Road Trip Tips

Road trips are a summer tradition for many people, but the price of gas is going up at an alarming rate, so how do you balance your need to get in the car and drive, with your wallet? Here are some road trip tips to help with gas, planning and road tripping.

Gas-Saving Tips

• ·         Drive 55 on the highway- It's a good constant speed, and AAA estimates that driving slower can boost mileage by 5%.
• ·         Avoid stopping and starting- Accelerating from a standstill requires more fuel then gently letting up on the gas pedal and coasting for a few seconds before accelerating. It can also help to look ahead and let up on the gas pedal when you see a red light, coasting will help with constant breaking.
• ·         Use cruise control- it helps control your speed and keep you at a constant saving more gas.
• ·         Watch when you fill your tank- overfilling your tank is both dangerous to your car and to your wallet. When you overfill your tank you can mess up your car's engine and gas can slosh around in the tank and escape, leaving you with less gas then you paid for. Click the gas cap 3 times to ensure that it is on tightly and gas won't escape. Every year 147 million gallons of fuel vaporizes from tanks in the US.
• ·         Drive when its cooler outside- this one might be hard as it is never very cool in the summer down in the south, but it does help if you leave early in the morning or once the sun sets at night. According to AAA, cooler, denser air can increase power and mileage.
• ·         Use AC instead of windows- at least in newer cars, air conditioners in newer cars are more efficient, since they cause less drag on the engine then driving with the windows down.
• ·         Pack light- the lighter your possessions the better your mileage will be. Keep your suitcases and gear in the car too, as objects on the roof create more drag and kill your mileage.

Planning

• ·         It's best to have a plan of action before hitting the road. Chart where you want to go and look up directions online from multiple websites before getting in the car.
• ·         Don't always trust your GPS- You want to think that it will always give you the correct route, but sometimes the maps and routes on your machine are out of date, which will cause you to get lost or add miles to your trip.
• ·         If you have kids think about activities for them- nothing is worse than getting in the car and having the kids saying "are we there yet?" every 3 minutes. Make sure you have something for them to read or play with. Highway games are fun like the Alphabet game. You can also find cheap road trip bingo cards at Wal-Mart and toy stores.
• ·         If you are bringing a pet make sure you have them taken care of- you will need to consider a doggie seat belt or training your dog to handle road trips. Many small outing will prepare them for being in a car for hours. Make sure you make time to stop and let your pet walk around outside.

Other tips

• ·         Have all of your documents with you- license and car registration are all good to have just in case you do get pulled over.
• ·         Pull off if you get tired- you don't want to cause an accident, it's better to pull off at a rest stop and rest for a few hours then falling asleep at the wheel and getting into an accident.
• ·         Join AAA- It's worth the money to have peace of mind that if you do get stuck somewhere with a car issue that you won't be stranded.
• ·         Learn to read a map- don't always rely on gps. It's better to know how to read a map. It's not hard to learn.
• ·         Pay attention- It's easy to let your mind wander when you have locked into cruise control, but be aware of your surroundings and the traffic around you. Also keep track of the change in speed limits, you don't want to get a ticket.
• ·         Learn to change a tire- Even if you have AAA, it is good to know how to do it just in case.
• ·         Stock your car with essentials- Extra oil, jumper cables, flares, coolant, spare tire, water, ect.