There are not many great ways to spend your summer than to embark on an interesting road trip. If you decide to travel alone, this will give you an opportunity to learn a thing or two about yourself. If, on the other hand, you decide to take your family along, this could turn into an activity that can bring you all closer together.
All in all, a road trip is an opportunity for you to grow, have fun and create memories to last you a lifetime. Still, for all of this to work the way you intend it to, you need to properly prepare for the journey ahead. Here are the top five tips for having a great summer road trip.
Table of Contents
Plan your itinerary
When planning an itinerary, regardless of the season, you need to start by asking two major questions. First of all, you need to consider the overlapping of your interests and options you have available. Second, you need to role-play your worst-case scenario and ask yourself – what can go wrong on a road trip. The latter part will help you eliminate unnecessarily dangerous itineraries and properly prepare for what lies ahead.
Getting lost, running out of gas, car problems, unpredictable weather or spending too much money are just some potential problems. Specifically, when it comes to summer road trips, what you need to consider is an area that has interesting summer-related activities to offer. This is why the majority of wanderers opt for a seaside location.
Check the vehicle
The next thing you need to do when planning a summer road trip is to ensure that your Arizona rental bus or any other vehicle is road trip-worthy. Make sure that you have your summer tires on, that you’ve replaced your air filters and that you’ve picked oil with adequate viscosity. Having thicker oil is important when the engine is hot, especially due to the fact that oil gets thinner when it’s heated and thicker when cooled.
Those who use multi-viscosity oil are covered on all fronts, yet, those with thin oil might want to replace it in order to ensure the performance of their vehicle in extreme heats. Also, it might be worth your while to get your car checked at a local mechanic.
Summer-proof your car
The next thing you need to do is ensure that the vehicle is capable of withstanding a summer road trip. This needs to start with checking your AC unit. This is important from the aspect of the budget, as well. You see, an active AC unit greatly affects your car’s MPG ratio, yet a faulty AC unit can make this so much worse.
Another thing you need to worry about is dust, seeing as how the maintenance of your car will be a lot more difficult unless you have adequate car paint protection. Agencies like Schmicko specialize in ceramic coatings which increase durability, hardness and overall protection of your vehicle.
Properly stock up
Packing for a summer road trip isn’t a simple matter, either. Other than standard supplies, you need to bring more fluids than ever. Ideally, you would have fresh water in abundance, due to the fact that soft drinks and alcohol tend to dehydrate you additionally. Furthermore, purchasing a portable cooler is always a smart choice, both for your snacks and for your drinks, yet, keep in mind that no cooler has unlimited space, which is why you need to prioritize.
Second, you need to ensure that there’s a sunscreen in your inventory, as well as that every person in the car has proper sunglasses. As for the clothes, light is always a smart choice during summer, yet, having one or two warmer items (as a contingency plan) is always a good idea.
Use the summer
Lastly, you need to consider all the possibilities that are available or more enjoyable during the summer, which is why you should bring along a picnic blanket, a camping tent, and a fishing gear. Why not use the fact that nights are warm and pleasant to spend more time in nature and enjoy all that the local scenery has to offer? Keep in mind, however, that camping outside isn’t for everyone, seeing as how ants and beetles may be so unsettling that they completely ruin the experience for a lot of people. Still, this kind of traveling is what using the summer is all about.
In conclusion
By adhering to these five simple tips, you’ll prepare for a summer road trip and enable yourself to enjoy your journey to the fullest. By having a plan, preparing and inspecting your vehicle, properly packing and knowing why it is that you’re choosing summer to travel, you’ll be able to get the most out of this journey. This preparation doesn’t take much in terms of effort, time or resources, yet, it may make a difference when it comes to the overall successful of the journey.
