One of the best parts about summer is road trips. Long hours in the road just enjoying the view and company of friends and family. However, a lot of people who are not prepared end up having road trips worth forgetting. Don’t be one of these people. Your summer road trip preparations shouldn’t be complicated. That’s why we came up with a simple way for you to make sure your next summer road trip will have zero headaches and is stress-free.
So let’s not dilly-dally – let’s get straight to our top summer road trip preparation tips!
Summer Road Trip Preparations 101
1. Preparing your emergency car kit
A lot of things can come up on a road trip. Sometimes this means having your car break down in the middle of nowhere. Or being caught in a massive thunderstorm. Either way, it’s always better to know you have an emergency car kit in tow for such moments. A summer road trip emergency car kit does not need to be very large. As a matter of fact, it’s better if you pack as light as possible while making sure you have the essentials. An emergency car kit should include:
- Food that does not spoil easily. This includes energy bars and the likes.
- Water that’s enough to last the group a couple of days.
- Blankets
- Extra shoes or clothes.
- First aid kit complete with a sharp cutter for the seatbelts.
- A candle and flashlight (a wind-up one will be better because you don’t have to bring batteries).
- Whistles
- Roadmaps
- An emergency plan
2. Make sure your pet is ready
A lot of us bring our pets on our summer road trips and that’s not a bad idea. Pets enjoy having fun with their owners and you wouldn’t want to leave them out, right? But you have to make sure your pet is ready for the road trip. Aside from that, you need to ensure you brought all the essentials for your pet so he/she can better enjoy the road trip.
- Check if there are any existing warnings for pet diseases in the area you are visiting. Visit a vet and make sure your pet gets the necessary shots if needed.
- Make sure to bring enough food and water for the road trip. If your pet is not that picky then you can just buy food upon arrival but if that’s not the case they bring a few day’s worth just in case.
- Travel bowls for food and water.
- First aid kit for your pets.
- Toys and treats.
- Sanitary bags
- Identification for your pet in case they get lost (microchipping is best!)
3. Make sure your trip is kid-friendly
For those who have kids out there, we all know how stressful it can be to have a bored child in the back seat. So if you are going on a road trip with kids, you have to make sure the trip is kid-friendly. You can do this by preparing a couple of things.
For starters, bring snacks and drinks but stay away from the sugary ones. Next, make sure you have a few activities in store for the kids. Prepare games or activities for the whole gang. Lastly, make sure the car is comfortable enough for your passengers. If they sleep, then they are less likely to get bored.
4. Pack your car the right way
Packing is one of the parts of the road trip that can determine whether you will have a good time or not. A lot of people has had their road trip goals destroyed because they didn’t pack right. But let’s try to list down the stuff you should do in packing your car for a road trip.
- Create a list of the stuff that you need for the road trip. Make sure you categorize them by priority/importance.
- Learn to roll and not fold in order to save space. Getting vacuum bags or space bags can help you squeeze every inch of space in your bags.
- Make sure to use every nook and cranny of your car for the smaller stuff. Stashing your shoes underneath the driver’s seat is one way to store a somewhat hard to hide item.
- Mix and match clothing ahead of time and pack them together. This will save you time and trouble as it allows you to unpack one space bag containing all the stuff you need to wear for that day.
- Create a GO bag that contains all the necessary things you need. The GO bag will also include the stuff you will most likely need while on the road. No more digging up bags and bags of items just to look for your wall charger.
5. Bring your car to T3 Atlanta for a maintenance check
The last thing you want on a road trip is being stuck on the road because your car broke down. Taking your beloved car for a maintenance check is quick and painless and can assure you of a lovely road trip. In case mechanics find issues with your car, they can just provide the solution to make sure you are safe on the road.
If you are in Atlanta and is planning a road trip, why not stop by T3 Atlanta as part of your summer road trip preparations? We know that a safe and sound car is key to a successful road trip. Bring your car to T3 Atlanta today and let our expert mechanics do a round of maintenance checks on your car to help ensure that your road trip is safe and stress-free.
A lot of groups have had the chance to test the mileage of various vehicles while running the AC and having the windows down. One of them, called the Society of Automotive Engineers, finally sought after the answer to the question in a scientific way.
Normally, you’d want to have your AC serviced at least once a year. Think of it as a yearly checkup where the technicians ensure your AC is clean from dust, pollen, and gunk while making sure it is working as intended. If need be, expert AC technicians will check and clean every component of the AC system on your car.
Make sure your pet is used to traveling with you in your car. Traveling is a new experience for pets so you should make sure you take them to short trips so they get used to the feeling of being in a closed space for a certain time.
When you are young and financially challenged, you tend to develop this habit of stretching everything to the limit. Like following a measly budget and hope you won’t die of starvation. Or wearing the same set of clothes until somebody notices. But perhaps one that we can really relate to is running your car on empty.
For those unfamiliar with the term, running on empty means you are running your car even if the fuel gauge is at “E” or empty and the gas tank warning light is on.
While you may feel like MacGyver going all smart and risky in running on empty, it can do serious damage to your car.
Winter is coming. Are you and your car ready?
Check your tires – We put this first because this is probably the easiest. Regular tires won’t work on icy roads so you should start switching them with your winter set. But before you do that, check your winter tires if they still have the proper tread depth. No point using them when they can’t even perform properly. Lastly, make sure to constantly check your tire pressure. The cold can cause the pressure to drop at times so check your tires visually before you get on the car and watch out for the tire pressure light.
So you already know where you plan to go and you have all the information you need, but that’s not enough for you to get on the road. You still need a couple of things to make the road trip a success.
Depending on where you plan to go on your fall road trip, the weather can get a bit crazy. You might be enjoying a sunny afternoon drive but it can get a bit wet and cold after an hour. Make sure you bring clothes that can protect you in case it gets too cold or too hot.
Music is a must-have on any road trip. Instead of packing a binder of CD’s, download Spotify. This app offers millions of songs and podcasts to keep you and your road trip companions entertained whether your trip is three-hundred or three-thousand miles long.
Are you a spontaneous traveler? The REI Co-Op National Parks Guide might be your new best friend. This free app contains maps and sightseeing information about many of the country’s National Parks with new park information updated regularly.
Audubon’s Bird Guide app is the perfect, palm-sized field guide for anyone who wants to try bird watching on their next road trip. The app makes it easy to explore what kind of birds are nearby so that you know what to look out for.
TripIt is the ideal travel companion for hardcore planners. This app creates an all-in-one itinerary for you to make your trip as smooth as possible. All you need to do is forward your travel information – that includes hotels, travel, and even restaurants – to their dedicated submission line, and TripIt does the rest.
Unless you own an electric car, GasBuddy is a road trip essential. With this app, all you need to do is enter in your location and it does the rest, finding the closest gas stations to where you are as well as prices. That way, you don’t have to be uncertain about where the next gas station is or be surprised by prices.
Located in Northern Georgia, the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest is a must-see destination for sightseers, bird watchers, hikers, and fall foliage photographers alike.
No fall foliage list is complete without mentioning the Blue Ridge Parkway. This scenic road starts in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and winds 469 miles all the way to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.
Heavy traffic in the morning can spell significant delays and plenty of people in a rush to get to school or work. Book extra time to get where you’re going so that you won’t need to worry about being late for the bell if you encounter heavy traffic.
Emails, texts, calls, choosing the best song for your morning ride, and even reacting to street directions all demand a part of your attention. However, the most important thing you need to focus on is the road.
Keep your gas tank at least half full. Even though it might mean an extra trip to the gas station, you will never have to worry about running out of gas when you’re stuck in traffic on the freeway.
Depending on where you live in Atlanta, your neighborhood may have a lot of cyclists and pedestrians on the road. Be sure to share the road when you’re behind the wheel.
