There’s lots of information out there on different ways you can save on gas but today I have some for you that you might not have thought of. We recently packed up the kids and took our family 1400 miles and while driving I started realizing there are ways we could have planned a little better to save ourselves even more money. Here’s what I came up with;

Make sure you pack right. What I mean is if you have a full car on the inside and need to carry some of it outside of our vehicle try borrowing or purchasing a luggage hitch that goes behind the car rather than one on top. Cars are made to be aerodynamic to give you better gas mileage. But when you change the shape and add something that’s wind resistant to the top, you’re causing your car to work harder to go faster costing you money. Also make sure you pack as light as possible!

Next you’ll want to watch the weather. This became a big deal when it came to our gas mileage. At the beginning our of our trip we spend about 5 hours in a head on wind meaning our car was working against the storm to get us where we were going. So if you’re able to be a little flexible try to watch the weather and stay away from stormy, windy days.

Get your car tuned up. Set up an appointment with your local auto repair shop before you head out on your road trip. Make sure all your fluids are full and let them know you’ll be traveling beforehand so they can check and make sure you’re good to go. It’s not fun having the car breakdown on your way to your destination.  Also don’t forget to check your tire pressure!

Make sure you know the roads and avoid any toll roads. We ran into this issue when we were traveling back east and unknown to us we had entered a toll road and ended up having to pay the price to drive on it. For locals who know the roads, they know where they are but if this is your first time traveling the area make sure you plan ahead.

Know when to use the cruise control. Using your cruise control while on straightaways is great as long as there’s no hills. If you’re traveling through the mountains and rolling hills turn off the cruise control and maintain the speed in a more efficient way. Learn to coast instead of brake and pump your breaks.

Enjoy the trip and remember these few tips to help you save on your gas!