We already save far more fuel than we’re using, by not commuting to work and back. Not only did the straight mileage of a daily commute exceed what we’re driving now, but the timing was bad. You use more gas commuting in rush-hour, simply because it’s stop-and-go. Hitting the brakes as you drive is the equivalent of a plane dumping fuel: all that work the fuel did to build the motion gets thrown away. And then you have to build it up again.

We’re chasing the weather, which means we’re spending as much time as possible where the weather is nice. The money to get us to Maine for the summer–where we can leave the windows open–is less than the cost of air-conditioning the apartment in Richmond. I realize the raw fuel consumption difference is not as great as the difference in cash, but it still seems to be a much closer trade-off than we first envisioned.

We’re also hoping that we will be able to expand the trip and do large portions of travel by train. I believe trains are going to make a come-back (despite government attempts to shut them down). Trains are already cost-competitive with flying; and with security lineups, the time isn’t so drastically different for shorter runs. On longer runs, you can work on the train. Locomotives are also turning hybrid–which you’re not likely to see airliners do.

So, strictly financially, we feel we’re coming out ahead.

Hopefully, we can return some tips as we go: such as if you have a *little* budget; many truck stops have an audio-book rental program, where you can pick up a tape at one stop, and drop it off at another down the road. They’re set up for long-haul truckers, so it’s a fairly natural fit.

Gas prices definitely feel expensive right now in the US. But gas isn’t nearly as expensive here as it is in much of the world. More importantly, it isn’t “too” expensive for us.

When it comes to budget/ financial decisions, my personal experience has been that perfection is the enemy of good. Rather than try to find the absolute cheapest / lowest / best buy, I’m more concerned in finding a good buy, that provides enough value, in a time frame that suits my needs.

From that perspective, traveling now while we can afford it and have the opportunity makes more sense than delaying our trip in the hopes of a better deal in an indeterminate future.

I’m all in favour of rational delayed gratification, but I’m not in favour of gambling. We try to aim for a sweet spot somewhere in the middle.

In addition, I’ve been used to work with some top notch economic analysts like Ian Welsh and Stirling Newberry; they’ve been writing about peak oil problem for years. Current gas prices don’t come as a surprise to me at all, and I do fully expect prices to continue to trend upwards.

Hence our carpe diem strategy.

Thank you again for thinks. We’ll check them all out.

I wanted to chime in with a couple suggestions that may save you money and hassle anyway :)

+ It pays to know where to fill up cheaply. Thankfully, there are thousands of people around the country who’ve got your back. Check out sites like Gas Buddy.
+ Always properly inflate your tires — this will save you serious money over the course of such a long trip.
+ You can find more tips like these in my post Road Trip Savings: Fuel Costs

+ Get thee FREE road maps for everywhere you’re headed. Check out these resources:
> Friday Freebie: U.S. State Tourist Information and Highway Maps
> Friday Freebie: Canadian Tourist Information and Highway Maps
> Friday Freebie: Rand McNally Road Atlas

+ Finally, if you get bored, here a list of productive ways for Killing Time on the Road.

Enjoy, and please leave a comment with your own suggestions!

Are you the designated photographer? Because I’m having a hard time finding pics of you in there.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/95526626@N00/sets/72157604041962804/

be good
g

In fairness, you and Erin ran straight in the other direction, towards the adventures of home ownership. (How is your crazy house going?)

I’ll trade you the movie rights on the story of our trip for the movie rights on the story of your house any day.

Please give our love to Erin and tell her that every time we pass a Food Lion, we think of her. (Seriously!)

And don’t worry, we are always safe. We’re just trying to also not be too expensive. It makes for a challenging balance.

Be safe you crazy people.