road trips

When you are taking a long road trip with your friends or families there are two main things to consider and to be taken care of. 1. Safety and 2. Comfort. These two are the most important things, apart from this if you have anything to consider like time or money put them behind safety and comfort. Here I will be discussing about long road trips, means which are more then 8-10 hrs of drive.
So let’s talk about both of the points separately in detail.
1. Safety:

Always prefer Rental Car:
Always consider taking rental cars instead of taking your personal car for long road trips. There are several advantages you will get in rental car. As I have already said, put money behind safety and comfort, so you might have to spend a good amount of money in car rental but that is a better option over driving personal car. Below I am discussing some of the advantages of taking rental car.
· Rental car companies give good new cars, which are comfortable and safe for driving.
· There is no hassle in following up when there is a small accident or something if you have taken the insurance with your car rental
· Rental car come up with spare tires and all the necessary tire changing equipments
· Rental cars are often in good condition with right level of oil and tire pressure
· If there is any major problem with the car in midways, you can change it by going to the car company in any nearby city/airport
· There is no tension if there is a small scratch or something during long trips
· Finally you will not put on mileage on your personal car so your car will retain its resell value :)

Check the car:
I have already told that rental car is a better option over personal car, but if at all you are taking your personal car for road trips please check if the car is ready for the trip or not. It’s important that the car is ready like you. Perform the below checks before you jet set go.
· Examine your car if any local shop. Usually some car shops like Firestone, Jiffy Lube etc offer special checkups for road trips. So if you are doing that, that’s the best but it will cost you some money.
· If you are taking a personal car, overall it should be good and it should not have any fatal problem. Some basic checks like the tire condition, tire pressure, oil level, a/c, wipers, horn and brakes are some important to check. You can get lot of articles on car maintenance in web, check for those.
· Newer car models come with many features. Know all the features perfectly so that you can use it.

Know where to stop:
· GPS is the best thing you can have in road trips but apart from GPS have all the map printouts and a details map with you.
· If you are lost, it’s better to seek help sooner then later. But if it is night don’t stop anywhere as long as you find a right place to stop.
· If you see any tool booth you can ask the toll-man about your route they will help you. Else if you go in a restaurant then you can ask people there. Avoid gas stations and convenient stores.
· Stop and take rest whenever you feel sleepy and tired. It’s good to book motels in between for a nap.
· If you are resting in Rest Area check the surroundings. If you do not feel safe come out of the place
· Plan properly beforehand. Study the maps before, get to know the details of the places and stop appropriately.
· Book the motels and hotels before you arrive the place.

When to drive:
· You can drive anytime, but if possible avoid the twilight and owl-light time. These are the most dangerous time for driving. That is the time when there is problem in visibility because the human eye has to adjust to the changing light. Also that is the time everyone feel sleepy. If not you, other drivers would be sleepy. So that is the dangerous time to drive.
· Apart from these timings all other time are good for driving. Some people say it’s not good to drive in night but in my opinion its better at night because of less pressure (because of no sunlight) to eye. Obviously you have to be more cautious because of less light on the roads.

What to do on road:
· Always abide the rules. Drive within the speed limit.
· When you are entering a different state check the state law. If you are not sure of anything you can check in visitor center, usually located within 5-10 miles after you enter the state. If the visitor center is not opened you can have a stop on any exit and ask restaurant people.
· Usage if Cruise Control should be very minimal. Cruise control can make you sleepy and even it can impede you braking suddenly when it is required. So use Cruise control carefully.
· Listen to local radio if there is any available. It can give you some important information you might be looking for, especially on weather and traffic.

What to do to avoid sleep:
There are some tricks that can keep you awake for some short period of time. But those tricks do not work for extended period. So in order to avoid drowsy driving please see the below tips.
· If you have someone with you its better. Indulge yourself in some conversation. This is the best bet to avoid sleep.
· If you are alone you can also talk in cell phone, but use headphone or car speaker. Do not talk holding the mobile phone.
· You can listen to music; usually bit louder volume is preferred. Avoid any slow, rhythmic music which may put you in sleep instead keeping you awake. Avoid Enigma. This music has the notorious record for the cause of car accident.
· Eat something hot or bitter, it will keep you awake for sometime.
· Coffee or drink with caffeine can keep you awake for sometime.
· Keep the car a/c towards colder side.

2. Comfort:

Choosing a perfect car:
Sometime we do a mistake of choosing a car which is not suitable for us for the trip. In order to choose a perfect car please checks out the following tips.
· Know how many people going. If you are a group of 5 people do not take a compact or even a full size sedan because it would be very congested for a 5 seater car to seat 5 people with their luggage. Rather consider a 7 seater minivan.
· If you are going for a hilly place consider a SUV rather than a sedan, if you are 3 or 4 person.

Be equipped:
· Take all the necessary luggage with you that you may need during travel but keep the list short.
· Take all the equipment you may need in the car like GPS, Car charger, ipass (you can get it from car rental) etc for your comfort
· DO not forget to take all the chargers with you like laptop, camera, handy cam, cell etc

Choose the right place to stay:
· Plan and book before where you want to stay.
· Do not jam pack the rooms with more people sacrificing your comfort.
· Book hotels nearby your visiting places. Sometime it might be costlier but consider the driving time and gas price you will have to spend in travelling.
· Book hotels during night when you are driving long for a nap. Its refreshing and safe.
· Check the reviews before you book the hotel.

Eat the right food:
During trip it’s highly necessary that you eat light and good food so that you will have easy time roaming around places.
· If you can its best to have some of your own food that you can microwave and eat.
· Choose the right restaurant and food to eat, whatever you like even if it takes some more time to reach there.
· Eat light and healthy so that you will not fall sick during trip/vacation