Surviving a family road trip

With the summer season coming to an end, you may be planning a long weekend road trip with the family. Travelling as a family is a great way to spend quality time together but when the drive is long and the kids are bored, it can be an extremely stressful situation for everyone.

Try these following tips to make your road trip with the entire family a great experience.

· The biggest lifesaver for a road trip is definitely a portable DVD player. Make sure you have a small selection of movies, pillows and blankets for each child so they’re comfortable.
· Bring along a camera so when the kids get bored, get them to snap some pictures of everyone making funny faces. Even the most stressful trip will become a memory that you can laugh about later on.
· If the kids continue to ask the dreadful “Are we there yet”, pass them a map and help them figure out the route and guess how long it may take to get to the destination. Knowing how to read a map is a valuable skill in life.
· Keep kids entertained along the way by playing games such as I Spy or The Alphabet license game. You can sing songs together as a family. Make up games as you go along. Let each child pick a game to play so they’ll be more interested in playing. Stop at the dollar store prior to leaving and buy a package of pipe cleaners and get the kids to use their imagination to create something out of it.
· Make sure to pack healthy snacks and don’t forget the bribe snacks for emergency situations. For adults, bring a thermos as most rest stops will fill your thermos full of coffee for $1 or so.s Don’t forget wet naps, drinks and sanitizer for pit stops to the restrooms.
· Kids can’t sit for long periods of time so if your road trip is an extremely long one, plan ahead to stop at a pool or park to have kids burn off some energy.

Family trips can be chaotic but rewarding. If you keep these tips in mind, you can ensure a happier road trip!

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Car check list before a long road trip

You may feel that your car drives well and is in great running order but that doesn’t necessarily mean your car can withhold a long road trip. You need to make sure your car is ready to go the distance and want to avoid any mechanical problems if possible.

Here is a checklist on things to go over before your road trip:

Check under the hood

It’s always best to change the oil before any long road trip. You want to check the transmission fluid, coolant, battery, hoses and belts. Your engine will work harder on a long road trip and you’ll want to make sure there are no cracks in the hoses or belts.

Check your tires

Check the tires, suspension and the steering. Make sure you have the right tire pressure. Recommended pressure should be indicated in the owners manual. There is a safe limit of the tread wear, if the tread is below this limit, it is unsafe to drive. Take a trip to your reliable mechanic a couple weeks prior to your trip to check steering and suspension. This will leave you enough room should there be a need to get work done. Also get your mechanic to check the CV joints.

Check equipment

Check your lights, horn and wipers. A spare set of wipers should be on your list to bring along. Check the window washer fluid and also carry a gallon along with you on your trip. Check the AC and heater and make sure there are no noises. If there is, have your mechanic take a look to confirm all is okay with the heating and cooling system.

Check your spare tire

A spare tire and a jack are definitely needed. Check to make sure that the spare tire has air. The jack and the lug nut wrench must be the right size for the car.
Don’t forget an emergency kit while travelling long distance and enjoy your ride.

For more valuable tips and information please visit http://prudentvaluecars.com/