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Road trips are either excellent adventures or white-knuckled, teeth-gritting misery. There isn’t much in between. With a bit of preparation, common sense, and a good attitude, you can stack the deck in your favor.
It’s all in the planning
Get your vehicle ready. Make sure your vehicle is in good working order. You don’t want to deal with the hassle and extra expense of a preventable mechanical breakdown when you’re hundreds or thousands of miles from home. Check the following to see if they should be changed, flushed, or refilled:
- Belts
- Brakes
- Coolant
- Headlights
- Hoses
- Oil and air filters
- Radiator
- Spare tire
- Spark plugs
- Tire air pressure and tread depth
- Wiper fluid
Plan ahead. Ensuring a good trip means more than mechanical maintenance. Take care of the following tasks in advance:
- Have your vehicle’s maintenance manual handy. If your car does require emergency repairs while you’re on the road—as a result of a car accident, for example—the mechanic you find may not be familiar with your car’s make and model.
- Download maps to your smartphone. Don’t depend on a navigation app for directions if you’ll be driving in remote areas with potentially poor Internet connection.
- Store an emergency kit in the trunk. It should have supplies you can rely on if your car gets breaks down and you get stuck, including food and water, a flashlight, jumper cables, road flares, and first aid supplies.
- Get a mobile app for cheaper gas. With gas prices on the rise, saving money at the pump is crucial. We like GasBuddy, a mobile app that helps drivers find the nearest gas stations with the best deals. Also, consider getting a credit card with gas rewards where you earn points or cash back on money that you spend on fuel; sites like NerdWallet, CreditCards.com, and WalletHub rate the best gas rewards cards.
Enjoy your trip!
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