How to plan and prepare for a family road trip
Take the hassle and drama out of road trips with these three tips.
Hit the road this festive season and enjoy a local getaway with the family while exploring the beauty of SA without any drama. Take the stress out of the drive and start the holiday before you get to your destination with these clever travel tips:
Plan the route
The quickest way to a family feud is getting lost. Know where you are going by setting the destination in your GPS before you leave and printing out the directions as a backup. Things go wrong, batteries die and technology fails, so have a trusty paper printout ready just in case. Check where you can stop along the way for bathroom breaks and make sure you have enough padkos to keep everyone’s mood up.
Check your car
You don’t want to end up on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere with an unhappy family in the car. Fill up with petrol, check oil and water and inspect the tyre pressure and tread. Make sure you have a good spare tyre that is inflated correctly along with a jack and triangle. Get the car battery checked (specialists such as First National Battery do it for free) and have a portable jump starter in the boot.
Pack these essentials
Have a stash of extra face masks and hand sanitiser in the cubbyhole. Stock up on some wet wipes in case of spills and pack colouring-in and puzzle books to keep busy. If you don’t have a power bank, invest in one. Modern power banks can charge up to two devices, including a laptop! Charge power banks before you leave and rest assured that the kids won’t run out of entertainment with fully-charged tablets and cellphones that can be whipped out when the inevitable “are we there yet?” question comes up.
