By Heather Listhartke
There’s still time for a summer vacation before school starts. The idea of a road trip – making memories with your family, taking time to see sites you’ve never seen – all sounds really great. But the reality is that road trips, especially with several kids in the car, can be difficult and, at times, downright miserable.
You can do something about it though. These clever road trip hacks help make travel more comfortable for you and your family.
If you like to travel with your pet and want to make sure they’re safe, many companies make a safety seat just for them. Like a child’s seat, it’s rear facing and offers protection just in case something does happen.
For those of us that don’t have a phone holder, a rubberband around your air vent makes a perfect one. It makes it so that you can easily view your GPS without holding or having your passenger hold your phone.
Need something to hold drinks, tissues, snacks, or other things you need quick and easy access to, a shower or shoe organizer is great for everyone, especially kids. You’ll have activities and snacks without having to dig for things, and they don’t have to bug you for them.
Be prepared for anything that comes your way by bringing oil, antifreeze and washer fluid and store it a shower caddy.
For storing snack items, empty creamer bottles are a great option. You simply wash it out, let it dry, and then fill it with whatever you want.
Need some visual entertainment, but don’t have TV monitors in your vehicle. Hang an iPad off of a sun visor for a makeshift TV monitor.
SitorSquat, made by Charmin, has rated all the restrooms for cleanliness so that you know where to go (and where not to go).
Speaking of useful travel apps, if you haven’t discovered it yet, GasBuddy will help you find the cheapest gas along your route. All you have to do is put in your destination, and it will pick the best and cheapest place to fill up along the way.
Parking in an unfamiliar area? Both Google and Apple maps allows you to drop a pin where you’ve parked. Some even do it automatically for you. It will tell you exactly where your vehicle is, so you never have to ask “where did I park?”
Most of us use GPS, but in the case that you do get lost or your GPS does not have the place you are looking for, who should you ask for directions? Skip the gas station and find a food delivery place or hotel and ask them. They likely know the area better than anyone!
During the summer, one of the worst things that can happen during a road trip is that your A/C stops working. Here’s what to do – lower the front windows, keep the back windows closed, and you’ll still have a fairly cool car. The circulation of air is actually increased and it makes the breeze stronger.
If you’re renting a car and a little unfamiliar with it, positioning your mirrors is one of the first things you have to do. It’s also something that has to be constantly checked, because inevitably they get knocked out of position. The best way to position the mirrors is to position them so that your car is barely, if at all visible in them. This eliminates many of the blind spots along the side of your car.
With a five-port charger, everyone’s devices can stay charged for the entire road trip!
Follow the trucks! Truckers tend to know a lot more about the driving conditions than the typical driver, because they talk with each other and share info. If there’s a traffic jam, pay attention to which lanes the trucks are using and follow their lead.
A cereal container is a perfect size for a trash can in the car. This makes cleaning up while on a road trip easy and efficient.
Heather Listhartke is a graduate student studying for her masters in English and mother to her beautiful one-year-old son. In her free time, she writes, tutors, homeschools children of all ages, keeps up with her bullet planner and does all kinds of arts and crafts.
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