According
to AAA, approximately 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 or more miles this
Fourth of July holiday. The amount of travelers is expected to increase five
percent from 2010 and 42% since 2009. AAA credits the increase to the mid-week
holiday, allowing families to take a five-day vacation before or after the
Fourth of July, and lowered gas prices (The Huntsville Times, 2012).
Before
your family packs up the car, take some time to organize. Extra planning before
you leave the house will eliminate stress later in the trip. Understand the
cities you plan to travel through and anticipate potential traffic problems.
For example, do not try to drive through Chicago after 3 p.m. on Friday in the
summer. Taking time to strategically map your route will save time, and
eliminate stress, in the long run.
Once your route is planned, you can
start getting your car ready. Even though your car will inevitably accumulate
food wrappers, crumbs and other garbage throughout the trip, clean your car
before you leave. Starting the trip with a clean car will set the tone for the
rest of the trip. Bring extra garbage bags so you clean as you go.
If your road trip leaves your car a
mess, enter our “Make Me #CentralClean” social media contest!
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| PB&J Bars from Disney's Family Fun |
Pack easy-to-handle snacks to avoid
multiple stops when children get hungry throughout the day. Snacks that travel
well include trail mix, pre-cut vegetables, string cheese, rice cakes, dried
fruit, hard-boiled eggs and yogurt in tubes. Packing snacks the whole family
can enjoy will eliminate the temptation of stopping at unhealthy, fast food
restaurants. Check out this recipe for PB & J Bars from Disney’s Family Fun
for a great travel snack, which can even be prepared days in advance of your
trip.
Children will also need fun activities to break up the boredom of being an a car for hours. Pack an extra map for each child to personalize (KidsHealth.Org, 2012). Show your kids the route you are taking and have them decorate each street as you drive. Bring plenty of markers and fun stickers. After the trip, you can make a scrapbook of all of the decorated maps or frame each map individually.
Finally, the most important part of
any road trip is the music. According to Huffington Post, the top 10 road trip
songs are:
- Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf
- Roadrunner by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
- Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap
- Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus
- Runnin’ Down a Dream by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
- Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne
- Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts
- Good Life by One Republic
- American Girl by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
- The Devil Went Down to Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band
Have a happy and safe 4th of July celebration from Central Collision Center!
