How can I start traveling on a small budget?

I hardly ever go anywhere for fun. I'm 25 and most people say this is the time to do it before I get tied down to a family and kids. I don't have a lot of money to blow but would like to plan small weekend trips with friends. How can I do this and where do I start? I live in Nashville, TN. I don't even know where to begin. Are there any kind of sites that help with this kind of thing?

Hi, I go on long road trips each year, and we do not have a lot of money either. I have learned that with time and research you can have great trips on little money. The biggest most important tip I can give you is ALWAY contact the Chamber of Commerce and the Visitors Center for their free travel packets. Why, because they send you coupons, maps and they know of the good travel deals!! The coupons they send save you TONS of money!! Very helpful on food. I have learned not to be embaressed to use the coupons, these places what you to check them out. Also using the visitors center to plan your trip is like having a free travel agent. Call or email them with questions, these people are locals they know what to do. If you only have $500 tell them say I need help with a 3 day trip on $500. Trust me this is their job, they want you to spend the money in their town. I cannot stress enough how much money I have saved because of this!
Okay you live in Nashville which is a great place to be located. Look at a map there are tons of places that are only 5-8 hour drive for you. How about Memphis, St. Louis, Springfield IL or MO. Gaitlinberg, Savannah, Destin, Atlanta, they are all pretty close and every single one of these places has a ton of stuff to do. If it is your first road trip find a city that is about 5 hours away, research the place find out what there is to do, again contact the visitors center. Also be sure to research some of the other towns along your route, you might find some interesting places to stop and see things. When planning a trip on a budget you have to think, do you like to camp? What outdoor things do you like to do? Do you like walking/driving tours? When you are researching you have to think about free fun things that are in the area. Walking is free ect....
Okay here are some sites that I like....makes me think outside the box when looking for fun things to do:
www.roadsideamerica.com
www.listsofbests.com
www.westernroadtrips.com
frommers.com
AAA.com -----You do not need to be a member to use their site. Your acess is limited but, still a very helpful site!!!!
http://maps.google.com
www.mapquest.com
www.randmcnally.com
www.byways.org ----This site is also wonderful! Be sure to check it out, run by the national department of transportation. Has maps, list of great highways and good "side" and "backroads" to take I have learned that if you can it is better to travel small highways and local roads you get to see a lot more than just driving on the interstate. You also get to go through towns you may have never known about. Some of the best things that I have done on road trips have been from places off the beaten path! You reallly get to experience more and you stumble upon the greatest things!
www.roadfood.com
http://www.gasbuddy.com
http://www.gaspricewatch.com
Be sure to use the gas sites to help make your budget more accurate. A lot of times on road trips people under estimate the cost of the gas.
Well I hope that helps you. I agree you need to do some traveling and experience new things before the kids ect.. I am in my late 20's and I have been doing roadtrips since I was 18. Again with a little time and effort you will have a great trip. I start planning at least 2 months a head of time. This allows time for all of my visitor info to get here. Remeber coupons, coupons, coupons! Oh yeah keep the souveners to a small amount. Trust me 5 years from now you won't remember most of them. Just find one or two things that really respresent the trip. and you like a lot! Have a great trip I know you are going to have a blast!

All of the states (including TN) have tourist offices and will mail materials to you (plus info is available on the Internet). Ditto with almost every city and many towns.

Many airline and travel sites have "last minute deals" that often cost very little. They are trying to sell seats/rooms that will otherwise go empty. For example, go to www.delta.com, click on Planning & Reservations, then Deals & Offers, then Last Minute Packages (under Related Links on the left side of the page).

Most hotel and car rental websites list special offers.

Look at trips to "one tank" destinations, meaning places that are one tank of gasoline from your home. You might be surprised how many great places there are to visit within a 4 or 5 hour drive from home.

Decide what airline you are most likely to use in the future and join their frequent flier program. There are many ways to earn FF miles besides flying, and the miles add up. Hotels and rental cars are obvious ways, but you can also earn miles by shopping, dining in restaurants, sending flowers, signing up for or renewing cellular service, and even having your taxes done. The airline will also send info to you on specail deals just for belonging to their FF program.

Finally, consider joining SERVAS, which is a global network of travelers and hosts: www.servas.com