Happy Car Trips Begin Before You Leave
by Christine Nanfra Coil
Your much anticipated car trip is days away. Hitting the road with kids in tow can be a daunting task. But with advance planning, your difficult journey can turn into a fun family adventure.
Is servicing your car on your to-do list? Ensuring that your car is in top form before heading out for a weekend getaway or a sun-filled escape to the Florida Keys, is one of the smartest things you can do.
Car Maintenance Musts
Your car’s checkup should include:
• Check the oil.
• Check and top off all fluid levels, including transmission, power steering, and wipers.
• Inspect belts and hoses for cracks or leaks. Inspect wiper blades.
• Check the lights.
• Check the pressure and wear on all tires, including your spare.
• Have your tires rotated if needed and have brakes checked.
Once your car is serviced, be sure to get it cleaned. Starting out in a clean car always helps in keeping it clean along the way. Also make sure your car insurance is paid through the month and your registration and insurance information, including an emergency contact number, is in your car.
Pack a Car Emergency Kit. Include a good blanket even if it’s summer, booster cables, a set of small tools, charged cellular telephone, paper towels, raincoat or umbrella, water, a flashlight, and flares for alerting other drivers of your stalled car.
A First Aid Kit is essential. Include band-aids, a thermometer, children’s and adult’s Tylenol and other medications, butterfly bandages, peroxide, rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, antibiotic ointment, and the pediatrician’s phone number.
Your Snack Bag and Cooler should contain water and easy-to-eat snacks. Watch the sugar and salt content, or you’ll be making extra potty breaks. Good choices include crackers, fresh fruit, fruit roll-ups, trail mix, granola bars, carrot sticks, boiled eggs, cheese sticks, juice boxes, suckers and gum. Also include wipes, paper towels and toilet paper. Everyone will think you’re over packing until they “have to go” a gazillion miles away from the next rest stop.
Be careful when using rest stops. Pass them up if they aren’t well-lit or seem unsafe. Remember to lock your car doors when you go inside. Always accompany your children into the restrooms at a rest stop, even a teenager.
Road Research
Another essential for any road trip is a good atlas. Look at the state maps you’ll be traveling through and plan your route, but research the roads you plan to take beforehand for construction and closures. The U.S. Department of Transportation links from its website to state-by-state road construction information that you can check before you go. Go to www.dot.gov and scroll down to Special Features on the right side and click on National Traffic & Road Closure Information.
Vacation time tends to be prime construction time, so clicking on the states you’ll be traveling through could save you a lot of time. Each state’s site is different, but most contain detailed information on highway construction, road closings, rest areas and maps. Knowing where the rest stops are can be extremely helpful when trying to schedule and plan your itinerary. Plan your days in the car with potty breaks at specific rest stops, targeted towns for lunch and hotel reservations where you plan to stay overnight.
Websites such as www.mapquest.com offer maps to print out, driving directions and links for discounted rooms in the cities you’ll be driving through. The AAA MidAtlantic, or any other auto club, can also help you identify construction along planned routes and even give you alternate routes.
Making It Fun
Have the children fill their backpacks with favorite toys, magnetic drawing boards, hand-held video games, magazines, crossword puzzles, books, paper and writing supplies. Pack flashlights, which are great for reading at night, as well as emergencies.
For the three and under crowd, pack a bag of fun. Fill it with toys and activities that do not take up much room, do not create a mess or have a lot of accessories and can be contained where the child is seated. Pack a few new toys as a surprise for those whiny can’t-reason-with moments.
Always pack plenty of music for the adults and kids. It’s best to choose music that is soothing and will allow for conversation. Include songs that are good for sing-a-longs; saving those for when the car ride gets a little too long.
Books on CD or audio cassette can be a good option if the family enjoys hearing stories together. At about an hour of listening per CD, you can match the length of such books to your drive.
Consider investing in a portable car VCR or DVD player. “I purchased a VCR for our road trip and it was the best $200 investment I ever made,” says Phyllis DeMarco, a mother in Cherry Hill, NJ. If you do have a VCR, take a few movies along that everyone can enjoy.
Make sure all child safety standards are adhered to whether the child wants it or not. According to the latest survey from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belt use is on the rise and injuries from car accidents are on the decline. It’s imperative that all children are in age-appropriate child safety restraints. To learn more about age-appropriate child safety restraints you can check out NHSTA’s website, www.nhtsa.dot.gov and click on Child Passenger Safety on the left.
You are now armed and ready for your road trip. Make the most of it! Your family will thank you, someday!
Christine Nanfra Coil is a freelance writer and teacher.