Going on a long trip? While you’ll likely have lots to do, from packing to planning activities, don’t forget about getting your car prepared for the long journey! We made a list of things you should consider doing to prepare the car for a road trip. Here’s our preparation for a road trip checklist!
Prepare Car for Road Trip
1. Have a Roadside Survival Kit
An auto safety kit would be great to throw in the back of your trunk. That way, you have it for any unexpected scenarios. When thinking about how to prepare a car for road trip, you should also ensure you’re prepared for unexpected instances, like a battery dying mid-travel. This kit would help you quickly solve that problem!
2. Check Your Car’s Fluid Levels
One thing that should be on your preparing for a road trip checklist includes checking your car’s fluid levels. Ensure your oil, coolant, brake fluid, and windshield washer fluid levels are all primarily full. You don’t want to have to make any stops along the way, so make sure you get all your fluids, even power steering fluids, ready.
You should also make sure your air conditioning system is working so you don’t sweat throughout your whole summer trip! If you want winter road trips, you should get your heat checked.
3. Check That All Lights and Signals Work Properly
This one takes no time at all but is still very important to help prepare car for road trip. Grab a friend or a neighbor and have them check that all your lights and signals properly work while you’re in the car. You’ll want to do this in advance that way if anything isn’t working, you have time to get the lights or signals fixed before your road trip.
Not sure what some of your lights mean? Check your owner’s manual if you see lights on your dashboard!
4. Wash Your Car
Get your car all clean before your road trip! Cleaning your car will help to give you better visibility through your windows. If need be, change your wiper blades if they are starting to get worn down. You don’t want to be caught in unexpected rain and have lower visibility if your wipers are working as well and leaving streaks!
And, don’t just clean the outside of your car, especially if you’re going to National Parks or someplace that might cause you to get dirt or crumbs in your vehicle. Take some time to clean and organize the inside of your car. Nothing is worse than traveling in a smelly and messy car! You’ll be in your car for hours, so make sure all parts of it are clean and ready to go!
5. Inspect Your Tires
There are a couple of things you should do to make sure your tires are road trip ready to prepare car for road trip. Inspect your tire tread to make sure your tires aren’t worn down. If you find that the tread is worn, you may want to look into balancing and aligning your tires.
Another tip to be prepared: have a spare tire and learn how to change a flat tire! It pays to be prepared!
6. Know Your Route
Take time to know how long you will be driving and where you plan to stop. If your car is older and you don’t think it can handle the journey, or if you don’t want to put tons of miles on your car, consider getting a rental car for the road trip instead. Or, maybe you’re planning to fly somewhere and take a road trip from there.
You’ll also want to look into getting a rental car! OneTravel has great deals for all your rental car needs! You can search for a specific type of car so you have the perfect size for your trip.
As you prepare your car for the ultimate road trip adventure, ensure every aspect of your journey is meticulously planned, including your accommodations. With Marriott, find comfort and convenience in every stay, offering a seamless blend of relaxation and exploration for unforgettable travel experiences.
More Car Tips
It’s important to know how to prepare car for road trip! But don’t just use a road trip as the only time to check that your car is ready for lots of miles. You should be keeping your car healthy with regular maintenance!
If the maintenance on your older car is getting to be too much, you might be in the market to buy a new car. Or, you might be looking into getting an electric car. We have all the car-buying tips for you to help make the process easier.
