To some extent, everyone wants to unwind from tedious, repetitive tasks. Traveling is an excellent way to do this, but many people are put off by its perceived outrageous costs.
It can cost between $143 and $1,450 per day to travel alone. Transport, lodging, and food are the most expensive aspects of every solo journey. If you can reduce these prices, your trip can become relatively cheap.
The rest of this article provides an extensive breakdown of how much solo traveling costs. I’ll also share tips and case scenarios explaining how to reduce expenses if you’re on a tight budget.
Transportation Cost for Solo Travel ($90 – $900)
Most times, transportation is the most expensive aspect of any solo trip. From your journey trip to possible commuting expenses within the vacation city, your total travel budget could see a significant hit. [XX Reasons Why Solo Travel is So Expensive]
I’ll discuss the primary modes of transport in the U.S. and their average cost for one person:
Flight
In most cases, airline fares are the single most expensive expense. And you can’t avoid them if you’re traveling out of the country, except to neighboring areas in Canada or Mexico.
According to Hopper
(an app dedicated to finding excellent air ticket and hotel prices), round-trip international tickets cost $883 on average. A domestic one costs $287 per person.
However, multiple factors influence ticket prices, so you can’t solely rely on the average. Some of these factors are:
- Time of purchase
- Departure date
- Travel distance
- Cost of fuel
Different cities and airports can also have different rates for plane tickets. Here’s a list of the most expensive airports to fly out from domestically and their average prices:
| Rank | Airport | Average Airfare Price |
| 1. | Guam (GUM) | $1,500.00 |
| 2. | Hana, Hawaii (H&M) | $1,300.00 |
| 3. | Unalaska, Alaska (DUT) | $1,100.00 |
| 4. | Pago Pago, American Samoa (PPG) | $1000.00 |
| 5. | Cold Bay, Alaska (CDB) | $900.00 |
However, flights can be highly affordable if you’re flying from airports such as:
| Rank | Airport | Average Airfare Price |
| 1. | Trenton, NJ (TTN) | $120.00 |
| 2. | Latrobe, PA (LBE) | $120.00 |
| 3. | Santa Maria, CA (SMX) | $110.00 |
| 4. | Ogden, UT (OGD) | $100.00 |
| 5. | Wilmington, DE (ILG) | $90.00 |
You’ll have to consider a lot when deciding to travel by flight alone, as these prices can quickly change.
Road
Road trips are especially favored among Americans.
If you prefer this mode of transportation for traveling alone, your fees will depend on the vehicle you’re taking out of the city and the distance.
If you’re taking your car, you’d worry about gas fees estimated at $4 per gallon (3.8 L). You can get a specific spending range by calculating your traveling distance and vehicle’s fuel consumption rate.
For example, let’s assume you live in Los Angeles and plan to travel to New York, which is 2,800 miles (4,500 km) away. With a Toyota Camry having 35 miles per gallon (56 km per 3.8 L), you’d need about 80 gallons (300 L) of gas. Therefore, the road trip will cost around $320.
Many more factors can affect your miles per gallon for the better or worse, including weather and road conditions.
While you’re residing where you’ve solo traveled, you’ll still need to buy gas for moving around. You should also be ready to pay parking fees in some way or the other in most U.S. cities.
As for public transport, you could try different services from transport companies, which could differ in cost.
Busbud reports that the average bus ticket price from Los Angeles to New York is $317. They’ve scanned hundreds of service providers to produce this mean price.
Within towns, transit rates differ depending on the city, and Value Penguin has discussed the most to least affordable.
Rail
Americans hardly fancy train transport, but solo travelers consider it based on price, speed, and safety.
Amtrak, the leading train service provider, covers more than 30 routes in the United States and Canada, so your chosen course will determine the cost.
The Texas Eagle is Amtrak’s longest route in the country. Their trains navigate about 1,300 miles (2,100 km) between Chicago, Illinois to San Antonio, Texas. The 65-hour trip costs between just $100 to $200 for a coach seat, which is suitable for a solo traveler.
Capitol Limited, a shorter route, costs $150+ for a coach seat. It takes about 45 hours to complete the trip that stops in:
- Illinois
- Wisconsin
- Minnesota
- North Dakota
- Montana
- Idaho
- Washington
- Oregon
About 13 more routes are available in the U.S. at different prices, so it’s essential to research your destination and the Amtrak timetable plan.
The exact costs will depend on:
- The distance traveled
- Type of ticket
- Time of year
Many people recommend taking your credit card with you on trips. But does that apply to solo trips? Do you need a credit card when traveling alone? Find out the answer by clicking the link. [Do You Really Need a Credit Card for Solo Travel?]
Ways To Reduce Transportation Costs When Traveling Alone
If you feel the solo transportation cost is still on the higher side, you’re not alone. It is just one aspect of the journey, and various unforeseen expenses may spring up later.
However, there are strategies to reduce its overall expense to fit your budget better, and I’ll discuss a few below:
Book Early
If you’re taking a flight, public bus, or train for your solo journey, booking ahead is the easiest way to get the best prices.
CheapAir, after thorough studies, recommends booking your flight at least 76 days before departure. Busbud recommends you book a bus ticket at least 28 days in advance. And since Amtrak will release its train schedules for the next 11 months, book your train ticket as early as possible.
Save Gas Costs
If you’re taking your car, gas fees are the costliest charges. Devising ways to increase your gas mileage or paying less for fuel can significantly reduce transport costs.
Here are some simple ways to save on gas fares:
- Service your car just before your journey to reduce fuel consumption.
- Drive more slowly and steadily.
- Target buying gas in states where it is cheaper depending on your route.
- Use gas credit cards or pay cash at stores that will provide discounts.
- Download gas apps to find the least expensive gas around you.
Accommodation Cost for Solo Traveling ($45 to $250 per Night)
The cost of lodging during a solo trip is highly tentative and based on multiple factors, but one sure thing is that it is never cheap unless you take extreme, conscious measures to reduce it.
I’ll discuss the two primary accommodation types and how much they cost on average per person:
Hotels & Resorts
From the Trivago price index, the average cost per night in the United States hotels varies by city.
Currently, those in Vancouver Island cost around $220 per night per room. You can get hotel rooms in Alabama at $140 a night. And with just over a hundred bucks, you’ll get a bargain per night in Texas.
If you stayed in a lodge in these cities for seven days, you’d be spending $1,540, $980, and $700 on average respectively.
Check your destination city’s average hotel room prices on Trivago.
In the whole nation, however, Statista reports that the average price per room in 2021 was $125. It was a massive increase from $103.25 in the prior year, owing to the eased restrictions from the pandemic.
Other factors that affect hotel prices include:
- Its location and proximity to top attractions
- The type of room
- The nation’s overall economy
- The competition
- Demand
- Extra services
Motels
Like hotels, the price for a motel room per night differs by brand and region. It is generally more expensive in more populated states where the demand is higher and lower in less dense cities.
A Motel 6 branch in Los Angeles, CA, costs around $110 per night. The one in Seattle, WA, is priced at $120 per night on average.
However, with just $45 every night, you can stay in their rooms in Marietta, GA.
Super 6, Travelodge, and America’s Best Value Inn are all other motel brands with properties on many highways. Make sure to visit their respective websites and check your potential expenses.
Ways To Reduce Accommodation Costs When Traveling Alone
You need to sleep somewhere during your solo trip, but hotel and motel prices per night may be too high. Here are some simple ways to significantly lower these costs without compromising on comfort:
Stay With a Friend
Most Americans stay with a friend when they travel, especially when traveling inside the country. If you have some friend or family member living in your destination, call to ask if you can spend some nights at theirs’.
Aside from downsizing costs on accommodation to nearly zero, you’ll get the chance to rekindle your friendship. If you’ve felt bored during former solo trips, you probably won’t feel as bored this time.
Explore Multiple Options
There are many possible alternatives to hotel or motel lodging for any solo traveler, including:
- Rent Airbnb rooms. Sometimes even a whole house costs less per night than a hotel room.
- Try cheap rental vans. Look for a safe parking place to spend the night.
- Search for free or low-rate holiday parks or campsites to spend your nights. You can even sleep in your car on their grounds, but you may have to pay some charges.
You’re probably thinking traveling with a friend lets you save on costs. Although that may be true, it’s not the whole story. I’ve compared the costs of solo travel and traveling with a friend in a separate article. [Here’s How Much It Costs to Travel Alone (Breakdown)]
Feeding Cost for Solo Travel ($8 to $300 Daily)
Feeding during solo travel may not seem too expensive at first glance, but the cumulation of the total costs through the journey and at your destination will surprise you.
Below are two significant ways food could prove to either be costly or very cheap when you travel alone:
Restaurant Dining
Americans love dining outside, so you’ll likely take occasional restaurant stops during the journey. The expense doesn’t decrease once you arrive at your destination, which increases the longer you stay.
Depending on the restaurant type, costs may vary:
- Fast foods: These are popular restaurants with a counter, where you’d make an order and get food served in no time. You can get hot dogs, sandwiches, and hamburgers for $6 or less per serving. Three square meals a day can cost about $18.
- Fast-Casual: In most fast-casual restaurants, you can order at the counter and dine at available tables. On average, customers spend $12 per serving, which amounts to $36, three times daily.
- Casual: Casual restaurants allow you to sit down with a print menu of multiple food options and wait staff. You’ll also spend around $12 per serving without tips or tax.
- Fine Dining: Fine dining restaurants are the most expensive, with checks starting from $50 on average per serving. Expect to pay between $150 to $300 to eat at such restaurants daily.
Cooking
Packing coolers filled with cooked food means you hardly need eatery stops as you sojourn alone. This can also save you time and expense.
There are two primary ways to spend on cooking:
- Grocery shopping: The cost of groceries widely varies by location, but the US Department of Agriculture estimates that individuals spend $55 to $70 weekly (based on their food plans) to prepare at home. If you’re in less expensive states, you’ll spend closer to $55. But if you’re traveling to states like Alaska or Hawaii, brace yourself to spend on the higher side of that range.
- Meal kits: Meal kits have become so popular nowadays that it’s not surprising if you’re a subscriber. Each basket, on average, ranges from $5 to $10 per individual.
If you stick to cooking, you’ll spend between $15 and $30 every day.
Ways To Reduce Food Costs When Traveling Alone
Food is an essential cost in solo traveling, but it can make a significant dent in your traveling budget depending on the location you’re traveling to. These two techniques can help reduce it considerably:
Don’t Eat Too Much
If you’re so worried about feeding expenses on your solo trip, consider eating less. There’s no need to spend on junk foods in between meals only to appease your tastebuds.
You can take heavy meals late in the afternoon so you won’t get too hungry later, as dinners are typically more expensive than lunch at restaurants. Prepare or buy inexpensive desserts if you’re starving later.
Eat Local Foods
Local foods are always the cheapest anywhere, so try some if you want to be more budget-friendly.
You can visit grocery stores and opt for locally sourced ingredients. Also, avoid any fancy restaurants and eat at the high-traffic local ones.
Living like a local makes your solo journey much pocket-friendlier.
Conclusion
Transport, accommodation, and feeding are the most expensive aspects of any solo journey.
Transportation may cost $90 – $900, accommodation expenses within the US are between $45 & $250 per night, and feeding price ranges from $8 to $300 daily.
If you can cut these costs, your journey alone will be considerably cheap.
