My husband and I quit our jobs in NYC to bike across the country and relocate to LA. Here's exactly how we broke even in costs and job searched on the ride.

Get the Full StoryCourtesy of Mary Kearl

In 2016, Mary Kearl and her husband left their full-time jobs to go on a 44-day road trip across the US all by bicycle.

To afford the trip, they kept costs low and freelanced while on the road.

Kearl broke down exactly how they made the trip work financially, from taking advantage of hotel food freebies to doing all of their sightseeing by bike.

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My great American road trip wasn't by car it was by bicycle, as in two wheels and all human-powered. Biking made the going much slower and harder , but the savings and the rewards even greater.

On May 7, 2016, my husband and I set out on what would end up being a 44-day, 2,500-mile road trip from Savannah, Georgia to San Diego, California with some detours to LA for job interviews and managed to break even on our costs. We walked away from full-time jobs in New York City, but both received job offers on the West Coast within three months of completing our ride.

Over the course of our journey, we spent about 113 per day or just under 5,000 total. That's 31 less than what the average traveler in the US spends on a daily basis about 164, according to the website Investopedia.

In addition to keeping our costs below average, we also brought in over 8,000 in income to offset our trip and living expenses by freelancing on the side and renting out our apartment helping us break even overall.

Here's how we managed on the budgeting front and, even more challenging, on the job application process including phone screeners and some in-person meetings while biking 65 to 83 miles, or about eight to 10 hours, per day.Some of the creative ways we cut expenses and earned money along the journey

Courtesy of Mary Kearl

Not having any energy to do or spend money on anything but biking

Courtesy of Mary Kearl

In many towns we passed through, people curious about what we were up to would stop to talk and tell us about local spots we should explore. "Oh, there's this great park just a few miles down the road," they'd say. But the reality was, a few miles or even just a few blocks was usually too much for us after dozens of miles of riding. Taking a look at our typical day, you can see why:

5:30-6 a.m.: Wake up

6:30-7:30 a.m.: Light breakfast and hit the road

2 hours in: Break for a full breakfast

Every 1-2 hours: Five- to 15-minute breaks

2:30-4 p.m.: Check in to our hotel

4-5:30 p.m.: Clean up, get our gear organized, and look for a local restaurant on Yelp or Google to order food or walk very slowly to dine in

6-7 p.m.: Dinner

8-9 p.m.: In bed to get eight to nine hours of sleep

Unless we had a rest day, we never saw much more than what we could from the seat of our bikes. The ride was the sightseeing helping us save up to 1,408, according to the Budget Your Trip website's estimate for the average daily cost of entertainment for two budget travelers in the US.

That said, we did have biking expenses that added up to about 300 in costs the price of getting 34 flat tires along the way.

Biking instead of driving

Courtesy of Mary Kearl

This one's a bit obvious, but other than on our rest days and one time when we found ourselves taking a route that led to a narrow bridge with no space for pedestrians or bikes we never stepped foot in a car. Sometimes, when temperatures soared above 90 degrees and the sun was beating down, we'd look longingly at pickup trucks and hope someone would offer us a ride no such luck .

Helping us fight the temptation to get a ride via a ride-sharing app or take a cab when we were exhausted was that often we were simply out of reach. And even when we were within reach, ride-sharing apps like Lyft and Uber had not rolled out their larger-passenger vehicle rides what we would have needed to accommodate us and our two bikes where we were traveling. According to Investopedia, biking helped us save about 178.40 on gas.

See the rest of the story at Business InsiderSee Also:I accidentally stumbled upon a gig playing Santa, and 17 years later here's what the role has taught meWhen should you tell your child the truth about Santa? A psychotherapist weighs in.A super quick, 8-step checklist to fill out on Friday that will make coming in on Monday that much easierSEE ALSO: My husband and I saved 36,000 in 2 years to quit our jobs and travel the world. These are the offbeat ways we cut costs.

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