Memorial Day is a great time for a daytrip or weekend road trip to kick off the start of summer. Here are seven must-pack items to keep your cool and your cash when the roads heat up.
1. Pack snacks. If you&39;re munching on healthy food like apples, carrots, hard-boiled egg whites, or popcorn, you&39;re going to be more alert than if you stop for junk food at a gas station mini mart. If you know you will crave sweet or salty snacks, buy them at a warehouse store or supermarket ahead of time where the prices are lower. Remember bottled water, soft drinks and a cooler or ice chest to keep them cold.
2. Pack boredom busters. If you hit traffic or are on a long car trip with friends or children with short attention spans, expecting them to spend hours with nothing to do is a recipe for stress. Instead, bring along a variety of activities, like books, non-staining markers, a cd player or mp3 player, a portable dvd player and portable games (low-tech car games or video games). If you have an iPod Touch or similar device, you can download movies ahead of time. Headphones are a must. Some companies make adapters that allow you to use two sets of headphones with one device. Also, be sure to have a supply of batteries on hand if you pack electronics and a car charger if you have one.
3. Pack extra clothes. You never know when that super-sized soft drink is going to end up in your lap. It&39;s also a good idea to have an extra sweater or sweatshirt, shorts, t-shirts and jeans to adjust to temperature changes.
4. Pack your mobile phone. Remember the car charger, too. In addition to being able to make phone calls, most mobile phones today come with free games preloaded, so be ready to share if you start hearing "I&39;m bored!" Many mobile phone providers offer plans for unlimited calls, text messages and internet access, so your iPhone, BlackBerry, or most any mobile phone can let you keep in touch with friends and surf mobile websites. One new service made for mobile phones, Pilot.mobi, provides free driving directions and maps in the United States and internationally, plus a listing of hotels and restaurants along the way. You can access it on the web by mobile phone without downloading any additional software.
5. Pack emergency and automotive supplies. Hopefully you&39;ll never need a first aid kit, jumper cables or road flares on your car trip, but it&39;s better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. A tire gauge can tell you if your tires are properly inflated, which can prevent blowouts and increase fuel efficiency. Extra fuses can be handy if a headlamp or dashboard light goes out. If you haven&39;t already, it might be a good time to join an emergency road service like AAA (Triple A).
6. Pack travelers&39; checks or a debit gift card. Traveler&39;s checks have been a trusted friend of travelers for years, but salespeople don&39;t always know how to redeem them. Even better, you can purchase prepaid gift cards from credit card companies like Visa, MasterCard and American Express at drugstores and mass market retailers. If you lose them, it is a lot less stressful than having to replace your primary credit card.
7. Pack it in for the night. Technically, this isn&39;t packing, but it&39;s a good idea to get some sleep at a hotel if you have an extended drive ahead of you. Tired drivers are stressed drivers, and falling asleep at the wheel can endanger yourself and other people, so avoid driving through the night it if you can. You can find hotels with pilot.mobi (see item 4) on your mobile phone in case you need to make an unexpected stop.
Have fun and enjoy your Memorial Day road trip.
About Pilot.mobi:
Industry leading travel portal Pilot.mobi is a product of Creative, LLC. Founded in 2007 to meet the needs of today&39;s on the go consumer, Creative, LLC is a provider of mobile internet travel information and provides maps and driving directions for the United States, Australia and most of Europe to any web enabled mobile phone. The US version of Pilot.mobi includes location information for hotels and restaurants in any state. Creative, LLC is headquartered in Woodbury, CT. For more information visit http://www.pilot.mobi.
&169; 2008 Creative LLC.
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