How to budget for a road trip

So… how do you know how much a roadtrip is going to cost?

We started with a spreadsheet – combined with travel distances between stops. We had to determine if we could get from place to place in a reasonable travel day, and had to rough budget how expensive it would be to see all we wanted to see!

This isn’t my first big adventure with Louise. I’ve seen a huge part of the US and Canada in the past ten years with my best girl, so I’ve developed a bit of a budgeting strategy.  I take the following into account when planning:

Mileage and the cost of gas

I always estimate at least a dollar more a gallon than the most expensive gas on the trip. For this one, I’m estimating based on $7 a gallon. Gas in NL is about $8 a gallon, but that’s CAD. In North Carolina, it’s about $3.50. With money conversions, etc., it should balance out. And I’d rather be overprepared for cost.

Campsites

Whatever the most expensive site on the trip, I use that as the average for all sites. I based my estimate on $35. With CAD and American sites costing about this, I know I’m estimating high. We also have three nights on PEI at a $40 a night campground, so it all comes out okay.

Ferries

We budgeted based on the full price of the NL Ferries. Then we got a 20% off sale, so we saved a bit of money there! We don’t think Louise can travel on the PEI Ferry this time, so we’ll have to drive around on the Confederation Bridge

National Park passes

We will need passes to the US and Canadian Parks. US Annual pass is $80 USD, which I already had, and a Canadian National Park pass is $140 CAD, which is about $100 USD.

A daily spending budget

• We probably overbudgeted for this, but better safe than sorry… I budget $75 per day. This covers groceries, tourist activities like boat tours, and visits to breweries. This is a trip of a lifetime, so if I decide to spend an extra $80 and go on a second boat trip to see an iceberg, so be it!

Then there is the planning for after the trip. I won’t be working, so I have to make sure I have enough reserve cash to pay my bills while I’m away, and until I get my next check when I return. I’ve got money put aside to get me through bills and such while I’m away.

It’s not an exact science, but it certainly helps to have a plan!