In today’s economy many people are deciding against long family vacations and taking shorter road trips instead.  Even a three or four day road trip can put some miles on your car, though.  You will need to prepare for your road trip before you leave to make sure that you are able to have the best time possible in your shorter vacation time frame.

Vehicle Inspection

About two weeks before your road trip have your car inspected by a professional mechanic.  Let him know that you will be taking a trip in the car and that you want to make sure the car won’t give you any trouble.  The two week time frame is in case the mechanic finds something that needs to be fixed.  This way you will have plenty of time to wait for the repairs before setting out on the road.  If you didn’t budget for the repairs, put them on the credit card and pay for them when you get back.  Don’t avoid repairs to save money.

Pack Smart

While it is important to check the weather report before you leave so that you are taking the right clothing, it is more important where you put your clothing and other items for the trip.  If everything will be in the car, make sure to keep any items that will be dangerous in the case of an accident in the trunk or buried well under soft clothing and blankets.  Heavy and sharp things tend to go flying through the car on impact, so place them where they won’t be able to hit anyone in the head.  If you will be using your roof racks, make sure that the heavier items are centered on the roof.

Pack Kid Smart

If you will be traveling with children, take things to keep them busy on the road. Travel games are available in the toy section of any department store, but on a long road trip these tend to get boring after a couple of hours.  Electronic handheld video games and movies will keep their interest, though.  Get out your credit card again and invest in a car DVD player and some good DVDs for the kids to watch, as well as a couple of new games for their handhelds.  You will have that credit card bill to pay later, of course, but the credit card bill will be of little inconvenience when you recall how pleasant the trip was with no fighting children to maintain in the back seat.

Drive Smart

Driving smart means driving while awake and alert.  Don’t try to go too far without taking breaks and don’t try to drive all day and all night to make it to your destination quicker.  This is simply not safe.  Take frequent breaks to get out of the car, stretch, and get some fresh air.  This will wake you up for the next leg of the trip.  Stop to sleep at night, too.  Even if you are switching off on the driving, sleeping while someone else drives is not really restful sleep and you will get tired after it gets dark.