Road trip budgeting - our 8 top tips

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How can you plan your budget for a road trip? And most importantly, how can you make sure costs don't spiral out of control? Here are our top tips for keeping costs down on a road trip, whether you're travelling by car, motorhome or any other mode of transport.

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1. Travelling in the low season

Of course, travelling in the low season is not always possible. For example, sometimes you have to make adjustments to accommodate holidays or your children's schooling. About If it is possible to choose the low season, it does a lot for the budget. Everything is cheaper in the low season: hotels, campsites, entrance fees and so on.

2. Choose less 'hot' destinations

It may be wise to avoid the most 'hyped' destinations. In these places you can expect everything to be more expensive. Of course you want to find nice destinations, but there are many gems in our country. Ask around in relevant Facebook groups and you can get many tips.

3. Camping with a motorhome, caravan or tent

Camping can can be a cheap way to travel, but you need to be careful not to make it more expensive than you think. For example, renting a motorhome can be quite expensive, especially in the high season. The advantage of camping is that accommodation is cheaper per night and you can cook your own food. If you're travelling with a motorhome, you may want to choose pitches or free camping instead of traditional campsites to keep prices down.

4. Find alternatives to hotels

If you don't want to camp, there are still many alternatives to hotels. Check out options such as hostels, cabin camping, Bed & Breakfasts, Airbnb and the like. There may be many options that are cheaper than hotels. In addition, if there are cooking facilities in the accommodation, you can save on restaurant costs.

5. cook your own food

Of course it is nice to eat in a restaurant once in a while, especially on holiday, but if you eat out twice a day, it's just too much of a hassle. food quickly becomes a major expense. If you're camping or staying in a cabin, apartment or hostel with access to a kitchen, you can cook at least some meals yourself and save a lot of money. Sometimes it's also a good idea to pack a small cosy picnic for lunch, so you don't have to buy something expensive (which might not even be as good).

6. Choose cheap entertainment

Not all pleasures have to be expensive. Now that we've travelled along the Göta Canal, watching the lockage has been a free pleasure. In Sweden, national parks, nature reserves and beaches are also free to experience. It is also usually free to visit churches, ruins and ancient monuments. Some museums are free and some others only charge a small entrance fee.

7. Only borrow money if you have to

No matter how well you plan and think, a road trip always costs money. The best thing to do is to save money for the trip. You can do this by setting aside a little each month. If for some reason you feel you need to borrow money for your trip, it's important to compare loans from different lenders, which you can do, for example, at Sweden credit.

8. Allow for contingencies

You can plan and try to be smart in many ways, but you can't plan 'perfectly'. You also have to account for unexpected expenses. Your car might break down, you might get sick, you might accidentally get a parking ticket or you might have to buy something you didn't expect. Our top tip is to budget for contingencies.

Do you have any other tips for planning and budgeting on a road trip?

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