Common mistakes that could ruin your road trip

What’s the best way to get out of the house and spend a few days exploring the country? A road trip. It’s one of the most popular ways to travel during the summer months. The roads are clear, and the weather is suitable to travel to a new city or state with loved ones. Road trips are like the gift that keeps on giving. You get to see several destinations in one trip, be outdoors, and get in tune with things you enjoy, from the beautiful sites down to the music you listen to along the way. 

If you’re going to have a good time on your road trip, there are a few things you don’t want to overlook, beyond just using tax prep services to pay your car’s personal property tax.

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Prepare Your Car

Driving puts wear and tear on your vehicle. If your car isn’t prepared, it could leave you stranded on the side of the road or in an accident. That’s why you must take care of necessary maintenance and repairs before your trip. Car owners should get the oil and transmission fluid changed and refill antifreeze and windshield wiper fluid. Changing air filters and inspecting tire conditions should also be a priority. 

If you don’t know how to complete these tasks yourself, schedule an appointment with a mechanic. If your vehicle is old and in no condition to travel long distances, it’s best to rent a car instead. 

Check For Important Docs

Before you depart, ensure that you have the necessary documents to operate a motor vehicle. You should have a valid driver’s license, registration, and insurance card. If you don’t have any of these things, ensure that you get it taken care of in advance to avoid running into conflict. 

If you get behind the wheel and don’t have proper identification or get caught driving without proof of insurance, you could get a ticket or even have your vehicle towed. Not to mention, if you’re in an accident, you’ll need your insurance information to provide involved parties and file a claim. 

Select A Second Driver (Or Take Frequent Breaks)

If you plan on driving more than two or three hours, you should enlist a second driver. The longer you’re behind the wheel, the higher your chances are of getting into an accident. Not to mention, driving is taxing on the body. You can suffer from road fatigue or get aches and pains that reduce your driving capabilities. 

Switching seats with a responsible driver every few hours decreases the chances of that happening. If you’re planning a solo trip, then ensure that you schedule a pit stop regularly to stretch and give yourself a break. 

Secure Children Properly

Are you taking the kids with you on your road trip? If so, you must prioritize their safety. In most states, children under the age of 12 and less than 100 pounds need to be in a child safety seat. Install the appropriate car seat for your child’s age and size. Whether it’s a rear-facing car seat or a booster chair, you want to ensure there’s enough space and that it’s properly secured to the vehicle. If you don’t have enough room for the car seats, it’s best to consider another car. 

Print Directions (Or Bring A Map)

Although printed directions and maps may seem obsolete in this tech era, they come in handy for a road trip. Depending on where you’re traveling, there could be areas where there is no internet service, or the GPS system doesn’t work. Unless you want to waste time and gas wandering around, it’s best to have a backup. 

It’s the perfect time of year to hit the road and enjoy a little getaway. If you’re going to have a good time, you must prepare. Although selecting a destination, reserving a hotel, and picking activities are at the top of your list, don’t forget to complete the above tasks. Failure to do so could cause your road trip to come to an end before it ever gets started.

Additional resources: 

Long-distance road trip guide: packing, planning and more

We love road trips here at Pit Stops for Kids! But we know they’re daunting. After years of road tripping with kids, we’ve finally put together a comprehensive long-distance road trip guide:

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How to Prepare For Your Road Trip

Even if you want to be spontaneous and let the road be your guide, it’s important to decide before departure what type of trip you want to experience. Will you be camping each night, sleeping under the stars? If so, purchase forest service maps for the areas you’ll drive through so you know where you’re legally allowed to catch some Z’s. Do you want luxury digs near popular destinations in peak season? Best to plan a route and book hotels in advance. Want to find the kookiest roadside attractions? Scout the roads less traveled, and take your time.

Whichever type of road trip you envision, make sure to bring the essentials with you, such as bottled water, an emergency blanket, a spare tire, and a cell phone charger. While travelers can buy supplies en route, it’s best to be prepared and self-reliant. Consider investing in a roadside assistance plan before departure, keeping emergency numbers in your phone for easy access, and letting a friend or family member know your itinerary. Don’t rely solely on GPS mapping and cell service; keep paper maps in the car for reference.

How to Pack Your Car - Guide to a Long-Distance Road Trip
Source: Fix.com Blog

Packing Your Car For Maximum Efficiency:

On a long road trip, packing and repacking your car can become quite tedious. Save yourself time (and some back-breaking work) by packing efficiently. Place sleeping gear in a lockable, weatherproof cargo box or bag on top of your car; sleeping bags take up much-needed space. Put overnight bags into the car first because you’ll be retrieving them only once a day. Place seasonal items you may need at pit stops close to the rear door. This way, you can quickly grab swimsuits, winter boots, recreational gear, and the like before getting outside to play. Use a canvas tote bag or small cargo box in the interior of your car to store things you’ll need on the go, like music, books, snacks, camera, and water.

Consider a rooftop cargo box:

We’ve tried multiple cargo boxes (both hardshell and softshell) on a variety of family cars, and can attest to the fact that while soft-sided storage bags are cheaper, they’re also less user-friendly and less secure. We most recently tried out Thule’s new Force XT, which comes in four sizes: sport, L, XL, and XXL (in a price range of $499 to $629). We put the L on our Toyota Rav 4, and after adjusting the range of our back hatch opening, it worked perfectly. It is wider than the previous Thule we used (find the exact specifications on the Thule site) and taller, so we can fit a combination of skis and snowboards in easily. In fact, on a recent ski trip, we fit five pairs of skis, a snowboard, and two boot bags! The Thule Force uses Thule’s PowerClick quick-mount system, which is easy to figure out, and the LockKnob can be manipulated even with ski gloves on. You get dual-side opening, so you can access your gear easily, and the key system is less clunky than on other cargo box brands we’ve tried. With a family of five, we rely on a cargo box to fit all our gear!

Make Sure Your Car is Trip-Ready:

Responsible owners always have a spare tire and keep their cars maintained, but a long trip requires extra precaution. Before you start, check your windshield wiper fluid, tire pressure, and headlight brightness. Get your oil checked if you think you’ll hit the mileage for your next change while on the road, and purchase an extra set of wipers so you don’t need to hunt for a pair in an emergency.

On that note, you may also want to keep replacement car seat covers, cat mats, and other accessories. This way, if things get messy, you don’t have to wait until you can find a place to clean your car before you can change to clean covers and mats.

Ensure that you have a flashlight, tire jack, and snow chains (if applicable) be-fore you depart. It doesn’t hurt to keep an extra pair of gloves and a blanket in the car at all times, as well. On a long-distance trip, you may experience all types of weather.

On The Road:

In addition to fun roadside attractions and iconic pit stops, you’ll need to stop when nature calls. Look for stops that perform double duty: travel-service plazas, where all amenities are in one place, or rest stops with welcome centers attached.

Ask locals for dining and attraction recommendations; no one knows the area better than those who live there! Seek out green spaces to ensure you get some exercise: hiking trails, state parks, playgrounds, and schools during the summer months all fit the bill. Consider picking up food at a grocery store or farmers market and eating picnic-style for a healthier, tastier alternative to fast food.

Finding The Best Pit Stops:

For those bucket-list-worthy stops, in addition to using Pit Stops for Kids, consult travel websites before your trip for ideas. State tourism boards are also a great resource. Make a list of national parks and historic sites along your route, and, if you plan to visit more than a handful of them, consider purchasing a national park annual pass to save time and money. Keep in mind that many urban sites, such as the Statue of Liberty or Independence Hall, are national park attractions.

Check apps like Yelp and Trekaroo (for families with young kids) for the best dining options using GPS. Ask locals for ideas, or crowd-source for tips on social media. Park in open, well-lit areas en route and at night, preferably where you can see your car from your restaurant table or hotel room.

Iconic Pit Stops - Guide to a Long-Distance Road Trip
Source: Fix.com Blog

Winter driving tips for holiday road trips

It can happen in an instant, and last February, it did: one moment, we were making the turn from an icy highway onto a ski resort access road, and the next, we were sliding into a snowbank, nose first. Luckily, everyone was ok, but our car suffered upon its impact with the wall of snow. After rolling into the parking lot, we spent valuable ski time accessing the damage and making sure our car would be able to deliver us back home safely. Our brush with the snowbank turned out to be only a minor inconvenience (and the cost of our deductible), but it served as a good reminder to always be prepared.

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Read on for winter driving tips for holiday road trips

Keep snow chains in your car at all times:

I’m embarrassed to say we had our chains with us the day we got up close and personal with the snowbank, but hadn’t taken the time to put them on. If you’re not familiar with their installation, practice at home (this can be a good activity to do with school-aged kids and teens). If you really don’t want to hassle with it, consider winter snow tires.

Travel with extra supplies:

In winter, we have two extra blankets, a few flashlights (with batteries), and a jug of drinking water in the back of the car at all times. You never know when you’ll be caught on a pass that closes or stuck roadside. If you’re not already packing these items, also pack:

  • a pair of winter boots
  • gloves
  • a small shovel

You’ll be very glad to have them if you need to get out to install chains or dig yourself out of snow.

Know your comfort level:

In our winter driving experiences, we’ve seen it many times: a driver slows past the point of caution and to the point of danger to others. When climbing a steep, icy hill or navigating a windy winter road, slowing too much can cause traffic behind you to lose momentum…and then traction. To avoid causing a mess behind you, only drive a road you feel comfortable navigating at a steady, safe speed, in a vehicle that’s up for the challenge. Of course, this is easier said than done. If you do feel overwhelmed in a white-out or ice situation, wait until you reach level ground, and pull over when safe. Better yet, consider paying for a shuttle from your resort to your ski area or even from the airport. The price may be worth the peace of mind.

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Check tire pressure and windshield wiper fluid levels before leaving home:

We learned this tip the hard way, when forced to search everywhere for an open garage on a holiday weekend in December, while road tripping to Canada. Tip: ask for recommendations at local gas stations. Attendants there can often point you in the direction of shops that remain open. It’s far easier to deal with mundane maintenance issues while you’re still at home. Using precious vacation time to inflate tires gets old very fast. Also make certain you replace older tires and have the proper tires for your car, in all seasons. Tyre-Shopper is a good place to start for UK readers.

Have roadside assistance at the ready:

Whether you opt for a pay-as-you-need-it service like Allstate’s Roadside Assistance, which you can learn more about in this post on road trip tips, or subscribe to AAA, have a plan in place for roadside emergencies.

Top travel apps for winter road tripping:

You’ll need plenty of pit stops during your winter road trip! In addition to utilizing the hundreds of reviews on Pit Stops for Kids (did you know your smart phone will automatically load our mobile app?), check out the following for indoor play spaces and museums, low cost gasoline, and road side help.

Trekaroo app: Leave your own reviews of the restaurants, hotels, and attractions you visit on the road and help out other parents. The Trekaroo mobile app works much like TripAdvisor, allowing you to help out others (and read real parent reviews while on the go).

Pillows and Pitstops (UK): For my UK readers, Pillows and Pitstops is like the Pit Stops for Kids of Britain! I love that parents can plug in their beginning and ending locations, and get ideas for their route.

Fuelcaster: Gas prices tend to go up during peak car travel periods, such as winter holidays. With Fuelcaster, we can check on fuel prices as we go, predicting what we’ll pay. This way, we can know whether it’s best to ‘top off’ or wait. Just don’t run out of gas trying to find the best deal!

Department of Transportation: There are plenty of traffic apps out there, but dot.gov should be your starting point for road conditions in every state. We like to check the desktop site before we leave, then have the mobile site loaded on at least one phone during any winter trip.

Do you need more winter driving tips? We have our best all-season road trip advice at the ready!

Photo by: Flickr/miguelb