By 
When planning a road trip, it’s important to not only have all the necessary items for travel, but also to have your car ready for an emergency situation. While you can’t always prevent every situation that may arise, there are some basic things you can do to have a safe and rewarding trip. These include:
- Get your car in top shape
- Carry a first aid kit
- Have a lot of coins on hand
- Have a spare tire available
- Carry updated insurance and license plate in your vehicle
- Bringing food and water
- motion sickness medicine
- Toiletries
Get your car in top shape
A road trip, especially a long one, most importantly requires that your mode of transportation be safe and reliable. Although simple, and perhaps expensive at first, the following tips can help you save time and money while traveling:
- First, make sure you get an oil change. Just like seeing the dentist twice a year and changing your oil is a great preventative measure for potential damage to your car from old and possibly leaking oil. Make sure the oil is compatible with the make and model of your car. Also, it helps to rotate the tires and fill up all the fluids. Good wiper blades such as all weather wipers or winter weather wipers are a must to keep your line of sight unobstructed. Also, you may be able to purchase necessary replacement fluids, such as oil, coolant, and window washer fluid, while you change your oil.
- Second, get your car ready for the long haul. It’s good to know the gas mileage your vehicle will get on the highway. You can even try this with a full tank when you start your trip. See how far you can travel until you reach a quarter tank, record that number, then go fill it up. You can then continue on your journey, doing your best to make it to the next major city or two, depending on where you’re traveling to. This can be an advantage, since larger towns or cities tend to have more competition between gas stations and you can find cheaper gas. Small towns that may have only 1 or 2 gas stations.
- Third, evaluate your car’s performance on different terrains. I’ve personally experienced the frustration of spending hours letting a car rest before it gets back to driving smoothly because the fuel grade needed for the trip wasn’t as high as it should be. At high altitudes, your car may need to be upgraded to premium gas if it normally runs on regular gas or Supreme if it normally runs on premium. A higher octane rating will stretch your gas mileage and make your car more efficient.
First aid box
A first aid kit can be an invaluable resource for everyone who travels. The good thing is that first aid kits come in many different shapes, sizes, and varieties. It can be useful to have a complete kit for the car itself; however, they are also sold pocket-sized.
Quarters
The rooms are great for two reasons: a) toll booths and b) public phones. Some highways you travel on, especially loops around a city, may charge you a toll of a variable amount. Quarters can help give exact change, since most toll booths charge in multiples of 25 cents.
In the unlikely event that you get stranded and don’t have cell phone coverage, you may have to use a pay phone. Public phones are charged by the minute, so extra coins can be a big help. A budget of $30 or more in quarters for both pay phones and toll calls will keep you safe.
spare wheel
This is one of the most common sense necessities that every vehicle should have. In addition to having your spare tire with you on your road trip, it’s also helpful to know how to swap a flat tire for a spare. This could save you the expense of a tow truck, especially if that was the reason for your breakdown.
Up-to-date car registration and insurance
It goes without saying that having the most up-to-date insurance and registration paperwork on your car can be a lifesaver. It can save you everywhere from getting points on your driving record, to ensuring you have the coverage you need should your car be in an accident of any kind.
Food and water
For the safety of all who travel, food and water are essential. Traveling as a child, my family always carried a large pack of water bottles. We would also have a variety of snacks including sweet, salty, high protein such as nuts or dried fruit, and fruit. The variety also made traveling more fun.
motion sickness medicine
Having motion sickness medication for those travelers who are more prone to getting sick is more of a convenience than a safety issue; however, it is something to be grateful for. Now that I’m the sole driver on road trips across the country, I don’t get sick. There were many times in my past when I could have taken advantage of motion sickness medicine like Dramamine. If you don’t have any yet, it’s definitely a worthwhile investment.
Toiletries
Basic toiletries like shampoo and conditioner, soap, hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, baby wipes, and hand sanitizer can help keep your hygiene intact, no matter where you are. If anything, freshening up can make your trip more enjoyable for everyone involved and help you stay more alert.
Hopefully, you will never run into an emergency situation where you have to use a first aid kit or rooms for a pay phone. However, bringing toiletries, motion sickness medication, food and water, car registration and insurance, a spare tire, quarters, a first aid kit, and making sure your car is ready to travel can help. to ensure that this road trip is the ride of a lifetime. Enjoy the trip!