The Disadvantages of Traveling on a Hot Day

I do not know if I am the only one in the world that thinks of not taking a long trip, especially with kids on a real hot day. Since I had a bad experience last year I have been a little more cautious since then.

Last summer I was traveling with family members and their vehicle broke down on a major highway. It was not a heat wave. The temperature was probably in the middle or upper 80's. Fortunately, we found a spot to keep the kids cool and there was a little breeze. The experience was not fun at all though. We were only about 40 minutes away from our destination but we did not get there until three and a half hours later. It was a while until the tow truck came and until someone was able to come and pick us up. One of my family members was pregnant and and at one point she told us that she needed medical attention. That is when I started to panic. I figured what am I going to do with her three children stranded on the road, while she goes to the emergency room. The ambulance never came and afterall, it just turned out to be a panic attack.

Fortunately, the night before I had thought to bring plenty of drinks and snacks because you just never know when or how you could be delayed. Afterwards, I thought to myself how horrible it would have been if the temperature was in the middle to high 90's.

Even if your vehicle does not break down, there are other things that can happen when traveling. You could have a flat tire. There could be an accident and you could be delayed for hours on a road. How long can you keep your vehicle running with the air conditioner on before it gets over heated? Then you just have to sit there with the windows opened on a scorching hot day. That does not work too well with small kids and especially if you have a baby. You can also be delayed from construction work.

It is just something to think about. I prefer not to do it if possible, but sometimes you cannot worry about these things because you have commitments planned ahead of time. If I had a choice in the matter though, I would wait to travel until a cooler day.