Skip to Content

Top 7 Money-Saving Tools and Apps for Road Trips

Top 7 Money-Saving Tools and Apps for Road Trips

I recently set off on a road trip for a couple of weeks, but before I hit the road I had to know how to save a little money on my way. Many people enjoy setting off on road trips, whether they are going on a quick weekend trip or an extended vacation, there is nothing like traveling down the open road. The only drawback to a road trip is the money it takes between gas, hotels, and food. So, have you ever wondered how you can save money during your road trips?

To discover the best money-saving tools and apps for my road trip, I wanted to understand the specific areas I would be focused on. Read on below to learn about some of the best tools and apps I found to save money while I was out on the road.

The best money-saving tools and apps for my road trip were:

  • Gas Buddy
  • PassPro.net
  • Turo
  • HotelTonight
  • Klook
  • Roadtrippers
  • HearHere
  • and a few honorable mentions: InRoute, OpenRoads, AllTrails, and Recreation.gov

Gas Buddy

Gas Buddy is an app that triangulates your location and sends information about the lowest prices for gas in your area. This, in turn, allows you to save money whether you are going on a far road trip or just driving locally.

The app is also great for letting you preplan your trip and put the details into the app. By doing this, Gas Buddy can give you an estimate of how much money you may end up spending on gas during the trip.

Another measure of saving money when on a road trip is that every time you use your Gas Buddy, you can receive certain discounts. The first time you fill up with your Gas Buddy card, you receive a ten-cent discount, and those gallons of gas afterward grant you about five cents per gallon. Spend more time capturing memorable road trip moments, and less time finding the best gas prices!

PassPro

PassPro is a reciprocal program database that has currently more than 3000 amusement parks, museums, zoos, aquariums, and other attractions. Reciprocal programs are designed to help members gain access to additional locations within the network at free or reduced prices.

By using PassPro, you have access to a database of attractions that can be searched so you can find the best places to visit with your existing memberships. A membership to PassPro is a great tool to have on road trips since you can find just about any attraction wherever you are.

The cost of PassPro varies depending on the type of membership you subscribe to based on the features you would like to have. The Bronze plan is $4.99 per month and has basic features; the Silver membership is $11.99 per quarter and has additional features, and the Gold membership is $35 per year and has even more features.

Turo

For many people, taking a road trip means hopping in your car and hitting the open road, while for others, it means something else. For example, Turo is an app people can use to rent a vehicle outside of using a car rental company. 

This app is very similar to the Airbnb model in that you use the app to find a vehicle in the area that is available for rent. Once you find one, you enter your information and either pick up the car or pay a little extra for the owner to drop it off.

The money savings comes into play when you are not charged the various fees that they may at a national car rental company. This car-sharing marketplace has a wide range of vehicles to choose from, and some owners even offer discounts at various times of the day or year.

HotelTonight

If you are the type of person who enjoys taking road trips at the last minute, HotelTonight might be just the app for you. This is because the app can be used to find specific hotels based on your location with certain discounts that may be available.

In addition to finding great hotels at great rates, they also offer special rates that are labeled on the app as GEO RATE or HT PERKS. The advantage to these is that you have the option of using them on your current trip or saving them for a later time.

By booking your trip through your HotelTonight app, you instantly have access to great discounts on some of the best hotels around the world. While hotels typically charge more for last-minute trips, using HotelTonight can help you find better rates.

Klook

Klook is an app or tool that can be used to find great deals on various travel attractions or methods whether you go on a long or short trip. Using Klook can help you to find discounts that are offered on a wide range of activities or attractions around the world.

Another great feature with Klook is that even when you are not actively using the app, it will find you deals where prices are reduced and send them to your smartphone through push notifications. You are also able to earn credits on completed activities which can be used at any time for other activities.

The bottom line is that taking a road trip can be expensive… unless you have the power of apps and tools! Luckily, there are many of these apps available for you to use so you can live out your road trippin’ adventures and still save money.

Top 7 Money-Saving Tools and Apps for Road Trips

Top 7 Money-Saving Tools and Apps for Road Trips

I recently set off on a road trip for a couple of weeks, but before I hit the road I had to know how to save a little money on my way. Many people enjoy setting off on road trips, whether they are going on a quick weekend trip or an extended vacation, there is nothing like traveling down the open road. The only drawback to a road trip is the money it takes between gas, hotels, and food. So, have you ever wondered how you can save money during your road trips?

To discover the best money-saving tools and apps for my road trip, I wanted to understand the specific areas I would be focused on. Read on below to learn about some of the best tools and apps I found to save money while I was out on the road.

The best money-saving tools and apps for my road trip were:

  • Gas Buddy
  • PassPro.net
  • Turo
  • HotelTonight
  • Klook
  • Roadtrippers
  • HearHere
  • and a few honorable mentions: InRoute, OpenRoads, AllTrails, and Recreation.gov

Gas Buddy

Gas Buddy is an app that triangulates your location and sends information about the lowest prices for gas in your area. This, in turn, allows you to save money whether you are going on a far road trip or just driving locally.

The app is also great for letting you preplan your trip and put the details into the app. By doing this, Gas Buddy can give you an estimate of how much money you may end up spending on gas during the trip.

Another measure of saving money when on a road trip is that every time you use your Gas Buddy, you can receive certain discounts. The first time you fill up with your Gas Buddy card, you receive a ten-cent discount, and those gallons of gas afterward grant you about five cents per gallon. Spend more time capturing memorable road trip moments, and less time finding the best gas prices!

PassPro

PassPro is a reciprocal program database that has currently more than 3000 amusement parks, museums, zoos, aquariums, and other attractions. Reciprocal programs are designed to help members gain access to additional locations within the network at free or reduced prices.

By using PassPro, you have access to a database of attractions that can be searched so you can find the best places to visit with your existing memberships. A membership to PassPro is a great tool to have on road trips since you can find just about any attraction wherever you are.

The cost of PassPro varies depending on the type of membership you subscribe to based on the features you would like to have. The Bronze plan is $4.99 per month and has basic features; the Silver membership is $11.99 per quarter and has additional features, and the Gold membership is $35 per year and has even more features.

Turo

For many people, taking a road trip means hopping in your car and hitting the open road, while for others, it means something else. For example, Turo is an app people can use to rent a vehicle outside of using a car rental company. 

This app is very similar to the Airbnb model in that you use the app to find a vehicle in the area that is available for rent. Once you find one, you enter your information and either pick up the car or pay a little extra for the owner to drop it off.

The money savings comes into play when you are not charged the various fees that they may at a national car rental company. This car-sharing marketplace has a wide range of vehicles to choose from, and some owners even offer discounts at various times of the day or year.

HotelTonight

If you are the type of person who enjoys taking road trips at the last minute, HotelTonight might be just the app for you. This is because the app can be used to find specific hotels based on your location with certain discounts that may be available.

In addition to finding great hotels at great rates, they also offer special rates that are labeled on the app as GEO RATE or HT PERKS. The advantage to these is that you have the option of using them on your current trip or saving them for a later time.

By booking your trip through your HotelTonight app, you instantly have access to great discounts on some of the best hotels around the world. While hotels typically charge more for last-minute trips, using HotelTonight can help you find better rates.

Klook

Klook is an app or tool that can be used to find great deals on various travel attractions or methods whether you go on a long or short trip. Using Klook can help you to find discounts that are offered on a wide range of activities or attractions around the world.

Another great feature with Klook is that even when you are not actively using the app, it will find you deals where prices are reduced and send them to your smartphone through push notifications. You are also able to earn credits on completed activities which can be used at any time for other activities.

The bottom line is that taking a road trip can be expensive… unless you have the power of apps and tools! Luckily, there are many of these apps available for you to use so you can live out your road trippin’ adventures and still save money.