Roadtrippin' on the Cheap

Last week, I needed to get away. I mean, I REAAAAAAAALLY needed to take a break from my everyday life. Long story short - this unemployment thing was really getting to me. Solution? Hit the road.

Now, an unplanned roadtrip can be crazy expensive because there are so many unexpected, unpredictable, well, "un"s that pop up. Endless roadside diner visits, middle-of-nowhere-so-they-got-you-by-the-wallet hotels, and "I can't live without this!" souvenirs all equal big bucks. I was able to keep this trip manageable, however!

First things first: I was unexpectedly invited to join in on a family weekend in Las Vegas. My dad had paid for a hotel room for 2 nights, so already, I was sittin' pretty. (Thanks, Dad!) I filled up my gas tank and hit the road. I stopped along the way for breakfast - I happened to have won a free breakfast at Burger King from their Twilightpromotion earlier in the week. So far, so good!

Las Vegaswas, as expected, REALLY HOT! My sister had arrived earlier than me, so she had already checked us in at the hotel. We put on our swimsuits and made a beeline for the pool. Aaaaaaah, refreshing! The pool is about the best free thing you can do in Vegas. Just make sure you use lots of sunscreen! (If you're a planner-aheader, go herefor sunscreen [and grocery] coupons so you don't have to pay gift shop prices.)

I'm not a big gambler, but I do like the super cheapie penny poker. I put a couple of bucks in the machine and played to my heart's content. The cocktail waitress kept me hydrated, and I tipped her a buck per drink. I gambled away about $3, HOWEVER, I recieved about 4 beers for a grand total of $7 ($3 lost and $4 in tips). Not bad for Vegas, when you consider that clubs charge $6 and up per drink!

After a couple of days in Vegas, I decided to hit the road alone. (I know, so brave!) I headed north on the I-15 toward Zion National Park. I paid $12 to get in (a bargain when you compare that to Disneyland's $72 admission) and $16 to camp overnight. I settled in and immediately went to explore the park. During the summer months, you have to take their free shuttle bus to get to most points in the park. I realize that hiking alone is a bad idea, so I chose trails that were easy, short, & heavily travelled. One exception: I really wanted to go to hike the Narrows. You hike a paved trail past hanging gardens, up to a point where you literally have to walk in the river a ways to see where the canyon narrows. I tagged along with a couple of families, who were kind enough to take a picture for me. :)

As for food, I bought peanut butter, jelly, and bread at Target along the way (again, using coupons!) plus a few other things like granola bars and Wheat Thins. Oh, and for down-time entertainment, I bought Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesiato read, and let me tell you what, this book is EVERY bit as good as you've heard it is! Food & entertainment = CHEAP!

I got a phone call from my daughter who was in Albuquerque, visiting her dad's family. "Mommy, pleeease come get me?" was a request that I couldn't deny. I hit the road, yet again.

Gas prices: Gas costs far cheaper, of course, in the bigger towns, where there's more competition. Well duh, right? However, this isn't ALWAYS true. The first station in town is usually a rip off, sometimes more expensive than boondock stations. Also, the last station before you get to the next state is usually a bit elevated in pricing, so the town BEFORE you hit the border tends to have better-priced gas. Finally, big truck stops actually have the best prices a lot of the time, even out in the middle of nowhere. One good place in particular is Pilot Travel Centers. I assume they can stay reasonable due to volume.

As an example of all of the above: I pulled into Winslow, AZ, as in "I was standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona..." from the Eagles' song Take It Easy.The first gas station was charging over $3 a gallon. Yeah, NO. I went to the very next exit and it was around $2.75/gal. I filled up there and got back on the I-40. About 2 or 3 miles out of town, I passed a Pilot where the gas was about $2.73/gal!

Anyhoo, I couldn't resist stopping at Petrified Forest National Park. It's a total bargain at only $10 per car (it's a it more for RVs). Now is the time when I will admit the reason I had to stop here: Beavis and Butt-head Do America.I loved Beavis & Butthead back when I was in the Army, and I loved this movie, as awful and silly as it is. I had been all of the stops in this movie, except the Petrified Forest. So, I handed over my $10 and completed my B&B world tour! ;)

Lodging in Albuquerque was free (with my former in laws, who are awesome!). My daughter caught wind of my Vegas visit so she wanted to stop there on the way home. I got online and searched for hotels using TripAdvisor,one of my favorite travel sites since forever! (I've even posted reviews and photos of hotels I've stayed at around the world, so others can see what they're getting into before they book.) I found GREAT hotel deals, such as the Luxor for only $40/night! Also, I bought a certificate for House of Blues at Mandalay Bay from Restaurant.com.($10 for a $25 gift certificate!)

The kiddo & I hit the road together. Several hours and one Hoover Dampass-by later (also in the B&B movie!), we were in Vegas. We hit the Luxor pool and later had our HOB dinner. My 12 year old was ESPECIALLY thrilled about the House of Blues because they have live entertainment, and that was totally new to her. (Don't worry, we went around 8, before it got night-clubby!)

We kept things inexpensive for the next 2 days by refilling our water bottles, eating pb&j sandwiches instead of eating at restaurants all the time, and looking for deals when we did go out to eat. (There's a $6.99 All-You-Can-Eat spaghetti dinner at Sherwood Cafe at the Excalibur, although I could only eat one serving.) She had never been in the Paris, Las Vegas Eiffel Tower, so we walked over there one night. I had found a 'buy one admission, get one free' in one of thouse tourist coupon books, so for the both of us I paid about $15. Bonus: The Bellagio fountains did their dance TWICE while we were up there, including Elvis' Viva Las Vegasand then their last-of-the-evening midnight show featuring The Star Spangled Banner. Had I planned ahead, I would have bought the Las Vegas Entertainment Bookfor more discounted dining and half-priced entertainment!

In any case, between the hotel discounts, cheap National Park visits, pb&j sandwiches, and restaurant certificate, the biggest expense on this roadtrip was easily the cost of gas. So, for maximum savings, think about hitting the road in something a little more economic than a Nissan Xterra (which I love dearly but I'm not sure the MPG could be any worse!).

After an adventurous, unplanned week on the road, it was time to go home. Home sweet home. :)