Four budget travel tips from days 1 and 2 of my almost-cross-country trip

January 12, 11:26 PMLouisville Travel ExaminerZach Everson

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The St. Louis Gateway Arch, which I passed on day one
of my budget almost-cross-country trip.
(Photo: Zach Everson)

 I'm writing this entry from my brother's F-150 as we zip along I-44, on a trip that's the epitome of budget travel---someone else is paying for it.

(If you want to follow my travels from Louisville to Las Vegas and then to Washington, DC, for the inauguration in real time, visit my Twitter page.)

While I'm yet to secure a travel-writing gig that provides me with a free all-inclusive trip, my brother is doing that for me. He's moving  from Virginia to California; I'm helping him with the driving, traveling with him from my home in Louisville to Las Vegas, and his employer is subsidizing his move. 

All I'm paying for are my meals, and I'd have to eat regardless of my whereabouts. Again, this trip is the embodiment of budget travel.

We are 640 miles away from my house. But already we've found several ways to save money for ourselves (and my brother's employer).

Don't arrive at a hotel late without reservations

Invariby, when I'm on a road trip and pull into a hotel late at night without a reservation, the cost is higher than what I'd expected. And why shouldn't it be? It's 10:30 p.m.; the hotels know I'm not about to get back on the road to comparison shop.

But how can you prevent that situation when you're trying to make good time and can't commit to reservations in advance?

Phone a friend.

When we stopped for dinner last night, I called my wife who graciously stepped away from the Golden Globes (thank you sweetheart) and looked for a deal for us online. She reserved us a room at a Hampton Inn for $20 less than we would have paid had we just showed up at the front desk.

Bring a water bottle

Rather than dropping $2 at every rest stop, pack a Nalgene bottle and refill it at the water fountain. It's 2009 and we're in the United States; the water is fine to drink.

Bring food from home

We didn't want our prorgess to be handicapped by having to look for ice at least once a day, so we opted against bringing any food we'd need to keep cold. My wife baked us homemade granola bars though (thank you sweetheart), which have served as breakfasts, snacks, and desserts.

That food, along with some other nonperishables we packed, has saved us money and time from having to stop for snacks.

If you can't bring food from home, buy it at a grocery store rather than a rest stop

A 3.25-ounce bag of Jack Link's Premium Cuts Original Beef Jerky (the official jerky of this road trip), cost about $6 at a gas station. It's about half of that at a grocery store. Before checking in to a hotel tonight, we're checking out a grocery store.