Bring a tire repair kit – Road trip tip

by Gadling Staff on

A nighttime flat tire miles from the nearest town might make a good story later, but in the middle of a road trip, it spells stress. Be prepared with everything you need to fix a flat.

Auto supply retailers carry kits with patches, plugs, adhesive and a file to roughen the tire rubber to help the patch adhere. Bring along two cans of a flat-repair product to fill the tire.

In case of a flat: examine the tire and patch any injury. Use your trip-saving flat-repair can to inflate and seal the tire so you can drive to a safer location to change it.

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Bring an extra gallon of water – Road trip tip

by Gadling Staff on

Travelers generally think to bring bottled drinking water, but few realize how frustrating it is to need a larger quantity of water with no way to get it.

Some rest areas have poorly designed sinks that automatically squirt liquid soap, run water for a few seconds, and then immediately turn on a hand dryer. Brushing your teeth in these contraptions is nearly impossible.

Keep a gallon of extra water tucked away in the trunk for rinsing sticky stuff off your hands, splashing on your face, using to brush your teeth, or even filling an overheated radiator.

Play the state license plate game – Road trip tip

by Gadling Staff on

Best intended for long, multi-state trips, make a list of the 50 states for each participating member in the car, and they each check off the state when they see a car with that state’s license plate.

This can be entertaining for kids as well as adults and it can also be cooperative or competitive. An added challenge is not allowing checkoffs for the state you’re currently in. The game exercises one’s observational skills as well as teaching what each state’s license plate design looks like and can also be played simultaneously while conversing or listening to music, allowing it to last for hours.

For a twist, create individual BINGO cards for each player with various states listed.

Bring a camera – Road trip tip

by Gadling Staff on

Bring your camera.

It doesn’t have to be an expensive camera with all the bells and whistles. You can even get great shots with a disposable camera.

You never know when you’ll see a hilarious sign, odd landmark or spectacular sunset, so have your camera at the ready.

Visit a ghost town – Road trip tip

by Gadling Staff on

If you’re looking for an interesting side-trip, or you just want to get out of town for a quick day trip, visit a ghost town.

To find a ghost town, log on to ghosttowns.com, which lists hundreds of ghost towns by state and county and describes what makes each spot unique and “ghostly.”

You may be surprised at how many ghost towns are in your area. Just don’t get scared.