Road trips are an amazing way to see your state or your country. It’s a fun way to enjoy nature and see sites you’ve never seen or rarely see. Getting on the open road can be both fun and cathartic.
If you’ve never been on a road trip, now is the time to go. You can have a specific destination, like a town or attraction, or you can just see where the road takes you. Autumn is a great time for road trips, as well, if you live in an area with changing colors (color tours are amazingly stunning).
Before you hit the road you want to do what you can to ensure you have safe travels. Here are some of the things that will help.
Get Your Vehicle Checked Out
Before you get going on your trip you want to make sure that your vehicle is ready for that long drive. Take it into the shop to get a once over. If you’re in need of repairs you want them done before you’re on the road, and you want to be able to find the best deal on parts to get you going.
You will also want to check over some things for yourself. Check the fluids, check your tire tread and the air in them, and check that all of your lights and blinkers work. These may seem like small things, but they are small things that can turn into big issues (like blown tires and tickets in different counties or states).
Make Sure Your Vehicle Has The Space You Need
Who’s going on the trip with you and how much stuff are you hauling along. If you’re taking a long road trip you want to make sure everyone has space to stretch out some and get comfortable. If everyone is cramped it’s going to be a horrible trip.
If your vehicle isn’t big enough, consider renting one for the trip. No sense in skipping a road trip just because you have a compact car!
Bring Along An Emergency Kit
Don’t forget to pack your emergency kit. You should have one for your vehicle and a first aid kit as well. Your vehicle kit should have things like jumper cables and flares in it (don’t forget to check your spare tire before you start traveling).
Your first aid kit should have all the fixings of a first aid kit, plus some sunscreen and some aloe (just in case someone forgets to put on their sunscreen). Also, have some shelf stable snacks on board and plenty of water.
Have A Destination
You don’t have to have a specific destination, but let someone knows the approximate path your trip is taking you. This is in the case of emergencies, so someone know where you may have been if something happens and you go missing or are unreachable. Have a working cell phone with you and have someone you check in with from home on various stops throughout each day of your trip.
