Taking a road trip is an American pastime. Plan your next trip and hit the road.
Car Maintenance
Make sure your vehicle is ready to go. Nothing like getting hundreds of miles away from home and breaking down. You can’t always anticipate car trouble but you can prepare to lessen the chance of problems.
Plan Where Your Going
Planning ahead you can see where roadwork is anticipated and trouble spots along the way. Knowing your route can giove you an idea where your likely to hit traffic and an idea of where you can bypass certain areas.
Get off the Interstate
The interstate highway system is a great thing for our country. It allows us to travel long distances over much shorter amounts of time. It does however bypass small towns, attractions, and scenic byways. If your in a hurry then by all means stay on the interstate with everyone else, but if your in it for the experience, get off.
Pack Some Food
While your almost guaranteed to find great places to eat along the way, it can get expensive eating out every meal. Pack a cooler with plenty of drinks and cold snacks. Bring along snacks that don’t need to be refrigerated. It’s always a nice thing to be able to fill your stomach without having to stop or at least without needing to find a place to buy food, especially if you like the back roads.
Fuel
One of the disadvantages to taking a road trip is the fuel cost. Depending on what your driving, the cost can add up. Check on getting a gas card. Some have some great cash back or discount offers. If your using a lot, the rewards can add up fast.
Roof Rack
It wont take long before you start feeling closed in being stuck in a car for long periods of time. Look into getting a roof rack or one thatll go on a hitch behind you. You’ll be glad you did when it comes to making more space to move around, especially depending how many people you have in the car with you.
Pack a Spare
Having a spare key is always a good idea. When your so far from home you can’t exactly call someone to bring you one if you happen to lock yourself out. Another thing is a spare tire. This used to be a given but many cars now don’t come with one as car companies try to keep cars lightweight for fuel efficiency.
Cash is King
Nearly everyone today relies on a credit card or bank card. You still should bring some cash along as backup. What happens if your card decides not to work and you cant access your bank. Many toll roads still require cash. Some businesses off the interstate or in small towns will only accept cash. Always a good idea to have some hidden for emergencies whether you actually end up needing it or not.
Bring a Camera
Most everyone has a phone with a camera at their fingertips. If your one who likes to take a lot of photos its not a bad idea to carry a second camera along with you. Road trips always present great photo opportunities.
Grab an Atlas
Google Maps and apps such as Waze, has almost allowed us to do away with old fashioned maps. However, there are areas where phone signal isn’t that great. Another good thing with a map or atlas is seeing the big picture of where your at, or being able to find another alternative route to take easily.
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