{"id":412,"date":"2008-04-25T15:07:46","date_gmt":"2008-04-25T20:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/04\/gearing-up-for-the-family-road-trip\/"},"modified":"2017-03-29T17:06:04","modified_gmt":"2017-03-29T22:06:04","slug":"gearing-up-for-the-family-road-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/04\/gearing-up-for-the-family-road-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Gearing up for the family road trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Minivan_by_lake\"<\/a>
\nBy Allan Jay Gordon Burstyn<\/em><\/p>\n

Ah, the family road trip. No matter how many children and adults are involved, nothing evokes the potential for mind-numbing tedium and disaster like spending endless hours in a cramped car with the ones you love most in the world. We regularly pack our three boys — twin one-year-olds and a four-year-old — into our minivan and head out onto the open road. As daunting as that may sound, a little preparation can go a long way toward making the old adage ring true — “getting there is half the fun.”<\/p>\n

Where am I going again?<\/strong><\/p>\n

To get there you need to know where you are going, and for those of us without a GPS that means having a map. AAA<\/strong> offers their well-known TripTik service<\/a><\/strong> for turn-by-turn directions, or you can print out directions from Google<\/a><\/strong>, Mapquest<\/a><\/strong> or MSN Maps<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We like to plan approximate stops points before we get on the road but you should always remain flexible when you travel<\/a><\/strong>. If the kids have conked out, think twice before stopping because it’s a surefire way of waking them up. In general it’s a good idea to stop every hour and a half or two hours to stretch, go the bathroom,switch drivers and give the kids an opportunity to run around or grab something to eat.<\/p>\n

What’s that blinking light?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My personal worst nightmare is a car breakdown in the middle of nowhere. It’s a good idea to make sure you’ve had a recent oil and air filter change and to check tire pressure before you get on the road. Besides lowering the chances of a breakdown, these steps also improve fuel economy.<\/p>\n

If you do break down, roadside assistance can come in handy. Check to make sure your membership is up to date. Just because your card says your membership doesn’t expire for a year or more doesn’t mean your membership is actually active.<\/p>\n

Here’s a small list of safety-related gear we like to keep in our car:<\/p>\n