Ten Automobile Travel Tips for Summer Fun

Despite the recent rise in gasoline prices, we can still enjoy summer travel in our cars if we remember to plan ahead. Some of these tips will save you annoyance while you drive cross-country. If you're not sure you can afford to go, try A. Green's article on saving money on travel this summer.

1) Plan ahead to keep the number of miles you travel minimized. Ensure you have good stopping points to rest your eyes and stretch your legs. Often, we'll plan to stop at wild life refuges, city parks, rest stops, at two-hour intervals. If you bring along your binoculars, you might spot a bird or animal you've never seen before.

2) Carry spare water and chains for going over mountain passes. It may be 80F and still hail hard enough to make the roads slippery. If there's heavy lightning, rain or hail, you may want to pull over to the side of the road and wait the storm out.

3) Fill up your tank even if half full if you're going on side roads to a wild life refuge. Few side roads have gas stations and you may drive further than expected. If the price seems too high and your gas tank below a quarter tank, consider filling anyway, especially if you don't know whether you can reach the next large town. Not all gas stations are open after dark and on weekends.

Kendra Dahlstrom's has some helpful tips on servicing your car before you travel.

4) Bring picnic supplies and a cooler, especially one that is not made out of Styrofoam. There is nothing more annoying than the squeak of Styrofoam. Restaurant food gets old after a week on the road. Many of our parks have picnic tables in beautiful spots. Don't feed the animals if you do stop.

5) Make sure your automobile travel club and insurance are paid up in full. Most clubs such as AAA will provide free maps. Often, they have books that provide the history of an area and many of the best places to pull over.

6) If you're traveling in early morning or late evening, animals may enter the highway. Be sure that the passenger seat has someone that is spotting animals for you, it may save lives and damage to your car. Don't forget that many animals are very darkly colored if traveling after the sun goes down. Watch for the lights of your vehicle hitting their eyes. Be especially wary of there are no cement blocks protecting the roadside edges.

7) Bring a book, extra CD's, and toys for children in case construction has you waiting on the side of the road. If you have to wait, turn off your engine, and take turns stretching your legs. Don't wander off as you may lose your place in line and have to wait through two cycles of traffic. Remember, traffic tickets cost double in most states.

Tamee has good tips for traveling with children.

8) Use your cruise control. It will make your trip more energy efficient, helps prevent road rage, and reduces the strain of driving. Switch drivers ever two hours to help prevent backache, shoulder strain and allow both people to see more of the countryside.

9) Read up on road signs before traveling to Europe and driving on the other side of the road. The European traffic circles are very nice once you get use to them, but it is very helpful to have a navigator reading the sides before you get to them. Having binoculars in the car may allow you to read the signs earlier. Don't be afraid to take several trips around the circle.

If you're a woman traveling alone, you might want to reach your destination before dark. Rest stops are scary places after dark when alone. Carry a cell phone with you at all times. If you meet someone at a stop and they follow you, do the unexpected, pull off at an earlier exit, pull over and let them pass, or pull up to a police station in the next town. Never open your window to a stranger unless others are around.