This is the time of year when many families start planning road trips. While you check calendars and secure reservations, don’t forget to make sure your vehicle is stocked up and ready for adventure.
It’s far better to take care of any problems before you head out. You don’t want something to go from bad to worse when you’re hundreds of miles from home. If you haven’t been keeping up with vehicle maintenance, now is a great time to get the oil changed. Check all fluid levels and peek at the belts while you’re under the hood. Look for signs of wear or fraying. Give the tires a good peek to see how the tread is holding up.
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Don’t forget to check your spare tire. Make sure it’s inflated properly. Verify you have a working jack and the proper wrench for the lug nuts. If you’ve never changed a tire before, give it a whirl in the driveway so you’re familiar with the process.
If your auto insurance offers roadside assistance, program that phone number into your phone’s contact list. That said, in my experience, such programs aren’t always all that speedy when it comes to response times. We once had a vehicle sit for nearly 12 hours because the insurance company couldn’t find an available tow company.
A Few Essentials
While it seems like there’s less and less you’re able to fix on the side of the road if you break down these days, I still like to have a set of tools available. Nothing fancy, just a set of wrenches, screwdrivers, duct tape, and such. Once upon a time, that was all you needed to do everything from fix a headlight to swap a transmission. Nowadays, not so much. But still, good to have for minor stuff if nothing else.
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A portable jump starter is a good investment and certainly beats trying to find someone who can jump your car in the middle of the night. A nice bonus is that many of these devices also inflate tires.
Growing up, my grandmother always kept a roll of paper towels stuffed into the pocket on the back of the passenger seat. This came in handy on a few occasions when a mess couldn’t be handled by just a handful of fast-food napkins.
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Don’t Leave Behind a Mystery
Prior to your departure, make sure a responsible adult knows where you’re going, when you’ll be leaving, and when you plan to return. You might go so far as to set up a schedule of sorts for checking in. Just a simple text message every evening letting them know where you are and that you’re safe.
If you miss a check-in or you don’t return home on schedule and they’re unable to reach you, they should alert the authorities. They should be able to tell them where you were the last time you were in contact, the vehicle you’re driving, and other pertinent information.
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You may have heard that someone has to be missing for 24 hours before law enforcement will get involved. That’s not a thing anymore. They would much rather jump on the trail immediately while it’s fresh.
Road trips are a lot of fun, but do what you can to ensure any surprises you encounter are good ones.