My Last Road Trip & Some Tips #DiscountTire

With winter coming I automatically think of getting a tune-up for my car, especially checking my tires.  Bad tires can cause your car to slide and not stop in time, which as a mom who carts two kids around I need safe and reliable tires.  Other countries have places like Tyre-Shopper.co.uk but here in the U.S. we have Discount Tire. Discount Tire and TwitterMoms have teamed up and are asking bloggers to share their special memories from their favorite road trip and any tips.

This past February in the middle of a blizzard, we drove to Orlando Florida non-stop.  It was my husband, my 3 year old, my 11-year sister and myself packed into my Honda Odyssey minivan.  We decided to leave my then 18-month-old son at grandma and grandpas because I knew it would be too hard for my husband to watch both kids since we were actually going to Disney World for the Disney Social Media Moms Conference.  We left our house at 6 PM, picked up my sister from my parents, had a quick dinner and headed out.  The weather was starting to get bad but we had no choice as we had a tight schedule to make it to Orlando in time for the conference.  We live in IL, by Chicago, so we had to go down through Indiana and so forth.  I started the drive since I usually drive and don’t mind night driving.  Then we came to Kentucky.

Apparently in Kentucky they don’t get snow like they did that night because the roads had at least a few inches of snow on them and no plows were in sight.  There were cars in ditches and pulled over, but I just drove right in the middle and trekked on, as the city driver I am!  I was probably going about 15 MPH for a few hours!  Everyone was asleep thankfully or my husband probably would have had me pull over.  The rest of the ride was pretty easy and we only stopped a total of 3-4 times in the whole 17 hours it took for us to get there.  My 3 year old did awesome and as long as there was a DVD in, he was happy!

That was the only major road trip we have done so far, but we do a lot of 1-2 trips to family members houses frequently.  Next March, we are planning on heading back to Disney World with both boys and probably my sister again, and I am hoping for a good ride again minus the blizzard of course!

Here are some tips I use though to make it a good road trip:

1.     Pack Snacks.  I pack water, soda, juice, fruit snacks, pretzels, chips, apples, and some candy for quick snacks both in the car and for the hotel room.  Buying snacks at gas stations can be costly so we try to avoid that.

2.     Pack a blanket or two.  I keep two blankets in our car because you never know when you’ll need them.  If the car doesn’t warm up fast enough, if we got stranded, or just to use to lay on the ground to play in the summer time.  Blankets can be so versatile and you will be happy you have one when the time comes.

3.     Pack a first aid kit.  I keep a first aid kit in my glove box with bandages, burn cream, scissors, gauze, antiseptic, and some aspirin.  Too many times have I had to open up that box for bandaids but I am glad to be prepared.

4.     Print out directions ahead of time or have an actual map in your car.  There is nothing worse than your GPS malfunctioning and your cell phone dead and then to realize your lost!  (Yes that has happened to me!)  I keep a map in my back seat just for emergencies.

5.     Give someone your itinerary.  I printed out our destination and route plan for my parents so someone new where we would be.  Just in case anything happened to us, at least someone would have an idea where to start. (Yes I watch too many crime shows.)

Overall, don’t stress out.  Things pop up and happen and you just have to go with the flow.  Have a plan and allocate extra time for emergencies or extra stops.  Just keep your destination in mind and focus on getting there!  Have any tips you want to share?

Mama’s Money Savers Disclosure:  I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Discount Tire blogging program, making me eligible to receive a $50 gift card and be entered for a chance to win a prize valued at $1,000. For more information on how you can participate, click here.