How To Prep Your Car For A Road Trip

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Summer vacations are upon us, but road trips for many are just beginning. From vacations to college drop-offs and last-minute micro getaways, the fun has just begun. There’s no better time to considering prepping your car for a road trip than right now!

As I was thinking and making lists about what I do in order to get ready for a road trip I thought, “Wow this is the perfect time to write about how to prep your car for a road trip!”

I find that owning a car is such a great privilege. However, car ownership is also a large responsibility.

In order for your car to function properly and safely, you do have to know how to prep your car for a road trip. Often, I think back to all of the road trips that I used to take with my parents.

I remember my dad showing me how to prep for a road trip. He made certain to have enough coins, dollars, and that the oil and tires were checked. However, safe driving is also a part of any road trip. In fact, safe driving is always in season! Want to know how to prep your car for a road trip? Read on and I’ll share an insider’s new tech secret and other tips to help you out!

Safe Driving is always in Season

Prepping the car for a road trip with my family is not just about car maintenance but about keeping the driver alert and sharp too! How to prep your car for a road trip is about being organized and attempting to always be one step ahead of any potential issues on the road.

Long before we hit the road I take a trip to get my car serviced. Road Trips are always a lot of fun but long before any kind of distance driving car maintenance must occur.

With the responsibility of owning a car, comes car maintenance. From windshield wipers to wiper fluid, oil checks and air pressure in the tires, I make sure to have it all done.

Oh, How Times Have Changed…When I Grew Up

I can recall from my childhood when my Dad would check the oil, the tires, and make sure maps were packed. Those days, you needed gads of change for all the toll roads, and a CB, lol. While times have changed: there are no CB’s and Maps are replaced by GPS Navigation systems.

The only thing that is still the same is that a vehicle must be maintained in order to function well and get you to your destination.

Car Organization From the Inside Out

Stop at the gas station, fill up. While you are fueling, empty out any and all trash, and clean your windshields too. You want to be able to see clearly, don’t you? Of course, if there’s a car wash, send your car through it. Traveling clean and shiny feels as good as the shining sun!

Hey Lead Foot, Let Go Of The Gas – Get This Tech To Help

Speaking of sun, it only makes sense to talk about driving in the lovely sunshine. You might notice that you are more likely to speed when you are driving in beautiful weather. It is so important to pedestrians and the passengers in your car that you don’t flirt with the odometer and commit that sin called speeding.

Being called lead foot is not very nice, but if have that name, let’s try to correct it for you next driving trip ok? There’s new tech out there that will monitor your speed and voice notify you to correct your flirting above the speed limit.

Uniden R7 Radar

The Uniden R7 Radar allows you to monitor your speed. Simply set a speed to which you can commit per the speed limit signs. If you go above the speed you’ve programmed, the device notifies you via VOICE notifications. Therefore, you don’t have to take your eyes off the traffic and pedestrian-filled roadways.

Uniden R7 Radar works with most vehicles and offers a color OLED display. Easy to see information provides a clear view so that you can just be focused behind the wheel. The large screen makes it easy to read.

Further, the system offers long-range detection as it has high sensitivity on all conventional and instant-on radar bands. The K-Filter and Ka Filter, take out the noise from the K and KA bands to prevent false radar detection.

Last, the directional arrows indicate where the radar signal is originating from! All pieces that help keep you safe and driving at the proper speed limit. Since the readout screen is large, you will easily see the color of the radar tracking from green to red which indicates the strength of the incoming signal.

Shop Till You Drop While

A stop at Best Buy will allow you to purchase the aforementioned Uniden R7, the tech you gotta have. Then it’s about the basics for survival in the car. We all have those items, right?

Like I had mentioned before, preparing the car is as important as preparing the stuff inside the car for a road trip of any sort. I make sure that everyone in the car has something that makes them happy. Food, books, gift cards to add music to their phones, whatever it needs to be.

After all, a road trip means plenty of together time and miles needs smiles! Don’t forget about the things you like. For instance, I always have some deodorizing spray in the car for the longer rides. It’s a helper of a product when we grab fried food.

There are other things I often grab, like a few portable chairs, blankets and of course plenty of snacks.

Trash Bags

I suggest placing a container of trash bags into your vehicle, this way no matter what the road ahead offers, you are prepared. From ill stomachs to the trash in the car, plastic bags are quite useful items and they store easily under seats or in the glove compartment.

Is Your Road Trip To The Beach?

beach-bag
If you are headed to the beach, grab my printable for 24 Beach Bag Essentials and stock up on those while you shop!

Don’t forget to throw some extra towels in the car just in case you get really wet and dirty. Also, if you decide to hit the car wash, those will help you dry out whatever the air dryer misses. Or, of course, you can use those towels to wrap up wet swimsuits!

Grab Your Keys And Drive Home

We also grabbed some new windshield wipers while we were there to be able to say, ‘Rain, Rain, Go Away’ or maybe we should just save that song for the Pittsburgh weather and not worry about it since we are road tripping soon!

Lavishly live road tripping out loud when you figure out How To Prep Your Car For A Road Trip with ease! Tell me, how do you prepare for a road trip?

This post is sponsored by Best Buy.