Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EarthDayDriveAway #CollectiveBias

It's road trip season, y'all! In my neck of the woods, the weather is starting to get warmer and I am ready to be on the road with my family. In fact, we are going on a trip this weekend to celebrate my birthday! Before that happens though, I teamed up with ExxonMobil to share a few tips and tricks on how to get ready for a road trip on a budget.

1. Know Where You Are Going

Whenever you go on a road trip, you have to know where you are going.

Take some time before you hit the road to map out getting to your destination. You can do this on the way, but I like taking the time to do it before I leave.

I find that you are much more confident on the road if you know where you are going before you get in the car. We have a GPS on our phones, so utilize that to see a path to your destination.

2. Pack Snacks Before You Leave

Snacks are so important for road trips. Being able to buy a bunch of snacks at your local Walmart instead of going to various gas stations along the way is great. Plus, while you are at Walmart, you can pick up some Mobil 1™ oil for your car!

Road trips are even better if you have a cooler. You can pop all the necessary cold snacks into your cooler, while you have a couple of snacks like chips and popcorn outside of the cooler. This will help you stay on the road longer and save money on snack purchases in the long run.

3. Take Care Of Your Car

As long as I could remember my dad was extra safe whenever we went any long distance in our car. He would always wash it, check under the hood to make sure everything looked good, and even check/change the oil on the car. I was always unsure of his overly detailed nature when it came to driving on the road, but as I have gotten older, I can respect this.

Checking your oil (along with all the other important fluids) is so important. It's never fun to be stranded on the side of the road, especially if you are some place new.

I recently went to my local Walmart and I got to see all sorts of awesome ExxonMobil Mobil 1™ products. They have various different products depending on the needs of your car.

What I love most is Walmart and ExxonMobil's oil selector tool. Before my dad and I went to Walmart, we checked out the tool on my phone to select the best motor oil for the car. Then it was super simple to go to Walmart and pick up the right oil. We ended up getting the Mobil 1™ High Mileage version, as it was one that was recommended to us, and one we thought our car would benefit from.

One version that looked extremely interesting was the Mobil 1™ Annual Protection version. In fact, If every car in the U.S. used Mobil 1™ Annual Protection we would prevent or reduce enough CO2 emissions to fill the Empire State Building more than 5,000 times*!

Mobil 1™ can reduce the carbon footprint of your vehicle by the CO2 equivalent of 96 lbs.** This is great for road trips because you can travel all while impacting the environment less than you normally would with most oils.

Taking care of your car is so important for the longevity of your trip. If you take the time to look after your car you can avoid heavily priced experiences like getting a car towed and serviced in a city you don't know that well.

Earth Day Drive Away

To support Earth Day, ExxonMobil is doing something pretty special! They are giving away a Chevy Equinox!

Do you want the chance to win a Chevy Equinox, plus $10 off your next Mobil 1™ purchase at Walmart?

Well, here is what you gotta do!

Enter to win the Chevy Equinox in one of two ways:

• By purchasing 5 quarts of Mobil 1™ in the store or a Mobil 1™ oil change at the Auto Care Center
• By recycling any used oil at an Auto Care Center

If you enter by purchasing 5 quarts of Mobil 1™ or getting a Mobil 1™ oil change at the Auto Car Center you are also eligible to receive a $10 Select Certificate valid on a future Mobil 1™ purchase at Walmart.

To enter the giveaway and/or get your $10 Select Certificate you must go to earthdaydriveaway.com to fill out the entry form. It's super simple and it just requires a bit of information about you and a picture of your receipt to enter.

Remember there is a limit of 2 entries in the sweepstakes per customer (1 for purchasing and 1 for recycling).

This promotion runs until April 30th, 2018!

4. Bring Some Cash

It's hard to stay on a budget when you can just swipe your card for everything. I would never encourage you to be cardless, but I encourage you to take some cash out at the ATM before you leave on your road trip.

Try to stick with all cash first, then for emergencies use your card. Your card should always be an option, but try not to make it the only option!

It's so easy to swipe away on your card. Utilize cash during your trip so you have to think about every purchase. This will help you become a bit stingy with your money so you are only spending it on things that matter.

5. Find Free Things To Do

Each city, no matter how small, has some fun free things that you can do.

Ask people around town if they know of any fun, free things that you can do before you spend a lot of cash. You should always do a couple of paid things, but don't make them the entire trip!

Here are some fun activities you can do for free:

• Go to the beach or lake of the town you are visiting
• People watch at the park
• Check out the local shops and go window shopping
• See if any museums are free or have free hours
• Check out the local farmer's or artisan's market
• Get tourist-y and check out cool statues, monuments, or murals

Some of the best ways to explore a city are free. See the town through the eyes of the locals and go exploring.

Try to spot these free things before you ever leave your house so you know exactly how much of your time will be spent doing free things each day.

Conclusion

Spring is the perfect season for getting away with a road trip! The open road is calling your name (or at least it's calling mine.) Get out of your comfort zone this spring/summer and go exploring. There are so many beautiful places in the world to explore.

Remember to go to your local Walmart to pick up some Mobil 1™ for your car. If you are unsure of what kind of oil to get, make sure that you use the very simple oil selector tool to help you out! Then, once you are done with your oil change, don't forget to enter the sweepstakes
so you can win a Chevy Equinox!

*Estimates made based on aggregation of the United States' average car and motor oil statistics

**Estimates made based on CO2 equivalent emissions derived from Life Cycle Assessment of Mobil 1 vs. conventional motor oil. Assumes switching from a conventional motor oil of higher viscosity grade to Mobil 1 Annual Protection. Include Production, Use, Disposal, and Fuel Economy attributed to motor oil over its lifetime. Calculation based on average U.S. vehicle engine oil sump size, average MPG, average oil change interval and average annual driving distance. Assumes nominal fuel economy improvement when switching from a higher viscosity grade to lower viscosity grade. Assumes new vehicles under warranty follow OEM recommend oil change interval. Mobil 1 Annual Protection is guaranteed to protect for one full year or 20,000 miles, whichever comes first. You may or may not obtain these benefits depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.