[AD] Essential Stuff to do before a Road Trip – Some ideas what to do and how to prepare before a road trip, to make your journey safer and more enjoyable.

Preparing for a Road Trip

Travel is hugely popular now, and with the growing reliability of personal vehicles these days, there’s a lot of travellers who decide to take a road trip by car, both at home and overseas. For me, it reminds me of my trips thought the USA many years ago, a very “Route 66 moment”…….cruising down a long stretch of highway, the wind in my hair, listening to some great music on the radio, but in the comfort of my own car which made it more enjoyable. Would you like to travel along Route 66, is that a trip that may be on your “bucket list” of travel plans?

But if you or someone you know is about to go off to see the world from the comfort of their own cockpit, you (and they) need to be prepared. A road trip isn’t the easiest way to travel sometimes, and you need to make sure your car, as well as you, is well prepared and ready for it!  You can run out of fuel, you can run out water and snacks, and you will probably have times when you are too hot or cold, as well as being tired. So, it’s best to make sure you are really well prepared before you set off on your road trip adventure, and take a spare fuel can, a box of snacks and plenty of water, and don’t forget to take regular breaks from driving too.

Essentials for Car Maintenance

Cars have a habit of breaking down from time to time. Of course, a recently serviced and well looked after car will usually be very reliable, but you can never be sure before you set off.  So make sure you or the person who is taking the road trip has a comprehensive tool kit, and don’t forget a spare wheel in the back of the car in case you or they need to make roadside repairs.

You’ll need a good car tool kit, so you’ll definitely need to buy one if you don’t have one already. Don’t buy something that’s too expensive, especially if it’s just one trip, you won’t need 500 different spanners, just a decent tool kit to help out if you break down. You’re going to need about 5 combination spanners, an adjustable spanner, some screwdrivers (with Phillips heads at least), an allen key, a pair of pliers, and a foot pump to go along with the can of oil to help keep things moving.

A New Number Plate

Aside from the essentials of car maintenance, you could treat yourself (or someone else) to something a little more cosmetic for the road trip – a personalised number plate. Not only does this give the car they’re going off in a little more personal style, meaning some great travel pictures can be taken featuring it, but it’s a great way to easily identify the errant traveller in your family!

Get them something that relates to them or yourself, maybe just their name or initials in licence plate form, it could be a lovely leaving gift for you, as well as someone else. You can look up Personalised number plates very easily online, and you might even find some going rather cheap that is fun and a great way to personalise your car and the journey ahead of you. It’s not essential of course, but it’s just a fun idea before setting off to do your own version of Route 66, and why not! 

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