From Kathleen Crislip,
Your Guide to Student Travel.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

AAA is a decent discount deal for US travel, though you may do better with an ISIC card and hostel stays if savings is all you seek on road trips. AAA offers roadside assistance, which may be the key to a successful road trip if you have to pay for towing yourself (there goes the budget).

AAA membership costs may vary; in 2007, an AAA membership in Colorado, for instance, cost $63 and came with four miles of towing, while a premium membership at $100 offered 100 miles of towing. AAA can also save some scratch on lodging (usually about 10%), though Priceline is a good way to go if you've time to plan, and US hostels are largely pretty reasonable places where you'll also find like-minded travelers. And there's always Couchsurfing, which unites world travelers with free couches on which to flop.

AAA maps are handy -- preset maps of some cool drives -- and the AAA triptik is a fun road trip planning tool (love playing with that thing).

Weigh whether a AAA membership is worth it using AAA's savings calculator and noting what a membership will cost you. A little looking may save you more in some cases -- as an example, Amtrak is 10 percent off with AAA and 15 percent off with a student ISIC card.

• AAA Automobile Club

Note: AAA is also the place to get an international driver's license or permit.

_{Related: Road Trip Planning | Amtrak |How to Get an ISIC Card | Top 5 Money Saving Road Trip Tips}