Hitting the road... and your wallet


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NEW YORK CITY (NBC News) — The prevailing theory for family vacations is it's cheaper to travel by car than fly, and according to a survey by RetailMeNot.com, that's how at least 40- percent of us will get to our vacation destination this summer.

But the survey also found those savings may not last through the trip.

"We did find that 95 percent of respondents indicated that they tend to splurge and overspend on their road trips," says RetailMeNot's Trae Bodge.

Most of the extra money will be spent on hotels and food along the way.

Still, they say that's easily solved with a little planning, a bit of couponing and a few new apps like "Road Ninja".

"As you're driving through any particular town it will let you know where all the gas stations are and also give you the price," Bodge explains.

Hotels.com or TripAdvisor.com can get rooms for up to 20 percent less.

Then there are food apps, again geo-located.

"It will funnel food deals to you for everywhere from a fast casual to a high end restaurant depending on your taste," Bodge says.

Another favorite is the app called "City Maps 2Go" that uses GPS on your phone to guide you through any particular city to find best deals on food, museums, landmarks and hotels.

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