Ten Handy Tips for Preparing Your Vehicle for a Road Trip

With summer approaching and more people on school and work vacations, the temptation to take a road trip starts to grow. However, because you will be reliant on your vehicle you will need to make sure that it is in the best possible condition before you set off. In order to ensure that you aren't beset by any unhappy road surprises, here are ten tips for preparing your vehicle for a road trip.

1. Give your car a good wash before you go. By keeping windows and windshields, especially, clean, you will be ensuring a clean and clear viewpoint at all times.

2. Check your tires. This includes rotating them, airing them up, and checking for any cracks or holes. In case of a flat tire on your trip, make sure that you have all the supplies (and the know how) for replacing a tire.

3. Check the oil and other car fluids such as windshield wiper, break, power steering, and transmission fluids. These elements are vital for keeping your car in top condition and can often be overlooked.

4. Have your car inspected to see if anyone needs to be replaced, such as breaks, belts, spark plugs, or the battery. Replacing one of these things can be costly, especially if you're stranded by the side of the road and have to call a tow truck.

5. Include a map or a good GPS system. Driving can put a lot of wear and tear on a car and there's no need to exacerbate that by getting lost and putting in extra miles.

6. Fill up on gas and have a system worked out for payments during the trip. If your car has no real problems before leaving for your road trip, then more than likely your biggest expense will be paying for gas along the way. Work out a system beforehand so that you and your traveling companions know how you will be splitting the cost.

7. Make room in the trunk for emergency items such as jumper cables, a flashlight and extra batteries, a gallon of water, a first aid kit, and even toilet paper. These items are essential in some of the various emergencies you could face on your trip.

8. Clean out the inside of your car. Vacuum it and rid it of old papers, drink bottles, and all the other trash that is just going to get in your way. With a car, space is limited, so you don't want to start your trip more crowded and messy than necessary. Besides, a clean car makes for a positive mood -a must when traveling with other people.

9. If you aren't mechanically inclined, join a service like AAA that can rescue you if something happens to your car that you can't fix. This is an invaluable service and worth the expense.

10. Prep your car for music. No one wants to sit in silence for hours on end and conversation can become stilted after a while. Instead, either invest in a satellite radio subscription or buy a cd adaptor for your iPod. With the former, you can hear different music from the parts of the country you're visiting and with the latter you can pre-plan your playlists with everyone's favorite songs.