Nothing ruins a holiday getaway faster than a travel mishap. You're packed and ready to go, anticipation bubbling like the coffee in your handy thermos, but instead of the blissful family road trip you've envisioned, you're met with a string of frustrating mishaps that throw your entire getaway into disarray. Thankfully, with a little preparation and planning, you can avoid most of these pitfalls.
Whether it’s too much cabin clutter, not enough snacks, or the terror of realizing you’ve left Kevin home alone, get ahead of the stress with these helpful travel tips.
Smart Suitcase Packing
Let’s start with things you can do before you even hit the road, the biggest of which is smart packing. This is often the #1 stressor when traveling during the holidays – especially if you have the whole family in tow, along with all of their stuff and holiday gifts. So, start by packing your suitcases efficiently.
Consider where you’re headed and if you’ll have access to laundry. If so, you can pack lighter and plan to do a few loads at your destination. Packing cubes can be helpful in getting your bag or suitcase organized too, especially if you are the one doing the packing for everyone. (Looking at you, moms.) Small and lightweight, these handy organizers keep like items together, zip up tight, and fit inside luggage. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors – so you can designate one for each family member.
Careful Car Organization
Once your suitcases are smartly packed and ready to go, it’s time to pack the car. Think through the trip. Will you be stopping anywhere overnight? Are you driving straight through? Keep your suitcase handy, or better yet, an overnight bag with a pair of pajamas, toothbrush and any other necessary toiletries to quickly grab once you’re at the hotel to get you through the night. This will save you from having to completely unpack the car to get to suitcases or to access rooftop cargo holders.
When packing the car, it’s a good rule of thumb to load the heaviest and largest items on the bottom and then layer up with lighter items. If you don’t have room for everyone AND the cargo, don’t strap your teenager to the roof of the car, however tempting it might be. Instead, utilize something like the Thule rooftop cargo carrier to store and protect excess bags, suitcases or gifts.
If you’re strapping suitcases to the roof of your vehicle, it can be useful to use a cargo net for extra security. This secures over the top of whatever you have placed on your roof and is a backup measure for protection, so just in case that knot you learned in Boy Scouts doesn’t hold and your luggage breaks loose, the cargo net will hold it in instead of littering the highway with all your underwear.
Parts Via has plenty of clever cargo solutions for packing on top of your vehicle, behind it with hitch accessories, and inside the truck bed or trunk.
Comfort and Entertainment
Long road trips can create cranky kids, teenagers, and adults. Tight quarters for long hours are tough on anyone. That’s why it’s important to take frequent stretch breaks when traveling long distances. Better yet, if you have a driver who is able to stay awake, consider starting out super early in the morning, or late at night and driving while the rest of the family sleeps.
If nothing else, keep the kiddos relaxed and entertained on your long road trip with plenty of comfort items like blankets, stuffed animals, and pillows. A fun idea is to pick up some cheap fidget toys, small games, or coloring books and introduce one every few hours. It’s a cost-effective way to keep kids engaged, entertained, and not simply staring at their tablet, phone, video game or movie the entire trip.
But technology does have its place on a long road trip – especially with older kids like teenagers. Avoid dead gadgets (and be their road-trip hero) with wireless chargers, signal boosters and tablet/phone mounts from Parts Via. Accessories like the Bracketron tablet/e-reader mount can mount in the back seat and hold the tablet so kids can watch. A cell phone mount isn’t a bad idea for the driver, either, to help prevent having to juggle maps and navigation apps.
Last but certainly not least, don’t forget the snacks – they’re key to making a long trip more enjoyable! However, snacks and drinks can create a mess if you don’t have the proper containers or a way to wrangle the mess. Spill-proof containers are always a great idea (especially for little hands), as are backseat organizers that put hand wipes and garbage bags within easy reach.
Safety
Before you even hit the road, give your vehicle a quick, pre-travel systems check and make sure to have some key, ‘oh-crap’ accessories on board. Some good basic things to check include tire pressure, oil levels, windshield wiper fluid, and ensuring there are no dash lights or weird smells/sounds coming from your vehicle. A portable jump-starter and tire pressure gauge are good to have on hand in case of an emergency.
Since holiday travel generally equates to winter travel, consider the weather where you’re headed and what it will be like along the way there. If you’re going through anywhere with snow, always have a pair of snow boots and warm coats, hats, and gloves for everyone in the car. You never know if you’ll have to go on foot or hunker down in the vehicle in white-out conditions. You should always have an emergency first aid kit in your car, too.
Some handy just-in-case items you might consider bringing along are traction aids, ice scrapers, a flashlight, and even a safety flare, like the Performance Tool safety flare from Parts Via. The magnetic safety flare is compact and lightweight and can make others aware of your vehicle on the side of the road, even if the vehicle battery is dead.
Upgrades you can make to your vehicle before hitting the road include things like silicone wiper blades, winter tires, and winter windshield wiper fluid. Silicone wipers are the perfect option for cold weather because unlike regular rubber wipers that can freeze and stick to the windshield, silicone stays soft and pliable in extreme temperatures. It’s also known for its durability and typically lasts longer than traditional natural rubbers.
With these tips in mind, we hope that wherever you travel to this holiday season you get there organized, safely, and having enjoyed the trip -- because half the fun should be getting there!