Plan your route of travel. This sounds simple and logical, but there is more to it than meets the eye. The first thing that any good traveler needs to do is visualize the path of travel. A good way to do this is to use any of the free on-line websites that allow you to print out turn-by-turn directions. These websites will also provide you with a map that will highlight the path of your trip. This map, on-line, will allow you to zoom in and zoom out in order to see further details of your trip. This is important because seeing the map is one thing, but seeing the map with your path highlighted is much more illuminating. A great free resource is Mapquest.com. Once you have the directions printed out, retrace the directions in your atlas. Even though this seems redundant, you are doing it for three reasons: 1) It will help you further visualize your trip and make you understand exactly how far on each highway and interstate you will be travelling. 2) It will help you realize when you will need to take breaks (both for gas, and for rest), and where the best places for these breaks.3) It will help you see where the website might have made an error. No one's perfect, even the men and women that put together travel websites. Always have an atlas with your trip outlined IN ADDITION to any on-line directions that you have printed out.
Have your car maintained and checked. There are three major things in your car that must be checked every time you hit the road for a long trip: your oil, your tires and your coolant. When is the last time you changed your oil? If you can't remember, your best bet is to change it, or have it changed just to be safe. An oil change at a service station is relatively inexpensive (it shouldn't cost you any more than $30... and even that is a little pricey). Your new oil is good for 3,000 miles or so. Next, check your tires. Most tires have the correct amount of pounds per square inch pressure written on the side. If not, ask the attendant at your service station. Many all weather tires for medium sized cars are are 35 lbs. per square inch. To test your tires, go to the air machine at your service station and press the nozzle of the hose to the entry valve on your tire. A meter should pop up, instantly telling you the current internal pressure of that tire. If it is low, fill it until it is at the correct amount. Finally, your coolant tank must be full. When the car is cool (that is to say, before you turn the engine on), open the hood and look at the coolant tank. It is usually a white opaque tank to the left of the engine. There will be a fill line. If it is below the fill line, fill the tank. Simple as that.
Plan the actual driving. It is always best to travel long distances with a companion, preferably one who can take turns with you driving the car. The day before the trip, make a trip itinerary. Plan a realistic departure time, taking into account enough time for both of you to be well rested. Then chart out your driving shifts. Six hour driving shifts are realistic and also take into account when breaks are necessary for both the car and for your bodies. Plan no more than two six hour shifts in one day. Some drivers have a "do it all in one day" mentality. This is what leads to missed turns and, worse, accidents. If you drive two six hour shifts with a thirty to sixty minute break in between, you will make excellent time and neither driver will feel completely drained at the end of the day. The important thing, above all, is to be safe. If you follow these simple guide lines, you will not only have a safe trip, but a fun one as well.
