Budgeting for a Road Trip

Road trips can be a blast especially with the fur kids tagging along! However, they can quickly become really expensive if not planned out well. In this post, I am going to include some budgeting tips and a few other things to keep in mind when planning a road trip that includes your pups!

Below is a basic budget for a road trip. This can vary greatly depending on where you visit, what your travel taste is in terms of accommodations and food, and how efficient your vehicle is for long distances.

Accommodations: $100/night - not including any pet fees

People Food: $30/person/day

Dog Food: $10/dog/day

Gas: $0.10/mile

With this budget basis in mind, a trip for my husband and I with our two pups going to Hilton Head, SC from Fishers, IN for five days and four nights, it would cost us about $975. This is kind of a middle of the road budget. Not too fancy, but not too cheap. It could definitely cost more if we chose an expensive hotel or ate out every meal. It could also be cheaper if we went camping and made food for every meal. 

Tips for cutting costs while on a road trip:

• Pick less expensive hotels or rentals that have lower or no pet fees. Some fees can be as much as $100 per night! So make sure you check with the hotel about their pet policies and fees before you book. An inexpensive hotel can become very expensive if you don't check the pet fees first. If you are on the adventurous side, you can also go camping which will be even cheaper!
• Eat out less if bringing your dogs to restaurants is not something you want to do. Plenty of hotels offer a complimentary breakfast. Many grocery stores have salad and hot bars that can include soup, sandwiches, pizza, and more. We try to limit our eating out to one time per day, and we make sure it is a restaurant that we really want to eat at. If we eat out more than once per day, we try to look for coupons or pick less expensive meals from the menu. You can always bring snacks and treats from home as well.
• Pick free or inexpensive activities to do during the trip. Hiking, going to the beach, visiting the dog park. These are all likely free activities or may require a small fee for the upkeep of the property. These activities are going to be easy on your wallet and will allow you and your pups to bond outside.

Things to keep in mind when planning a road trip:

• Some hotels and rentals do not allow dogs or certain breeds, and fees can greatly vary for those that do allow dogs. Make sure you ask about the policies before you make the reservation including any breed restrictions, size restrictions, and pricing per dog per night.
• Dogs need many items on road trips just like people do! Remember to pack everything they might need, just like you will with yourself. Check out my other post for what to remember to bring for your pups!
• Even dogs who love car rides need breaks. Make sure to stop frequently to let the pups stretch their legs, go to the bathroom, and have some water and a snack. Even if it is just at a rest stop or a gas station, the pups won't mind either way!
• Your trip is going to revolve around dog friendly activities since you won’t be able to just leave the pups at home when you want to do something else. That means you have to be sure that you are able to bring the pups the places you want to visit.

Road tripping with dogs is so much fun! Be sure to plan, budget, and be prepared so unexpected costs don’t add up. Check out some of my other posts to learn more about traveling with dogs!