We’ve taken lots of road trips over the years, in a car full of kids, and now that they’re grown, just the two of us. We didn’t have the budget to fly as a family of 5 very often, but more importantly, we wanted our kids to see the country and spend time in as many National Parks as possible. If you’re camping, that’s another article for another time.
So what are the 10 best things to do before leaving on a road trip?
1. Dash Cam
Even more important to have these days, in my opinion, is a Dash Camera. You can get a reliable model for under $100. When you start adding features like GPS, Wi-Fi, better night recording, etc., the price can go up to around $150. Most Dash Cams are wide angle, but some are wider angle than others.
The importance of having a Dash Cam came home to me when our son and daughter-in-law were about 10 minutes out from our house, heading back to TX after a visit, when someone slammed into them, totaling their car. They were a little bruised and their two dogs were a little shaken up, but that was it.
The other driver told a completely different story to the trooper than what had happened. You should have seen his face when my daughter-in-law told the trooper they had a Dash Cam and the entire thing was on video! The trooper said, “you’ve just made my job so much easier!” Long story short, the next day, they headed home in a rental car and had a new car in their garage in two weeks. No questions asked and nothing out of pocket.
After lots of research, I settled on two Dash Cams. They are both in the $150 range because I wanted a number of extra features. One is a single, front view camera, and the other is a dual camera setup – one camera in the windshield and a second in the rear window. The dual rear window camera is connected to the front view camera, so only one plug needed. We purchased the single Dash Cam first and plan to get the Dual Dash Cam for our second car later. And I purchased a better micro SD Card to use with the Dash Cam (Kingston Canvas React 64GB microSDXC Class 10 microSD Memory Card).
WheelWitness Dash Cam HD PRO PLUS
2. Trip Check your Car
This is a once over for your car. Your mechanic will check your tires, hoses, fluid levels, brakes, lights, and more. Take your car in well enough in advance to have repairs done before your trip if needed.
3. Give a House Key to a trusted neighbor/friend
We’ve done both. One key to a friend, because we wouldn’t hesitate to ask for their help whether we’re on a road trip or not. Another to a neighbor because they will know pretty quickly if there’s anything unusual going on at our house.
4. Arrange for a House Sitter (important for extended road trips)
We’ve arranged for a house sitter for an upcoming extended trip. Bonus – he’ll be mowing the yard for us while we’re gone. And we love him for it because he’s our son. 🙂 Leave any security system information, important phone numbers, contact information, and any other house system information they might need.
If you live in a town house or condo community, a house sitter isn’t as critical.
5. Put your Mail Delivery on Hold
It’s easy to do online here. There’s a 30 day limit. You can choose to have all your mail delivered to your home (for your house sitter to bring inside) or held for you at the post office for pick up.
6. Apps
Waze – Mapping/Route App
“Always know what’s happening on the road with Waze. Even if you know the way, Waze tells you about traffic, construction, police, crashes, and more in real-time. If traffic is bad on your route, Waze will change it to save you time.”
It works offline, like Google Maps. So why put this on your phone when you have Google Maps? A few reasons: it’s open source, so other “wazers” (and you, if you want to) can post alerts, info on accidents, heavy traffic, something in the road, etc, so you get current conditions. There are a lot of settings, like a speedometer and alert you can set to let you know if you exceed the speed limit. There are a lot of choices for the alert: 5 miles over, 10 miles over, and more, or a percentage over. It also has Spotify built in, so if you choose to connect them, they both work seamlessly from either App.
Works on iPhone and Android. Download it here.
Spotify (Premium) – Music App
Find almost any music you can think of and download it to your phone. There’s a limit of 3,333 songs per phone, so you’ll have to pick your music carefully. 🙂 Download songs, albums, and create playlists. When you download music to your phone, you can play it through your car speakers without using data. Other than using Spotify on road trips, with Premium ($10/month, or $15/month for up to 5 people who live at the same address). There’s a free version for listening on your device.
Works on iPhone and Android. Download it here.
7. Bring enough Prescription Medications
Ask your physician how they prefer to handle this. Some will write paper scripts for refills. Some will prefer to call a pharmacy you choose while you’re traveling and give them the refill order. If you’re on any kind of controlled medication, know that some states don’t allow controlled prescription transfers.
8. Paying Bills
If you don’t pay all your bills online, some can be paid ahead. For credit cards, you’ll need to watch cycle closing dates, which might determine which card(s) you should use when. If you’re on the road when bills that have gone through insurance become due, you should be able to call your provider and pay them by phone.
9. Will you have a Kitchen?
We are members of a pretty flexible time share. We usually stay in units that have kitchens, so we’re not locked in to eating out all the time. Over the years, we’ve gotten pretty good at putting together a box of things not usually stocked in the time share kitchens: foil, zip lock bags, twist ties, less common spices, pasta, cans of tuna, cereal, S’more makings. Pack whatever works for you. We also take a small cooler for perishables while we’re on the road.
10. Laundry
Don’t pack more than you really need. If a washer and dryer are available along your route at friend’s homes or other lodgings, take advantage. If not, roll, roll, roll your clothes. More clothes in your bag and less wrinkles. I’m guessing that most of you know about travel clothes sold at places like sporting good stores and Chicos. They go with everything, so lots of outfit options and you can throw them in your bag and not worry about wrinkles.
Bonus Tip – Bring your Bed Pillow
If you have room, bring your bed pillow. No more stiff necks after a night in a hotel. If I can’t fit my pillow into my bag, I put it in a tall kitchen trash bag to keep it clean. There’s usually room to squeeze a pillow in the trunk or back seat.
