Are you planning a road trip? Before you do anything else, the most important thing to do is to prioritize your budget to make sure you know what kind of trip you want to have and how you want to spend your budget. This post will explain why you should have a road trip budget, things you should consider in your road trip budget, and how I prioritize my own road trip budget when I’m on the road!

Prioritizing Your Road Trip Budget

The most important thing to do before you go on a road trip is to do what I call “mindsetting,” or figuring out what kind of road trip you want to have. This will help you determine where you want to spend your money while you’re on the road. Before you start estimating costs for your trip, look at your list of types of expenses and figure out how flexible you’re willing to be on each one. Ask yourself which of your expenses you want to prioritize over the others. Are you willing to stay in cheaper lodging if it means you can eat nicer food? Do you want to skip out on a particular day of hiking so you don’t have to pay an entrance fee to a park?

By prioritizing your road trip budget areas, you can help yourself figure out what to spend more on–and where you’re willing to cut corners.

For me, I prioritize my budget in the following order:

Base Expenses:

1. Emergency Fund – this is first and foremost the most important part of my road trip budget. I ALWAYS want to have some buffer in my budget so that I don’t end up racking up credit cards while on the road.
2. Lodging – if I’m not camping or car camping, this is always my largest expense, so I start here.
3. Fuel – gotta get where I’m going! Without fuel, it’s going to be a pretty boring road trip.
4. Pet Lodging / Sitting – this is a per-day cost that I don’t have much control over.

Other Expenses:

1. One-time expenses and purchases such as car maintenance or equipment / supplies for the trip – these are things I might be able to save money on by shopping smart
2. Miscellaneous costs  – miscellaneous costs like park entrance fees, toll roads, and shopping during my trip are things which I can generally manage or avoid.
3. Food and Drink – finally, I consider food and drink expenses in my road trip budget. Food is one area where you have a lot of control over how much money you spend–you can eat ramen the whole time, or you can go to 5-Star Michelin restaurants… it’s up to you and your budget!

Now that you’ve thought through how you want to prioritize your budget, you’re ready to start planning!

Do you prioritize your road trip budgets differently? Leave me a comment and let me know! – Lindsay