Spark

5 Things to Check on Your Car Before You Travel

We have driven on many road trips both alone and with our kids in tow, I feel like each time was something new for us to face. It is amazing how much can go wrong but how some things can be avoided by just doing a few checks before your travel.

Here are 5 things we now check before we travel:

1. Tires. It is important to not only have the tire treads checked out but also the tire pressure. We actually like to get a tire rotation before we travel which checks both of those issues as well as rotates them. Don’t forget to ensure the spare tire is good to go as well.

2. Fluids. Even if you are car clueless (like me) check what you can. Windshield wiper fluid is easy to check and fill on most cars. Most cars today even alert you on your dashboard if you are low on a fluid or you could get something that alerts you from scantoolcenter.com. An oil change is another thing to make sure you are on top of.

3. Wiper blades. One of our road trips my one of my wiper blades flew off in a snow storm! Now I know this was a fluke accident but was it? Maybe if I inspected them before we left I might have noticed they were loose. We have to drive quite a while on the highway before we found an exit with a gas station where we could buy a new one.

4. Everything clean and organized inside. I like to start a road trip with a clean and organized car which helps set the tone for the trip. Yes the car is usually trashed by the time we get home but at least it started out on a positive note and I knew we had everything we needed.

5. First aid kit. While this is something you hopefully won’t need, it is always great to have on hand. I have a small kit I keep in our glove compartment and I like to check it for expiration dates and to refill anything. I keep bandages, tape, aspirin and other first aid essentials in it.