The busiest travel season is fast approaching, which means lots of flights, train rides, and of course: road trips. Of course, submitting an insurance claim under the duress of long range travel is one of the last things you’ll want to do on your road trip. But if you make the proper preparations before you leave, you can have a memorable and stress-free road trip.
Vehicle Inspection: For your daily trips to the grocery store or office, you probably don’t give a second thought to the condition of your vehicle. A road trip, however, is significantly more demanding than local commutes. It’s also more difficult to collect your bearings when your vehicle breaks down in an area you are not familiar with. Therefore, you need to make sure that your vehicle gets a proper safety inspection from your mechanic. The major issues that need inspection are belt and hose quality, fluid levels (especially coolant), and tire condition. With the demands a road trip puts on your vehicle, these components take on the most stress – so it’s important to make sure that they are in tip-top shape.
Travel Kit: If your vehicle does break down, being prepared with a travel kit can make the situation much easier. Be sure to pack:
- Cell phone with car charger
- Insurance information
- Road flares or cones
- Flat tire repair tools (including a jack, socket wrench, spare tire, etc.)
- Extra fluids (like coolant, gasoline, and windshield wiper fluid)
- Jumper cables
- First aid kit
- Flashlight
- Nonperishable food, drinking water, and medicines
- Up-to-date GPS and paper maps (in case the GPS fails, you can always rely on the paper maps)
With the proper preparation, you can handle any disaster your travels throw at you and enjoy your road trip to fullest!
This content is offered for educational purposes only and does not represent contractual agreements. The definitions, terms and coverages in a given policy may be different than those suggested here and such policy will be governed by the language contained therein. No warranty or appropriateness for a specific purpose is expressed or implied.
