First time traveling by car on vacation

Almost everyone loves traveling and all of us travel on shorter or longer distances by different means of transport. Some of us like to travel on planes or trains with the goal to reach our destination quickly or to go overseas, others prefer the control that only traveling by car can provide.

Traveling by car on trips long has its advantages and disadvantages. You’ll be able to stop on the road whenever you want or feel like to stretch your body and to take a pause from driving, you can be comfortable in your car and sleep whenever you want, you won’t have to worry about the people next to you being strangers because you’ll probably travel with your family and friends, but the thing is that the driver has to pay attention to the road and traffic which might be tiring for people who are not used to doing that for hours.

What do you need to know before hitting the road?

When it comes to the first time when you go on a vacation by car everything good goes surprisingly well or not, but that mostly depends on how you prepare for your vacation. There are certain things you have to keep in mind and some in your car. But before that you have to inform yourself about the following topics:

1. Where you are heading to
2. How is the weather
3. How is the road
4. How much everything will cost (approximately)
5. How many hours it will take to reach the next point on the map to be prepared
6. If there’s any concert or festival around the places where you’re heading to because that spices up the prices of hotel rooms and other goods
7. You should be careful around aggressive drivers and don’t try to show off even if you’re good at driving, remember, the safety of you and your passengers is more important than a competition on the road which will probably won’t end up too well
8. Don’t stop if a stranger asks you to pull on the right because it might be a trap and they might try to rob you.

What do you have to take care of before leaving home?

First, you have to make sure your car (or the car you rented) is good to go, check these and make adjustments or changes if it’s needed, don’t skip this step, so you don’t have to come back home after 50 miles:

• Spare tire – make sure you have a good one with you just in case you need it;

• Oil and the filter;

• Brakes – this is important, make sure they’re working well in order to be safe;

• Lights and signals – if one or more ain’t working you have to take your car to the auto electrician for a check, you don’t want to be pulled on the right for not having them working, in the worst case there might be problems with your vehicle’s electric system and that can lead even to a fire;

• Air filter;

• Car insurance;

• Windshield fluid and wipers- make sure the level is good and in case you think it is full it’s not enough to take some with you, also make sure that the wipers are in good shape;

• Car’s locking system – make sure it’s all working well because if it doesn’t you’ll have to stay in the car overnight to take care of it;

• Car’s heating system – if the temperatures aren’t too friendly you certainly won’t want to freeze in your car;

• Tire iron and jack;

• Fire extinguisher (which should be in your car all the time for safety);

• Spare key in case you lock the car from inside by mistake, you can keep it in your wallet or you can give it to one of the people who’ll come with you in this vacation;

• Electric charger wire if your car’s battery runs out of power;

• Your and your car’s papers (ID card, driving license car insurance, etc.);

• GPS – make sure it works well and program the route, there might be places where you won’t have a signal so take some of the alternatives with you.

In case you’ll rent a car don’t go for something you’re not used to because it will be hard to drive a new car for hours. After you rent the car don’t hit the road right away for the vacation but get used to its functions first, you don’t want to pull the steering wheel too hard or not to step on the breaks hard enough.

Second, you should be careful how you leave the house and who you tell you’re not at home, take these precautions:

• Tell your family and friends where you’re going and for how many days you won’t be around so they don’t panic or freak out when they see that you’re not home;

• Don’t keep in fridge aliments which might go bad while you’re on vacation;

• Do the laundry, thus way you’ll lay on a fresh smelling bed when you come back;

• Charge the phones, tablets, and laptops you’ll take with you;

• Close the water;

• The only things connected to electricity should be the fire alarm and the security system (in case you have one);

• If you keep money in the house hide them well (you could deposit them in your bank account);

• Don’t let Windows or doors opened and pull the curtains;

• Lock the doors well and the garage;

• If you have pets inside and your neighbor is coming to feed them once or more times a day then you should probably choose someone you can trust;

• Don’t leave your valuable things like jewelry and other stuff exposed or in places easy to reach.

Double-check everything.

You could as well ask someone you know and trust to take a look at your place every day to make sure that there’s no problem even if you didn’t let your pets stay at home. Although the best thing to do is to make house insurance, this you won’t be so worried.

What should you take?

It depends on the season, the weather and the places where you’ll stop, it also depends on the length of your vacation. Here’s a list with what you should take with you:

-blankets and pillows

-food (some snacks for the road) and water

-cash (just in case you need more)

-clothes (changes)

-first aid kit (which should already be in your car)

-medicine for pain and car sickness

-music

– all the things required in case something happens to your car or if you have surprises on the road (chains, especially if it’s winter, and for traction, if there appear any problem, jumper cables, and flares and tool and cutting kit)

-matches (preferable waterproof ones)

-memory cards in case you like to take many photos

-chargers for all the electrical devices you bring along

-towels in case you have to wipe the windshield or anything else

-bring some games, magazines, and books in case you get bored

-flashlights

-shampoo, soap bar, toothbrush and toothpaste, patches,

-sunglasses, headphones

What do you need to plan for once you’re driving?

There are a few things you and the people you’re going on vacation with should plan once you hit the road (or even right before getting in the car) :

-who’s driving during the night or next (if you’re taking turns which you should)

-where you’ll stop along the way

– check how the weather will be

-when and where you’ll sleep during the night if it’s going to take more than one day to reach the hotel you planned to be your next point on the map

-hotel reservations which you should probably make before leaving from home or before the afternoon ’cause during the afternoon hotels get crowded

Pay attention to the road and don’t make any risky or dangerous maneuver because your life and the lives of your companions will be at risk, it’s a vacation, not a competition so keep it simple and safe.

Do pets stay at home or they come along?

That depends on the length of your vacation, if it’s not long you can take them with you but if it’s long you should consider asking someone to take care of them while you’re not at home because you can’t leave them starving.

If you want to take them with you and if you don’t have any other choice there are a few things you need :

1. Pets food (but don’t feed it while the vehicle is moving, feed it a few hours before hitting the road)
2. Something for car sickness but you should probably test how they handle being in the car and take them on a few trips to see how they take it.
3. Carrier (or crate) just like the one you use to take tour cat or dog to the vet, make sure it is large enough for your pet to lay and stand comfortable and get your pet used to it before going in the vacation (you can let it open inside the house for it to go in and you can put some snacks inside it, this way your pet won’t be agitated when it’s inside it during the vacation).
4. Make sure that the crate won’t move or slide if there’s a sudden break or any other movement
5. Bags for their waste along with a waste scoop, you don’t want your car to smell like that all the vacation
6. Toys to keep them busy, you can bring their favorite toy, this way they won’t jump and fuss in the car.
7. Leash, pet’s papers and vaccines in case your vacation implies traveling abroad and a familiar pillow
8. Water from home because if your pet drinks water from somewhere else, a new place, it might upset its tummy.
9. Just in case you take your pet a lot with you the option of waterproof seat covers which will spare you from some worries and work.

Don’t let your pet on the front seat and don’t allow it to get its head out on the window because it might get injured or stung by insects and that might lead to a car accident. Don’t let your pets in the car during hot weather.

How do you save money along the way?

Now that you’re on vacation you shouldn’t rush into decisions and spend your money on everything that sparkles. Here are some ways in which you can save money along the way:

1. One of the ways you can save money on the road is being careful with the speed of your vehicle. 5o miles per hour would be an ideal speed and it will help you use less gas while a higher speed will make your vehicle eat more gas.

2. Fill the gas during the cooler time of the day, that’s when gas is densest. Keep your windows closed if you’re driving with high speed because if you don’t the gas level will drop just like when the air conditioner is on.

3. Inform yourself about the price of the fuel along the way, you don’t want your car’s tank to be empty in the middle of nowhere or somewhere where the price of the gas is just too much.

4. Make sure you bring only what’s necessary, this might also help you save gas and avoid as much as possible rough roads.

5. Prepare sandwiches from home, this way you won’t have to eat at restaurants or fast food because you’ll make sure that what you give your body is healthy.

6. Don’t book rooms at the first hotel you find and search more, you might find the same services at a smaller price.

7. Rent rooms somewhere where they have family discounts, thus way you’ll save some money for sure.

Now you’re ready to go on your first vacation by car. Remember, you don’t have to rush, the place where you’re heading to it’s not going anywhere, enjoy the vacation with your loved ones and make new beautiful memories. Of course, there might be situations which won’t be good at the moment (you will most probably laugh about it later) but will be the topic of the next time you all will gather for another adventure.

unsplash-logo
Todd Trapani