Road tripping is one of the most unique adventures one can have in their life. While they may be long and tedious objectively, the freedom of the open road, the spontaneous stops made along the way to the main destination, and the unbelievable stories that are built all throughout the journey truly make road trips a worthwhile experience. However, there are a lot of factors that come into play when planning out a road trip: how much money should be saved up, how many hours can one drive before taking a break, how many stops should be taken along the way, etc. If you are like us, then you ask yourselves an extra question: how can I stay eco-friendly while on the road? Luckily for you, we have a couple of tips and tricks that will save you some cash while also living sustainably as you travel and explore to your heart’s content!
Buying a Reusable Water Bottle
While on the road, you will discover that stopping and paying for drinks becomes very expensive and inconvenient. Why not save yourself the trouble, and purchase a large reusable water bottle? Most rest stops have a water fountain, so refilling it every couple of hours is an easy, free task. Plus, you will be reducing the amount of trash that is polluting our planet, which is a bonus in our books.
Packing Food Instead of Eating Out
Similar to our last tip, buying food on the road becomes very expensive very quickly. Not to mention, a lot of the food you are able to buy while traveling is limited to fast food, which will make your body feel less than 100% while driving or sitting in a car for hours. Do yourself a favor and bring a cooler full of food from home to satisfy your hunger. You could fill it with sandwich meats, cheese, veggies, and condiments to make sandwiches, along with some fruits to snack on. Outside of the cooler, you could bring snacks like chips or granola bars to munch on as well. Not only will this save you some cash, but it also will allow you to use food in your refrigerator that may otherwise go bad while you were traveling. Just make sure to actually throw away your garbage and recycle anything that can be recycled at rest stops along the way; don’t litter!
Try to Pack Light
We know how hard it is to pack only the essentials when going on a road trip. You want to account for all possibilities, weather conditions, and planned excursions for your travels. While that may seem smart, we advise you to try to pack as light as possible. Not only will it save you some sanity when you have to unpack after coming home, but it will also lessen the amount of carbon emissions in the air from the vehicle you are driving. The less weight in the car, the less fossil fuels burned to drive the car. Sure, it may not be as convenient to limit your packing, but you will be doing yourself and the planet a huge favor.
Try to Only Travel with One Vehicle
Going on a road trip with friends? Try to only drive with one vehicle instead of two. Sure, it may get cramped, but it will definitely save you and everyone else traveling money for gas. Plus, it will decrease the amount of fossil fuels burned and emitted into the air, which is much more eco-friendly!
Take Care of Energy Sources at Home Before Leaving
A lot of people forget about everything at home when they are leaving for vacation. They are so wrapped up in their travel plans, making sure that they packed everything necessary, and calculating all of the costs that will build up that they forget about one of the biggest costs at home: letting their energy sources run while they are gone.
For starters, make sure that you unplug all electronics before you leave. Even if those electronics are turned off, they still have the ability to “leach” power. By unplugging them, you are saving energy while also saving some money on your electric bill.
Next, be sure to turn down your thermostat. There is no need to heat or cool an empty house while you are gone, so why spend the extra money to do so? Conserve that energy, along with the cash in your wallet.
Another great way to save energy in your home while you are gone is actually through your home’s insulation. Having proper insulation in your walls and roof will make an enormous difference in conserving energy and saving money. A lot of heat and air are lost in homes due to thermal bridging. Having an insulation that is high in thermal resistance, or r-value, will help reduce thermal bridging, and will maintain the heat or air that you desire in your home.
A great product that we recommend for your home’s walls and roof would be our PlastiSpan. It is a cost-effective, rigid EPS foam insulation that is guaranteed to eliminate thermal bridging in your home and make it more energy efficient.
If you are planning to build a new home and want a superior insulation system that will provide energy-efficiency and cost savings overall, we definitely suggest our Advantage ICF System. Similarly to PlastiSpan, it is made of EPS foam. However, the system is made of foam block pieces that have interlocking webs inside of the pieces. Once shaped and set how the home owner desires, concrete is then poured inside of the foam block pieces to ensure that a solid, thick wall is created and can eliminate thermal bridging in the future house being built around it. The Advantage ICF System additionally adds resale value to your home, which helps bring you some money back in the long run.
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