Plan to visit friends or family this holiday season? Drive your RV and save money. Travel experts warn that this may be one of the most expensive holiday travel seasons we’ve seen as airlines and hotels are expected to hike prices during the busy season to make up for a slow year. So here’s how to make your RV holiday road trip safe and fun:
Get a tune-up. Make sure your vehicle is maintained and in good shape. Check the tire pressure and tread wear as well as all fluid levels. If the time for regularly scheduled maintenance is near, take your vehicle in early so you can travel winter roads with confidence.
Winterize your emergency kit. Carry extra blankets, flashlight, candles, matches, jumper cables, a snow scraper and shovel with you. Kitty litter or sand can also come in handy if you’re traveling through snow or ice. Make sure you have flares.
Keep headlights and taillights clean. Dark winter days make it more difficult to see other vehicles and pedestrians. Turn on your headlights at least one-half hour before sunset to increase your visibility. Keep windshields and mirrors clean to avoid glare.
Check road conditions and weather reports. Use the Good Sam Trip Routing feature to map out your trip and get information on road conditions and advisories.
Take a breaks. Stop every couple of hours of the drive. Stretch and take a few deep breaths. Eat healthy snacks like dried fruit that won’t make you feel drowsy.
Keep the kids busy – and quiet. Supply the kids with quiet games and activities like travel board games, books, stickers or crayons and paper. Bring along their favorite movies and video games but remember the headphones. Noisy games and movies can be a driver distraction.
Don’t binge. Drinking or eating too much over the holiday will leave you tired for the drive back. Don’t eat a large meal before getting on the road and never drink and drive.
Travel with a group. Traveling with other RVers is not only safer, it’s more fun. Make it a resolution to treat yourself to a New Year’s Day tradition that’s more than a century old – the Rose Parade in Pasadena. Join other Good Sam members for the Good Sam Tournament of Roses Samboree from December 28 – January 2. This holiday event features days filled with tradition, food and pageantry.
There’s still time to sign up for the Good Sam Tournament of Roses Samboree. For more information on RV Tours offered by the Good Sam Club visit http://tours.goodsamclub.com/.
Pingback: Seagull S6 Entourage
Tony Cornett
Great tips and good advice! It was full of good advice for all with a targeted message on safety. To heck with the weight cops! 🙂 I’m going to splurge, but in a safe manner. Thanks for the great safety tips and reminder!
Tony
http://firedude.thefiredude.com
Larry J. Guthrie
“Drinking or eating too much over the holiday will leave you tired for the drive back”
Are you going to follow your own advice? Eating too much at Thanksgiving and Christmas seems like as much a tradition as the holidays themselves. Just wait a few hours before driving.
Too many eating cops around. We’re an overweight nation because of what we eat not how much we eat. But splurging at the holidays didn’t cause it.
While there are exceptions, those folks that eat regular meals at home with the rest of the family don’t have as much of a weight problem as those that eat out a lot or eat at fast food restaurants.
Larry