Everyone wants their holiday travel with family to be safe, pleasant, and hassle-free. If you’re looking to keep your family safe, happy, and travelling smoothly this holiday season, here are some travel tips from A-1 Custom Car Care that will help.
This seems like a no-brainer. But the reality is, our human nature leads us to postpone car safety checks until there is an issue. Much the same way we tend to wait to go to the doctor until something is wrong. A good car health-check is the cheapest travel insurance you can buy.
Having your car checked well before the holidays, ensures that you have the time and funds to make sure your family car is safe and sound. An added bonus of paying attention to your vehicle early, is that your repair shop can more accurately tell you what to fix before you travel. Any mechanic with experience is going to worry about all your vehicle problems if you’re planning a trip the day after. Especially if you’re rushing their inspection.
But if your vehicle is in for check-up say, a month in advance, your technician can help you budget, plan, and prioritize your repairs. Perhaps they can even help you space out chunks of repairs to help keep repairs from eating into your travel budget. They want you to have a safe road trip, too!
A good health check from a certified mechanic should include checking all major items for problems, and immediate repairs. It should also include the basics, like fluid levels, tire treads & pressures, steering & suspension parts, and brake life.
Once again, this is a deceptively simple step. But one that is easy to forget. After all, you just had the mechanic make sure your car will be safe and trip-ready, right? There’s still a chance something new can pop-up in between; so don’t leave your travel plans to chance. Nothing stops holiday travels and fun like sitting on the side of the road, in traffic, waiting for a tow truck.
You should check your fluids, and tire pressures when you fill up to leave. Then again during a pit stop, and finally, before you head back home. This will help you avoid unpleasant, unscheduled stops along the side of the road. If used in conjunction with #4) below – it will make sure you don’t have to stop – because you’ll have planned ahead and have supplies with you to solve any issues that occur.
To travel safely this season, make a trip plan. It doesn’t have to outline every detail, and every activity. It should be a rough outline of where you plan to go, and how you plan to get there.
Information should include a rough time frame, and where you plan to stop.
Send this plan to your family members, and whoever you’re planning to visit. That way everyone knows the plan. This makes it harder for people to get lost, confused, or hold up the trip – because everyone is on the same page and knows what to expect out of your trip.
It’s also a good safety measure, because the people at your destination know when to expect you, and when to start worrying. (We’re looking at you, Mom) This is also a must-do item for solo travelers.
For added trip safety bonus points – share your location and/or eta from a cell phone. This can help find you in case of an emergency. It also allows you to get help to find your way if you have an unexpected detour, or change in route. Often, popular cell phone apps like Google Maps or Apple Maps have features that allow you to share live travel updates and location with family.
Travelling is about safety. But it can also be about new experiences. You should be prepared for a broad range of travel changes. Be prepared for unplanned trouble or stops by having a safety kit in the vehicle.
A good safety/emergency kit should include basic tools for tasks like:
You should also try to have some spare fluids, such as coolant/antifreeze, washer fluid, brake fluid, and oil.
Blankets, emergency lights, water, and snacks are another excellent addition.
You should also be prepared to have fun. If you’re able, or it’s a particularly long road trip, perhaps take a slightly different route than last time. Or perhaps, find a scenic stop that doesn’t add too much travel time. After the last few years, everyone in the family would likely enjoy a chance to get out and see/hear/experience something new.
Maybe try sharing stops on your trip over social media, finding interesting things at each stop, to share with family and friends.
Be on the lookout for things that have changed since you last travelled, or things that you’ve never noticed. Sometimes the most amazing things get overlooked when you’re hyper-focused on ‘getting there.’
Hopefully, these tips help you with staying safe, whatever your holiday travel plans.
