Summer Road Trip Tips

 

 

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CanadianTire #QuakerState #CollectiveBias

There’s nothing I love more than travelling! I especially love taking road trips. Even on the weekends we pack up in the car and just drive, sometimes even without a destination in mind! It’s something my husband and I have always loved to do, and now we include our son in our fun road trip adventures!

We have quite a few fun trips planned this summer, so I thought I would put together a list of of my favourite tips to get road trip ready!

 

 

1. Get your Road Trip Playlist Ready

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hate it when I get into the car and my husband asks for a certain song that I don’t have, or I can’t download the songs I want because of spotty internet service. Before I leave I download everything I need to keep the music going on our trip so we aren’t worried about losing radio stations as we travel.

 

 

2. Get Those Snacks Packed and Nearby

 

 

 

 

Having a child in the car makes this one VERY important! I always keep a separate bag of snacks in the front of the car ready to go. There have been so many times I’ve had the snacks packed away in the trunk which is no help at all, so I keep a small bag of goodies to snack on as we go.

 

 

3. Road Trip Worthy Outfit

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always wear layers in the car. No matter what the weather (even in the snow) I usually have the AC on, so layers are so important. I have so many comfy cotton long sleeved t-shirts that are light enough for a road trip, and comfy cut off shorts and a pair of sandals are comfortable to go long distances in the car.

 

 

4. Keeping your Car Maintenance up to Date

 

 

 

 

 

 

The worst thing that could happen during a road trip is your vehicle not being able to make the trip! We always keep up on our car maintenance, but especially prior to a road trip we make sure to step up our car maintenance.

Before our latest trip where we went on a “glamping trip” in Norfolk County, we headed to Canadian Tire to pick up Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™ Full Synthetic Motor Oil.

Canadian Tire is where we stop for anything we need for our cars, and for so many things we need to pick up for our home as well. Their tag line “Made for Life in Canada” is pretty accurate for our family.

I picked up my Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™ Full Synthetic Motor Oil at my local Canadian Tire store.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prior to leaving for a road trip we either change the oil in our vehicle, or we top up the oil. Quaker State® oil at Canadian Tire is at a great price so we don’t mind keeping up with our oil changes!

With all of the stop and go traffic, hot temperatures and hundreds of kilometres with a road trip, it’s so important to have a good motor oil, and this Quaker State® oil provides twice the wear protection of the industry standard throughout it’s life, so we make sure to change our oil with it before we head onto the road.

My hubby actually taught me how to change my oil in a pinch! He taught me how to find the drain plug, then remove the plug from the oil reservoir. Next up how to drain the oil into an oil pan, and then changing the filter so I could then putting the drain plug back and and fill the engine with the fresh oil. Pretty straightforward, and a great way to get your car ready for a road trip!

 

 

5. Keeping Children Occupied
 

 

 

 

 

 

I basically carry a small backpack for my son wherever we go! To be more specific, I have HIM carry around a backpack wherever we go, and it’s filled with activities and toys for him to play with when we are on the go.

For a road trip this is essential to us making it to our destination. I always pack cars, crayons, games and books to keep my son occupied.

 

 

6. Pre-Plan Your Route

 

 

 

 

I’ve been guilty of just hopping into the car and looking up our route as we are already driving, and I can tell you that this is not the best idea! It’s important to know (especially with a child in the car) where to take washroom breaks on the way to our final stop, and which way is either the quickest, or has the most interesting stops along the way.

My GPS is great for showing me how to avoid traffic, but sometimes I love printing out a map and circling stops I want to take along our way to make our trip even more fun.

I hope you can put some of these tips to good use for your own upcoming road trip! If you have any other great tips for a road trip, please let me know what they are in the comments.