Road Tripping on a Teacher’s Salary

Daily writing prompt

What’s your best tip for budget travel?

My best advice for budget travel is:

Don’t.

Seriously though, doing this whole life thing on a teacher salary, I’ve acquired a very unique and special set of skills as it pertains to traveling on a budget.

Air BnB over hotels

I like hotels. I like fancy hotels. But as the boys and I are getting older, I like to have my own space. If I’m going to be away for several days, I like to have some of the amenities of home—like my own kitchen and couches that you can actually be comfortable on. AirBnbs or other house rentals offer the amenities of home at rates that most hotels cannot touch. Property rentals are a great way to save money and be more comfortable.

Bring your own food (and half your kitchen)

Eating in a restaurant is fun, but it gets costly. Buying groceries on a trip is cheaper than eating out, but it’s even cheaper still if you bring stuff from home—which is why I almost always travel with a cooler packed. That said, as the kids have gotten older, I’ve learned to compromise a little: we’ll lean into hotels that include breakfast so someone else handles the morning scramble, and then rely on the cooler or local spots for lunch and dinner. Bring your own snacks, keep breakfast covered, and save the restaurant budget for the evening. Plus, if you’re staying in a property rental, you always have the option to cook in the comfort of a full kitchen.

Travel in the off-season

There are certain times of the year when people simply don’t travel as much, and many tourist spots will actually offer reduced rates. Places like Las Vegas will do this during their down seasons. They understand that if visitors save a few bucks on accommodations, they’re more willing to spend money in other places.

Embrace urban guerrilla logistics

Sometimes budget travel isn’t just about saving on hotels and food; it’s about refusing to get gouged on the small stuff. Take Chicago, for instance. Kid 2 and I were heading to the South Side to catch a White Sox game and running a little late. Rather than getting soaked on parking fees for a substandard team, I spotted a gated lot at a high school hosting a bunch of football games, tossed the car in, and took off. After the last out, we hoofed it back at a dead sprint because I was genuinely terrified they were going to lock us in. We made it out clean, managing to not pay a single penny to park in Chicago.

Rebuilding a life takes grit, consistency, and a lot of ‘Option C’ thinking. Having crossed the 1,000-day milestone, I’m now charting the territory beyond. The mission remains the same: No glitz. Just the work. New to the blog? Start your journey here to see the blueprint and the ‘Tricorder’ perspective behind the rebuild.

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The article “Road Tripping on a Teacher’s Salary” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.

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