up grabbing a lighter, bottle opener, and the last half of a loaf of bread. You know, just in case.
Go. Nobody gave you permission, so don’t wait for anyone to tell you not to go. Thank every person who tells you to be safe, knowing full well you did not buy that bear spray.
Pretend you’re not freaking out.
Listen to all the podcasts you’ve been meaning to listen to, see all the things you’ve always wanted to see and see all of the friends you told you’d come visit.
Make new, unexpected friends along the way. The weird dude at the campsite? He and his wife will end up offering you dinner. And then a beer. And then coffee on your way out in the morning. They’ll even let you pet their dog. And offer you their couch in case it rains at night. “Just holler, ya hear?”
Splurge on a hotel after several nights of not showering and days of hiking. Watch your skin turn from dark and dusty back to pale AF.
Learn to make ‘camping food’ better than your parents. A double-decker veggie burger with cheese on slightly stale whole wheat, and a layer of peanut butter just because? You won’t have felt this ‘college’ since college. Except in college, you had amenities and this is a really mediocre campfire.
Take time to stop and grow. Think, write, read, and do the things that make your brain light up. Be grateful, because not everyone makes the time to do this. You will be a more interesting person to have a beer with after this.
