The busy travel season has started! In addition to making travel plans, arranging time off from work, and packing, another portion of your to-do list needs attention — getting your car road trip ready! You and your family may be looking at hours and hours on the road and the last thing you want is to be caught off-guard when it comes to some road trip car essentials. Use these eight tips as a rough checklist before you embark on your summer travels.
8 Tips to Get Your Car Road Trip Ready
- Fill ‘em Up
Before any long drive, it’s a good idea to check the air pressure in your tires. We keep a digital tire gauge in the car at all times and make sure to check the pressure when the tires are cold (before driving on them that day). It’s so much more convenient to fill our tires with the small personal air compressor we have versus having to deal with the temperamental ones at the gas station. 🙂
- Just Keep Cool
Everyone knows that getting into a hot car can be miserable. That’s why parking spaces in the shade go quickly! Make sure to up the windshield, side window, and rear window shades when leaving the car to lessen any interior heat buildup. - Top it Off
I mentioned to you before how obsessive Frans is about keeping the windshield clean and how he goes through windshield washer fluid like there’s no tomorrow. As the warm weather brings out the buggies which will soon end up splattered on your car, you might want to pick up a gallon or two of specially-formulated fluid for your travels.
Disclaimer: Offers may vary.
- Not Only for Tooshies
When it comes to the car, baby wipes can clean up any sticky spills, candy remnants, oily fingerprints, or less than desirable things the kids might have tracked into the car. They can also help remove bird droppings (leave cloth on the area for a couple of minutes before wiping off to prevent paint damage) or sap that your car might collect on the way. - Powering Through
You won’t get very far if your car battery dies on the way or before you even get going. Take advantage of Auto Zone’s free battery testing to make sure your battery has plenty of juice for the road. You can also pick up a portable jump starter just in case someone leaves the interior light on overnight…
Disclaimer: Offers may vary.
- Happy Feet
We cannot live without rubber floor mats in our car. Over the years, we have had coffee, soda, frozen drinks, and even milkshakes spilled in our car and every time the rubber mats kept our interior clean. These also come in handy when dirt, mud, sand, snow, and guck are under your passengers’ feet. Having kids, carpet floor mats just doesn’t cut it. So, do yourself a favor and switch out the carpet mats for rubber.
- Fully Stocked
When was the last time you check your roadside emergency kit? Disinfectants, burn ointments, and pain pills can expire so make sure to update these items if needed. Also, you might have used some supplies but forgot to replenish them afterward. Refill any bandages, gauze, alcohol wipes, etc. before finding out you need them but nothing is left. - Connected Family
Mobile devices can help maintain family peace when stuck in the car. That peace will be short-lived if you don’t have enough power to keep those devices charged. Pick up several 12V to USB power adaptors and make sure all portable battery packs are fully charged if a fuse blows and you lose power to the car outlets. We recently had this happen on both of the 12V lighters in our car. We were able to pick up some fuses from AutoZone and switching it out was pretty easy.
Getting Your Car Road Trip Ready
Most of these tips we discovered the hard way during our own family road trips as we were woefully unprepared. Don’t be like us with that. 😛 Instead, get your car road trip ready now and have worry-free fun with the family this summer! But, before you embark on your summer travels, make sure you get this coupon for $5 off a purchase of $25 or more valid thru 7/5/16.
Thanks to the generosity of AutoZone (again), one of my readers will win a $100 gift card to get ready for your next summer road trip. Enter below!
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This post is brought to you by AutoZone; the opinions are all mine.
