Epic Massachusetts to Florida Road Trip | Solo for 9 Days and Only $880

For my first solo road trip, I drove from Massachusetts to Florida to stay with a friend near Pensacola for a couple of months. I spread the trip out over 9 days and had a budget of $1000. I’m thrilled to say that I made it happen for just $880!

In this post, I’ll share with you the details of that road trip including the route, my stops, and the ways I kept the cost down to less than $100 a day. Basically, I saved a lot of money by choosing affordable accommodations, choosing free and cheap activities along the way, and being smart about food.

Massachusetts to Florida Road Trip Details

The Route: Cape Cod, MA > Philadelphia, PA > Elizabeth City, NC > Wilmington, NC > Savannah, GA > Tallahassee, FL > Milton, FL

Number of days: 9 days, 8 nights

My Car: Oscar, a 2000 Subaru Outback

Total Cost: $880

How I Planned My Route

There were three potential routes I could take between my starting and ending points. So, before choosing stops and booking accommodations, I put it out there on Facebook asking who lived along those routes. If a few friends were willing to put me up for a night or two the week that I planned to make the drive, that would save me loads of money.

Two wonderful friends who lived generally close to one of the routes offered their couches to me. These offers determined that the road trip would be along the coast instead of inland, which was fine by me – I love the ocean!

After confirming three nights in Elizabeth City and Wilmington, North Carolina, I chose two other cities along the way that I have never visited before, Philadelphia and Savannah.

How I Stayed on Budget

Food | $112

Brought food from home. I packed anything non-perishable that would travel well, like cereal, canned soda water, chips, tortillas, crackers. It got me through the 9 days supplemented with stops at grocery stores for fresh foods.

Stopped at grocery stores for most meals. Instead of drive-through meals, I bought deli turkey and cheese just a few slices at a time and asked the deli for packets of mayo and mustard. Then made wraps with the tortillas I brought from home. Or I opted for yogurt/cottage cheese and fruit that I ate with crackers I brought from home. For dinner one night, I bought a small container of milk and just ate cereal in my hotel room.

Took advantage of free breakfast, dinner, and coffee at my accommodations. I happened to arrive at the hostel in Philadelphia on pasta night. Brought my big coffee cup to grab free coffee on the go in the morning.

Ate at select restaurants. Aside from one meal out with friends in North Carolina, if I did eat at a restaurant, I opted for lunch deals, appetizers, or took advantage of happy hour deals.

Did not stop for coffee. Instead, I ate a couple of chocolate-covered espresso beans when I needed a little jolt, which helped me save both money and time.

Kept my reusable water bottles full. Instead of buying bottled water, I filled a few large reusable bottles every morning before I hit the road.

Accommodations | $257

In addition to Couchsurfing at friends’ houses, I opted to stay at one hostel and a couple of cheap motels. When I originally started to plan this trip, I wanted to camp in my car on the way down. I had grand plans to make my Subaru Outback into a little camper as I’d seen all over New Zealand. If I had camped, the trip would have been even more affordable!

These are the places I stayed on my road trip:

Apple Hostels of Philadelphia | The first stop I made was Philadelphia. I wanted to be right in the center of the city in order to walk to all the sites, so I chose an affordable hostel. However, the cost of parking in a nearby garage ended up being an additional $45 for 2 nights. Read my full review of Apple Hostels of Philadelphia.

Baymont by Wyndham Savannah Midtown | At this point in the trip (after staying at a hostel then three nights with friends), I knew I would need a private room instead of a dorm room or couch. It wasn’t too far from downtown, so it was easy to explore Savannah from this motel.

Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Tallahassee | I made a last-minute decision to stay one night in Tallahassee. I took my time driving through the middle of Georgia making a bunch of stops in small towns from my grandfather’s childhood that day. By the time I was approaching Tallahassee, I was exhausted and just wanted to rest for the night then make my way to Pensacola early the next morning.

Free, Cheap + Fun Activities

I am super easy to please when it comes to activities. I don’t need all the bells and whistles, just a new place to walk around and enjoy. I didn’t use the interstate highways a whole lot, opting for county roads that brought me through small towns and beautiful landscapes at a much slower pace.

I don’t know the exact amount of money I spent on activities since I mostly used cash to pay for them. However, I do remember not paying more than $25 for anything I did along the way.

Here are some of the things I did at each stop on this road trip:

Philadelphia, PA | I walked all around the city visiting all the Independence Park sites and around Reading Terminal Market where I got lunch and some gifts for friends that I stayed with on this trip.

Elizabeth City, NC | I had dinner and a conversation with friends at their house. The next morning we got coffee and walked around town before I left. On my way out of Elizabeth City, I drove through the Outer Banks, stopping at the Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.

Wilmington, NC | My teen drama-loving dreams came true on a filming location tour around downtown Wilmington, which served as the backdrop to Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill among hundreds of other movies and TV shows. Then we had snacks and drinks at Pour Taproom together. The next day, on my way to Savannah, I went on a self-guided filming location tour around the greater Wilmington area hitting spots like Wrightsville Beach and Airlie Gardens.

Savannah, GA | I took a hop-on-hop-off trolley from the motel (they offered a discount to motel guests) to near the riverfront winding through all the squares along the way. Then I walked around the riverfront and zig-zagged my way back towards the motel through downtown stopping for snacks, ice cream, and photos along the way.

Side trip: On my way from Savannah to Tallahassee, I stopped in a bunch of tiny towns that I remember my grandfather mentioning in stories from when he was a kid. I even visited the cemetery where his parents and relatives are all buried.

Tallahassee, FL | I didn’t stay long in Tallahassee, just a few hours. After a small continental breakfast, I drove from the motel to the Museum of Florida History because I read that admission was free and ended up staying there for a couple of hours. It’s an interesting museum and I highly recommend it! Then I grabbed some cheap tacos (from a place that is sadly no longer in business) before heading out to my friend’s house in Milton, Florida.

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For my first solo road trip, I think I did pretty well. I learned a lot about what I could have brought or done on the way to make it even easier and more affordable! I look forward to summertime road trips where I can camp along the way!

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