Monday, July 2, 2012

Summer Road Trip Solutions


            According to AAA, approximately 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 or more miles this Fourth of July holiday. The amount of travelers is expected to increase five percent from 2010 and 42% since 2009. AAA credits the increase to the mid-week holiday, allowing families to take a five-day vacation before or after the Fourth of July, and lowered gas prices (The Huntsville Times, 2012).
            Before your family packs up the car, take some time to organize. Extra planning before you leave the house will eliminate stress later in the trip. Understand the cities you plan to travel through and anticipate potential traffic problems. For example, do not try to drive through Chicago after 3 p.m. on Friday in the summer. Taking time to strategically map your route will save time, and eliminate stress, in the long run.
Once your route is planned, you can start getting your car ready. Even though your car will inevitably accumulate food wrappers, crumbs and other garbage throughout the trip, clean your car before you leave. Starting the trip with a clean car will set the tone for the rest of the trip. Bring extra garbage bags so you clean as you go.

If your road trip leaves your car a mess, enter our “Make Me #CentralClean” social media contest!

PB&J Bars from Disney's Family Fun
Pack easy-to-handle snacks to avoid multiple stops when children get hungry throughout the day. Snacks that travel well include trail mix, pre-cut vegetables, string cheese, rice cakes, dried fruit, hard-boiled eggs and yogurt in tubes. Packing snacks the whole family can enjoy will eliminate the temptation of stopping at unhealthy, fast food restaurants. Check out this recipe for PB & J Bars from Disney’s Family Fun for a great travel snack, which can even be prepared days in advance of your trip.
Children will also need fun activities to break up the boredom of being an a car for hours. Pack an extra map for each child to personalize (KidsHealth.Org, 2012). Show your kids the route you are taking and have them decorate each street as you drive. Bring plenty of markers and fun stickers. After the trip, you can make a scrapbook of all of the decorated maps or frame each map individually.
Finally, the most important part of any road trip is the music. According to Huffington Post, the top 10 road trip songs are:
  1. Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf
  2. Roadrunner by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
  3. Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap
  4. Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus
  5. Runnin’ Down a Dream by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
  6. Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne
  7. Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts
  8. Good Life by One Republic 
  9. American Girl by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
  10. The Devil Went Down to Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band

Have a happy and safe 4th of July celebration from Central Collision Center!