Common sense travel tips to get you prepared

This week my husband and I are traveling 2300 miles to get to our new home in Austin Texas. That means that safe traveling tips are on my mind. We planned our trip ahead of time and made sure that we have plenty of books on tape for entertainment. The scenery has been perfect and we’ve had a lot of fun exploring states we’ve never traveled before.

Here are 8 safe traveling tips to get you to your destination with as little stress as possible.

1. Know what the weather will be – Don’t set out each day without knowing the weather. I’m using the AccuWeather app on my smart phone. I added each major city we will travel through so we can plan ahead for any adverse weather. Today we traveled through and awesome thunder and lightning storm in Wyoming! I’m certainly glad I knew it was coming.

2. Gather “what if” supplies in a car kit – Have at least a few of the basics. See the car kit post for a detailed item list for your kit. These might include:

• –First aid kit
• -Leatherman multi-tool
• -Road flares
• -Jack and tire iron to change a flat

3. Blankets are essential – Yes, keep one in the car even in the summer. You never know when you might need one to keep warm, dry or in case someone goes into shock.

4. Food and water – This really goes without saying. It’s not only cheaper to buy ahead and pack your own, it’s not smart to take a long journey without having back-up food and water. We’ve packed a cooler with goodies to cut down on the pit stops and in case we are waylaid in a storm or have to sit in traffic because of an accident.

5. Let someone know your route – We’ve been posting Facebook updates for our friends and family while traveling cross country this week. This lets them know that we are safe and where we plan on ending up each evening.

6. Communications – If you are traveling “convoy” style consider using Family FRS Radio’s to keep in touch. It saves on cell minutes and in some states it is illegal to talk on your cell while driving. The other added benefits? They work when there is no cell service, and is fun for the kids to use. Be sure to pack extra batteries.

7. Secure the vehicle – how to protect your things. The first rule for not getting your car broken into – is to not make it desirable. No valuables should be visible. It may be impossible to keep things out of sight when the car or van is packed to the gills. Always keep one person in the car to guard it when you go into gas or grocery stores. What should you do at night?

• -If at all possible, remove the desirables from sight
• -Make sure you have a secure padlock for your trailer
• -Park in a well light area
• -Don’t park in out of the way areas

8. Be sure that the driver (s) get plenty of rest so they are not driving tired. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in losses.

Check the transportation websites for more information on travel in your state and be safe as you are preparing to travel this holiday season.

Shared with: From the Farm Hop – Tuesday’s with a Twist –