Most Popular US Road Trips 2021 — How to Save in Tolls & Gas
Last updated on Nov 29, 2021 · 6 minutes
Road trip cost matters as much as the itinerary. Time to plan road trips with TollGuru Trip Planner to save on gas and toll costs.
The US offers some of the best road trips in the world! From the most scenic drives to cross country road trips. From the historic Route 66 to the underrated Lassen Scenic Byway. From road trips for couples to family trips. The US offers enough options to make the best road trip itinerary for any traveler.
AAA predicts 53.4 million people to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday – up 13% from 2020. If you, too, are up for it, chances are it’ll be a one week road trip. While planning, once you’re done through catalogues of 50 best road trips in the USA, you’d want to know “Can Google Maps plan a road trip”. You may even look for “How many tanks of gas does it take for a road trip”. And if you’ve been toll-troubled in the past, you’d definitely want to know in advance if you’ll have to pay for tolls. After all, once you hit the road, you don’t overthink taking detours to tourist attractions. That’s where a toll plaza can creep on you. Different US states preferring different toll tags does not help either. Dare to miss a toll and a toll invoice with hefty fines will be awaiting you back home. It’s such a nightmare that a recent development noted that Bay Area Bridge toll penalties are pushing low-income residents into debt! Other US states with toll facilities share similar stories. Way to ruin memorable road trips.
How have tolls become so alarming? A simple explanation is, the popular mapping apps and dedicated road-trip apps like Roadtripper do not factor in tolls in their routes. A road trip planner that can help travelers save a few dollars and be better prepared for the tolls during the road trips would be a blessing in these post-pandemic times.
Realizing this gap, TollGuru has offered road trippers a trip planner that shows tolls and cheaper route options!
The salient features of this go-to trip planner include:
- Trip cost breakdown (gas and toll costs)
- Cheapest, Fastest and Other routes
- Toll plazas locations en route
- Toll rates for every payment method - Cash, Tag, Pay by mail
- List of accepted tolls tags/ transponders on the plaza
- Supports all vehicles (even with trailers)
- Charging stations with charger and pricing detail
Pretty handy when you are out to make memories and not calculations in your head. How? Learn from Paula Farris of Good Morning America how she saved $40 in tolls one way for her family trip using TollGuru. Save money or save time, the decision is yours.
Below are some of the most popular road trips and cost-vs-time savings for each shown by TollGuru Trip Planner.
The All-American Road Trip on Route 66
States: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, CaliforniaOrigin: Chicago, Illinois
Destination: Santa Monica, California
Length: ~ 2,400 miles
Duration: 13 – 14 days by car
Major attractions:
- Chicago, Illinois
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Amarillo, Texas
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Flagstaff, Arizona
- Sedona, Arizona
- Santa Monica, California – Tec
On this trip, you’ll only find tolls in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. With Tollguru, avoid them all.
TollGuru helps avoid the toll plazas between Chicago, IL and Davenport, IA
The Loneliest Road on US-50
States: California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, D.C., MarylandOrigin: San Francisco, California
Destination: Ocean City, Maryland
Length: ~ 3,000 miles
Duration: 13 – 14 days by car
Major attractions:
- Statue of Liberty, NY
- Atlantic City, NJ
- Assateague Island, MD
- Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, VA
- Ocracoke, NC
- Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, SC
- Cumberland Island National Seashore, GA
- St. Augustine, FL
On leaving Kansas City for Manassa, you can avoid the $5 plaza by just taking a 4-minute detour. Even save a couple of dollars on gas.
TollGuru helps avoid the toll plazas between Kansas City, MO and Manassas, VA
East Coast Road Trip
States: New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, FloridaOrigin: New York City, New York
Destination: Miami, Florida
Length: ~ 1,300 miles
Duration: 5 days by car
Major attractions:
- Montauk/The Hamptons, NY
- Asbury Park, NJ
- Rehoboth Beach, DL
- Selden Market, VA
- Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
- Hilton Head, SC
- Miami, FL
The cheapest route suggested by TollGuru helps save over $25 in tolls with a detour of an hour while travelling from New York City, NY to Miami, FL.
TollGuru helps save ~ $25 in tolls for a trip between New York City, NY and Miami, FL
Atlantic Floridian Coast Road Trip
State: FloridaOrigin: Amelia Island, Florida
Destination: Key West, Florida
Length: ~ 340 miles
Duration: 2-3 days by car
Major attractions:
- Amelia island
- Fort Lauderdale
- Cocoa Beach
- Vero Beach
- Miami
- Florida Keys
When beach hopping in Florida through SR-A1A and the Overseas Highway combination, steer around the toll plazas.
TollGuru helps avoid the toll plazas between Vero Beach, FL and Miami Beach, FL
Lassen Scenic Byway
State: California, OregonOrigin: Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
Destination: Crater Lake, Oregon
Length: ~ 540 miles
Duration: 3-4 days by car
Major attractions:
- Hill Country
- Austin
- Hamilton Pool
- Pedernales Falls
- Jacobs Well
- Cooper’s Old Time Pit in Llano
Enjoy the hidden gems of Texas, without worrying about tolls with TollGuru.
TollGuru helps avoid the toll plazas between Mt. Sharp Road and Stockyard Blvd. in Texas
Not just for cars, TollGuru allows route calculations for RVs, motorbikes, taxis and all other vehicles. Have an EV? See all the charging stations en route with charger and pricing details.Get the TollGuru app for your iOS or Android right away.
Have toll-queries? Check out TollWiki to explore the toll information of all the US states.
Now, take on that road trip you’d been waiting for. And remember, If it’s Tolls, it’s TollGuru!