Affordable Family Vacations - 7 Tips To Save Gas On Your Trip

Gas prices are out of control! If you are looking for ideas for affordable family vacations, here are a few tips to save money on gas during your vacation.

1. Turn off the air conditioner. Now of course if you are traveling through Florida in August this is impractical. But if it's a nice day or you're driving during the evening, try switching off the A/C for a while and enjoying the outside air. You will be pleasantly surprised how much you notice going on around you with the windows open. Try it! Using the A/C reduces fuel economy so you can go longer between pit stops at the gas stations.

2. If you have cruise control be sure to use it as this will save gas. By the same token, don't forget to use the overdrive also, which is another gas-saving hint. Most people forget.

3. Try reducing weight - not people but things! Check out what is in your trunk and get rid of anything you don't need that might be weighing you down.

4. Slow down. Driving faster actually increases turbulence and fuel use.

5. Another gas tip for help on how to travel cheap: If you are planning to remain stationary for more than a minute (waiting for someone to run into the store, waiting at a railroad track,etc), turn off the ignition. Surprisingly this saves on fuel.

6. Keep your tires at their specified level of air. This will improve your gas mileage.

7. Check Mapquest before leaving home and pick the best route. Don't forget to print out the directions and bring them along with you as you will waste tons of gas if you get lost. And this is inevitable if you are in a strange place. I try to anticipate where I might be planning to go and print out all the directions. Bring along a local map too in case you do get lost.

For cheap family travel, saving money on fuel is a terrific way to get a head start on savings.