Road trips are one of the best bonding activities that can be engaged in. You, your friends, family, or significant other driving through the open roads. From movies like Road Trip to On The Road, road trios are firmly rooted as a part of American culture, particularly the young adult experience. Road trips are truly a great way to not only bond with loved ones, but experience the great, wide country of America. Road trips also require great preparation as quite a bit can go wrong while on the road and away from home. Similar to backpacking and camping trips, certain steps need to be taken before embarking on a road trip and more importantly, certain things need to be put in place:
- First aid kit: This is mostly a common-sense precaution, but it is sometimes overlooked by excited travelers. Before a road trip is even considered, the health history and risks of every participant needs to be documented and planned for. Is anyone asthmatic? Pack multiple inhalers. Is someone diabetic? Backup Insulin needs to be kept aside in case anything happens to the original. Aside from your traditional first aid kit, it is advisable to have mini first-aid kits on stand by. There are companies that sell mini first aid kits which can always come in handy.
- Emergency Cash: The worst thing that can happen when on the road is finding yourself in an emergency situation and having your credit card fail. This could be a problem with fuel, food, medical emergencies and even an impulse purchase. Most people carry money on road trips, but it is advisable to have a little bit put aside in case of any emergencies. It might not ever need to be used, but it’s better to have it and not need it than to find yourself in a tough spot.
- Emergency toiletries bag: Have you ever found yourself on the open road needing to brush your teeth or make use of deodorant with no convenience store in sight? It’s not a pleasant experience. We are human, and human emergencies happen. To prevent any uncomfortable or embarrassing situations, pack a mini toiletries bag, even if you have a hotel room booked. It should be small enough to fit into a handbag or backpack. You can go online and virtually build your own toiletry packs and have them delivered to you.
- Car insurance: Car insurance is a must for everyone, but is particularly important during events like road trips. Your vehicle will be in use for days at a time, the likely hood of damage is significantly increased. Be sure to compare car insurance and make sure you are getting the best deal and the best value for your money. That way, if any incident occurs, you can rest easy.
- Roadside Emergency Kit: It is amazing that in this day and age, some people still neglect to keep a fire extinguisher in the car. Most work with the assumption that the extinguisher will never be used and there is no point. But do you really want to risk it? The sensible answer is no, you don’t. If you haven’t done so, buy a fire extinguisher and keep it handy in the car in case of emergencies.
At the end of the day it´s always better to be prepared than to be without the necessities when you run into an issue on your next big road trip. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor by planning ahead far in advance before hitting the road and not only will this ease your mind but it will also likely save you a good amount of money if something does end up going wrong somewhere along the way.
