Road-Trip Tips

The trunk is packed, the family is buckled up, you're headed out of town on a long-anticipated vacation with the open road calling you to new adventures. The family vehicle was sent for a thorough check-up in preparation for the trip and came back with a few minor adjustments and in perfect shape. Nothing can go wrong, right? If you're that optimistic, you obviously haven't heard of Murphy's Law: Everything that can go wrong will.


How do you protect your vacation from the fickle finger of fate? Even though the best insurance policy is that pre-vacation check-up, there are things to consider bringing along to keep mechanical problems from striking en route.

Be Prepared
First, go back to the pre-trip checklist—oil change, tire pressure check, etc.—and put together a car-care kit that includes extra quarts of oil, anti-freeze, a tire pressure gauge, an assortment of hand tools, various fuses, and a cell phone that you can plug into your cigarette lighter.


Include in that kit your insurance information and contact number, and make sure your registration is current and safe in your glove compartment.


All this assumes you've had all your belts and hoses checked before you head out. If you skipped that part of your pre-trip maintenance, better include an assortment of both in addition to a few hose clips. One of the most critical belts is the fan belt, without which you're dead in the water.