How to Plan a 10 Day Road Trip on a Budget!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go on a ROAD TRIP? You know, the kind that’s an adventure….the kind that includes sight seeing and once in a life time experiences! Well, several years ago, my husband and I took our kids on the most AMAZING adventure ever! It was DEFINATELY a once in a life time experience, one that we would NEVER forget!

But before we could go on this adventure, I had to figure out if we could afford it! When money is tight, due to medical expenses, or LIFE, how do we plan an AWESOME ADVENTURE for our family? You know…one that we won’t be paying on…forever…..

Long story short, I signed up myself for the Hyatt credit card (Disclaimer…ONLY use a credit card if you can treat it like a checkbook. NEVER use one where you have to pay interest because you couldn’t afford the purchases to begin with.) and my husband signed up for a Southwest credit card and earned the Southwest Companion Pass. I’ll explain our “points system” in more detail in a later post, if you want to try it too.

Back to our Road Trip Adventure…

Days 1 & 2 Sedona and Grand Canyon

We got in a car, hopped on a plane ($22.40 total for 4 people because of using points), and landed in Phoenix, Arizona. In Phoenix, we rented a car (FREE using points) we spent a day with friends and family, spent the night in a Hyatt hotel (FREE using points), and then drove to Sedona, Arizona, where we spent a few hours hiking in the Red Rocks! The Red Rocks (Bell Rock to be exact) are SOOO gorgeous and totally worth the drive!

At Coconino National Forest, the sun was so bright and hot that we made toast by literally sitting a piece of bread on the cement, in the sun, for about 10 minutes! Even though it was 100 degrees, the humidity was only 9%, so it felt like it was only 80 degrees.

We then found lunch downtown and drove to our next destination, the GRAND CANYON, South Rim!! Breathtaking views all around! We spent a few hours walking around this amazing piece of land. We roamed Mather Point, South Kaibab, and Yaki Point. At Yaki Point, a squirrel stopped and asked Nik if he had any food. Nik was literally able to hand feed the squirrel a nut!

The biggest thing that stood out to me is that the Grand Canyon is SUPER LONG….I never realized how vast it truly is. My family laughed at me the whole way to Page, Arizona, because I kept looking to my left, and the Grand Canyon was STILL THERE! It FOLLOWED us most of the way to our next stop on our road trip! At Page, we spent the night in a Hyatt hotel (FREE using points).

Day 3 of our Road Trip

We spent the next day exploring Horseshoe Bend, the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. The water at Horseshoe Bend was SOOOO BLUE and it was a 100 foot drop! We only had to hike about half a mile to get to it, and there were lots of places to take gorgeous pictures. We ended the day swimming in the pool, of course. When your kids are swimmers….the hotel MUST have a pool!

Day 4 Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park

The next day was SUCH an ADVENTURE! As soon as we crossed the Arizona/Utah state line, we immediately noticed a drastic change in the scenery. The Rocks were gorgeous. We went through Red Canyon and then we drove to Bryce Canyon National Park, where we spent several hours exploring the area. We went to Bryce Point (elevation 8300) and then Inspiration Point (elevation 8100). I actually loved Bryce Canyon better than the Grand Canyon! It reminded me of Red Rock Castles. Pictures truly did not do it justice. We reluctantly left Bryce Canyon to go to Zion National Park, which was it’s own adventure!!

After that, we were short on time, because we wanted to get to our next hotel before nightfall. We learned that driving in the mountains….in the desert….is NOT the same as driving at home with street lights. You cannot see the road, or the steep cliff that you might fall down into. So we wanted to make sure that did not happen. Because of this, we only drove through the main road on the south side of Zion National Park.

However, that was SPECTACULAR enough to make us want to go back some day for an entire WEEK! The road was narrow and windy. Every 1-200 feet, there was a short pull off to stop and rest….or take pictures….which is exactly what WE DID!!!…..ALL THE WAY DOWN THE MOUNTAIN!! We literally stopped, jumped out, snapped a quick picture, jumped back in, drove to the next pull off, jumped out…repeat. Other cars were doing it tooo…..It was SOOO FUN!! I HIGHLY recommend doing this at least once in your life time! SOO WORTH IT!

We stopped at the visitor’s center and then hesitatingly left the park, knowing that we HAVE to go back there some day. We then made our way to ST. George, Utah, where we stayed in a Hyatt hotel (FREE using points). Of course, we swam until bedtime.

Day 5 Road Trip Extraterrestrial Highway

At this point, we were half way through our trip. It had already been such a fun trip and we still had more adventures to go! The first part of the day was boring, just driving through the desert, but it quickly became interesting! at Hiko, Nevada, we turned onto Highway 375, which, unbeknown to all of us, was the EXTRATERRESTRIAL HIGHWAY!!! What?! It is REAL!! Yes, I can confirm that it, in fact, IS a REAL highway….one that I honestly probably will never drive on again, but it was an AMAZING Once in a Lifetime Experience.

We stopped at the Alien Research Center, got gas….because the sign said that we would not have the option for the next over 100 miles….and checked out the store. It was just a little shop full of Alien Gear. What was so cool was that, this couple walked in with a video recorder and asked to take Ashley’s picture. Turned out, they were from the TV show TRAVEL NEVADA and they wanted a picture of Ash to be on their show!

Thus began our 98.44 mile trip along the most BORING highway (road?) you will ever see. There was literally NOTHING but desert the ENTIRE drive! Everything was dead…except for the one thin road of tumbleweed right along both sides of the highway. There were NO people, NO cars, NO buildings, NO cell service, NOTHING but DESERT…but then, we drove past AREA 51! Still no people, but we saw little dust tornadoes in the distance. It was a bizarre feeling, driving on that highway. When we got to the end, I of course, needed a picture of the sign, and was super happy to be on our way back to civilization! Tonopah, Nevada, here we come!

We finally reached our next destination, Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah, Nevada. This was the only hotel that we had to pay for on the whole trip. It was TOTALLY worth the $180 for the night! It was an old haunted hotel that had a museum with a Walk In Safe Deposit ROOM, chandeliers, spiral staircases, so many old pictures and paraphernalia sitting smack in the middle of an old mining town, in the middle of nowhere.

We checked into our room and then went up the hill to the Tonopah Historic Mining Park! We got to see old mining equipment, walk through a real mine shaft, and learn about various rocks and minerals in the area. That night, we went stargazing on the “stargazing pad“, which was a large slab of cement at the end of town. People came out and laid down on blankets, observing the stars. One nice man even let us look through his telescope.

Click here to check out some souvenir ideas! https://lifewithcathy.com/5-souvenirs-on-a-budget/

Days 6 & 7 Lake Tahoe

The next morning, we ate a yummy breakfast at the Mizpah Hotel and then drove past the Hawthorne Nevada Army Bunkers on our way to Lake Tahoe! What a stunning view that was! We stayed at the Hyatt in Incline Village (FREE with points). Lake Tahoe is another one of those places where we will absolutely be back some day!! It truly is a gorgeous sight. The water is a clear blue. We rented bikes and went swimming. The next day, we hung out at the beach and went kayaking. We then hung out at the resort and went swimming again!

Days 8 & 9 Auburn, California

By this time, our trip was almost at an end. We then drove to Auburn, California, where we spent some time with family. While in Auburn, we also hung out, relaxed and went sight seeing to Old Auburn, California. We read about the gold that was discovered by Claude Chana in 1848 and we also read about Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, whose parents were interpreters for the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

Day 10 Road Trip almost over

At this point, we reached the last day of our trip. We had sooo many adventures in such a short amount of time. We were so happy, excited, tired, and ready to be home, but thankful for our time together. It TRULY WAS an AMAZING ROAD TRIP! We drove to Sacramento, California, hopped back on a plane ($22.40 total for 4 people because of using points) and then drove home.

This was a Trip to Remember!

10 Day Road Trip on a Budget….4 People….$224.80 for transportation and hotels. Other expenses included the cost of gas, food, souvenirs, bikes and kayaking. This trip did NOT break the bank and it was the most FUN EVER!!

• Phoenix, Arizona
• Sedona, Arizona
• Grand Canyon
• Page, Arizona
  • Horseshoe Bend
  • Glen Canyon Dam
  • Lake Powell
• Bryce Canyon
• Zion National Park
• St. George, Utah
• Alien Research Center – Movie Travel Nevada
• Extraterrestrial Highway
• Past Area 51
• Tonopah, Nevada – Mizpah Hotel
• Lake Tahoe
• Auburn, California
• Sacramento, California

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What’s your favorite destination? Do you have a favorite tip for saving money on a Road Trip? Share your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear your ideas!