Add These Tasks to Your To-Do List for Your Next Family Road Trip

Planning a family road trip when you have young children can be hard work. You generally have to pack more items to keep them entertained and comfortable. You also have to think about safe seating and allowing extra time for any mishaps. As tricky as a family road trip can sometimes be, your next adventure might go smoothly when you add these tasks to your to-do list:

Correctly Install Car Seats

Knowing how fiddly car seats and car seat harness straps can be, correctly installing them before your trip begins can be a good idea. You don’t want to be busy at the last minute trying to install them when you still have so many other things to do!

Make this critical task one of the first on your pre-road trip list, and enjoy far less stress! If you’re having trouble ensuring the harness straps are in the right place or have any other problems, contact your local car seat expert. Their input can provide much-needed peace of mind!

Book a Vehicle Checkup

Whether you’re a vehicle enthusiast or not, it never hurts to let a trusted mechanic in auto maintenance and repair check out your car before you plan on driving it hundreds of miles. They can check your fluid levels, brake pads, tires, and other components that can potentially affect your road safety. If you’re heading away during a busy holiday season, consider booking your vehicle into a shop weeks in advance to avoid missing out!

Buy or Make Snacks

If you have young kids, you’ll be familiar with their ever-popular phrase: ‘I’m hungry’. You likely won’t want to stop at every store or gas station you pass, so make a plan for eating on the road. In the days before your travels, buy or make snacks you know your kids will love. Fruit, crackers, muffins, and popcorn are a few of the many great options to explore. Just don’t forget to put a trash bag in the car so you can at least try to keep your vehicle clean.

Have a Plan for Entertainment

While most adults will be more than satisfied with their surroundings to entertain them, children are less enthralled by endless horizons. You may need to make a plan for entertainment to keep them and yourself sane. Fortunately, children are typically easily entertained with travel games, coloring and reading books, a few of their toys from home, and electronic devices with games and movies.

Make a Safety Plan

Road trips don’t always go entirely to plan, so it never hurts to have a safety plan you can use if the situation calls for it. Write a list of phone numbers for insurance companies, family members, tow companies, and other useful businesses and people you may need to access in a hurry. It can also be worth carrying a first aid kit and an emergency kit with flashlights, a spare tire, water, and batteries.