# Travel >> Travel Preparation >> Travel Planning

How to Calculate the Cost of Gas for a Trip

Perhaps you are wondering how much money it will take to go on a road trip. While road trips are a time-honored tradition, paying a lot for gas is certainly not. The answer to the high cost of gas depends on a number of variables. Find a car for your trip that gets good gas mileage in both city and highway driving. You can use your own small vehicle, or consider renting a hybrid. Good gas mileage means at least 16 mpg in the city. Hybrids can do even better. Renting a car will likely be a less expensive option in the long run unless your car is very fuel efficient.

Calculator

Instructions

- 1
  Determine how many miles you will be driving from point A to point B.
- 2
  Figure out how many miles per gallon of gas your car achieves. Keep in mind that this will fluctuate based on the weight of your luggage, the number of your passengers and whether you plan on doing a lot of starting and stopping once you get started. Making slower stops and doing gradual acceleration will save you money on gas.
- 3
  Divide the miles per gallon by the miles you will be driving. This will tell you how many gallons of gas you will need for your trip.
- 4
  Finally, multiply the gallons of gas needed for your trip by the national average cost of gas. This varies by state and by the day. Determine what the cost of gas is at the destination you will be traveling to as well. It's best to overestimate gas expenses instead of being unpleasantly surprised. If you don't use your allotted gas allowance, you will have that much more money to spend on travel fun.
- 5
  Pay attention to the cost of gas as you travel throughout the different states. One thing to keep in mind is that gas prices do vary. Stop and fill up whenever you see a good gas bargain. Do this even if you are not close to empty. It will save you some money.