There’s actually quite a lot to think about
before you take a road trip. There are a few decisions you need to make, and of
course, it’s worth thinking about what to pack. But let’s start by considering
an important question.
Should You
Take Your Own Car?
This might seem like an odd question, but it’s
actually something that you should consider. You might be driving from New York
to Orlando on a trip with the kids. If you are taking on a journey like this,
you should consider the impact it has on your vehicle. First, think about depreciation.
If you are driving this far regularly, you can bet that your car is going to
fall in value a lot faster than you would hope. If you’re still hoping to sell
your car one day for a decent price, you might want to avoid this type of use.
As well as this, you may find that your car isn’t the best when it comes to conserving
fuel. If you hire one, you might be able to get something like a hybrid. That
could be a fantastic option, and one that will mean fuel costs on your trip are
kept as low as possible. You can find out more about saving money on fuel at MoneySavingExpert.com.
You should also think about whether your car will
even be able to handle the type of journey that you are considering. If you are
thinking about heading on a camping trip, it might involve some off-road
travel. If that’s the case, you’re probably don’t want to take your little
two-wheel drive family vehicle.
There are a few benefits of renting a car. First, you don’t
have to worry about damage. If you get the right insurance coverage, it will
mean you don’t need to obsessively worry about every pothole along the road.
However, you will most likely need to keep it quite clean. This can be
difficult when you have little ones. You also need to think about how far you
can take the vehicle. Some rental companies won’t let you take the car across
state lines. Depending on the type of trip you are planning, this could be an
issue.
Making
Sure Your Car Is Road Ready
There are a few checks you need to make before
you take your car on a long trip. Let’s start by making sure that you are doing
some the basic checks. For instance, tire pressure. It’s crucial that your
tires are full. Underinflated tires will impact the level of grip that you have
on the road and will make it difficult to keep the car under control. This is
the last thing you want when you have kids in the car.
There are other basic checks too. For instance,
you will want to make sure that oil and water levels are at the right amount.
Any issues here will impact how well the car runs, and the last thing you want
is to be left at the side of the road rather than off on a family adventure.
Of course, if you want to cover all the bases
with problems that could develop with the vehicle, the best option would be to
make sure that you are getting your car serviced. According to TelleTire.com,
making sure that your car is well serviced is easy and affordable. It really is
something that you should consider before you take a big trip in your car. That
way, if there are any issues, you can get them fixed before they cause you a
problem on the road.
Keep
Things Entertaining
Depending on the age of your kids, you might find
that they don’t respond brilliantly to long car journeys where they have
nothing to do. However, you can fix that thanks to the wonders of modern
technology. There are plenty of ways to keep kids entertained these days. For
instance, you can fill an iPod up with all their favorite sing-along songs. If
you don’t mind a rather loud and happy car journey, this could be a fantastic
option. You might not have a built-in Aux kit for your car. But you can get a digital
transmitter that will allow you to play your iPod through the car radio stereo.
However, these days most cars do come with an Aux connection. Another option
would be to buy a portable, battery-powered digital speaker. This a great way
to make sure the kids are totally entertained.
Alternatively, you can consider getting a mini TV
for the back of the seats. These mini screens come equipped with Blu-Ray players, and some can
even be connected to Netflix. As such, you can always make sure that your
children have something to watch on a road trip. This will avoid the painful
and cliche cries of ‘are we there yet’ on a journey that could take hours.
Of course, you can also think about playing some
of the typical games such as ‘I Spy,’ “counting cars’ and a ‘Yellow car.’ It
should kill at least a couple of hours depending on the age of your children.
Planning
For Food Trips
There are two ways to deal with food on the
family road trip. Either, you can take it with you, or you can stop on the way
to get some tasty snacks. The benefit of packing food, of course, is that you
can keep things healthy. If you choose to purchase food on the road, you will
be almost completely at the mercy of fast food restaurants. Now, the benefit of
fast food is that it is quite cheap. But, if you take care to make sure that
your kids eat well typically, this can be a shock to the system. You can easily
make some sandwiches and other healthy snacks, keeping them in the cooler in
the trunk of the car.
The only other thing to consider is where you’re
going to stop to eat. Yes, you will need to plan stops for food. Eating in the car might sound like a smart
move because it saves time. But, it can be quite distracting passing around
sandwiches and other snacks. You don’t want to do this while you’re driving
down the road.
You may want to think about looking at things
that are easy to prepare for the car. For instance, you can get little snack
packs that are easy to store and open for kids in the car. Mini sausages, for
instance, could be a great snack for those long car journeys and are filling
enough to make sure that your kids aren’t complaining they are hungry every few
seconds.
Where Are
You Going?
Regardless of how well you know the roads, you
should make sure that you have a satnav for your car. Do not rely on your phone
as there will be times when your phone goes out of signal. If this occurs, your
sat nav map may stop working. At that point, you will struggle to find your
way, and this could result in a long detour on an already extended journey. You
don’t want that, and if you make sure you are using a sat nav system, you’ll be
able to avoid it completely.
These systems are typically very cheap and
affordable these days so you don’t have to worry about another cost that will
be added onto this family trip.
Keeping
Your Car Safe
Finally, do make sure that you are packing
everything you need to keep you and your family safe. You should have a
survival kit in the trunk of your car or even underneath one of your seats. If
the weather turns and you get stuck in your car, it’s useful to have everything
you need to stay safe for a couple of hours or even a couple of days. This
probably sounds like crazy levels of preparation, but it’s always going to seem
crazy until you find yourself in that situation.
On top of that, you do want to make sure that you
have sun protectors across the windows. UV light can be incredibly dangerous to
children, and if you don’t have a level of protection, the windows of a car can
actually magnify the impact of these rays. You can learn more about this on NYTimes.com.
Finally, do make sure that if you are traveling
in a rough season of weather, you have a few blankets and warm clothes in the
back in case you do get stranded in your vehicle.
We hope this advice helps you plan everything you
need for a fantastic road trip with the family. Check out this site Travel.USNews.com for more info on where to
go.
