How to Get the Most Out of Your Summer Road Trip

Summer road trips are a must for many families. Packing the car, listening to good tunes, playing travel games, and most importantly spending some much needed time with family, are all a part of the ideal summer road trip but unexpected speed bumps aren’t.

Here are some road trip essentials for all avid travelers to remember!

What To Do Before Leaving:

1.Protect Your Home

Before your road trip even begins you have to start preparing ways to make your home look occupied while you are gone. This is important in order to protect your home from theft or vandalism during your vacation. Aside from having a friend regularly check your home while you are away, we recommend that you do all of the following to prevent theft and keep up the illusion that someone is home.

2. Hold Your Mail

Either have a neighbor empty the mail box on your property everyday or call the post office to have them hold your mail until you return.

3. Put The Garbage & Recycling Out

If you normally have a bin full of stuff to put by the curb each week, it’ll look pretty suspicious if you suddenly have nothing for pick-up. Have a friend or family member put your garbage and recycling bins out on collection day. If you’ll be gone for several weeks, ask your friends to bring some of their garbage to put in your bin.

4. Move Your Car

If you don’t have a garage to store your car in while you are away, have someone move your vehicle everyday. People passing by will see the change in your car’s parking position and assume you’re home.

5. Put Your Lights On A Timer

Having your interior lights set on a timer helps to create the illusion of someone being home. You can also choose to leave a few of the ‘main lights’ in your house on, the entire time you are gone. While it’s fine to have a few lights running while you’re gone, make sure you pull the plug on the rest of your appliances to protect them against power surges and save you money on your hydro bill.

6. Maintain Your Yard

Nothing quite says “we’re not home” like grass that is up to your knees. Make sure you have someone come over to cut the grass and water the flowers in your yard while you are away.

7. Don’t Advertise Your Vacation

Never post on social media that you will be away for an extended period of time. Do, however, advertise your home security system if you have one. Make sure the system is placed within view of the front or back door and place any endorsement stickers you may have in highly visible spots.

8. Call Your Insurance Company

This one isn’t about keeping up the appearance of someone being home, but keeping your insurance claim from being denied. Make sure you call your insurance company before you head off for your adventure, because depending on how long you will be gone for, there may be a written requirement to have someone check you home, in order to prevent your insurance from being voided.

Be Prepared & Make The Most Of Your Road Trip:

1.Purchase Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is a must, even if you are just travelling within Canada, but especially if you are leaving Canada and traveling to a foreign country where the healthcare is not free of charge. Many travelers for-go travel insurance because they feel they are in good enough health to do so, and while that might be the case, unexpected injuries may occur on your trip. Travel insurance can protect you in the event that you contract the flu, sprain your wrist, break your leg, or sustain other types of illnesses or injuries while traveling. Many foreign hospitals can be quite expensive and my even require an immediate cash payment for their services. According to the Government of Canada, it could take you years to pay off “the costs of treatment for an illness or accident you suffered abroad.”

Get A Quote For Travel Insurance: Travel Insurance – To And From Canada

2. Have An Emergency Kit Packed 

Emergency kits are great to have year round, but they’re especially important when you’re going on a road trip vacation.

This emergency kit should include,

• A fully stocked first aid kit
• Non-perishable food
• Bottled water (One gallon per person, per day, for three days. Replace them every six months)
• Flashlights and extra batteries, or a wind-up flashlight
• Cellphone and charger
• A portable GPS or road maps (both are great for navigating if your car breaks down)
• Booster cables
• Emergency power source
• A small ‘space heater’
• Blankets and extra clothing, such as rain gear
• Air horn or whistles for signaling
• A tool kit
• A properly inflated spare tire

Related Read: Winter Emergency Kit For Your Vehicle

3. Make Sure You Have Your Insurance Papers 

Remembering your passport and driver’s license may seem like a no brainer, but don’t forget your vehicle ownership and registration when traveling. If you get into an accident while on vacation, you’ll need to have the information handy to give to the police or any other drivers involved.

4. Decide on a Rental Car 

Will you be taking the family van on this road trip? Or will you be cruising down the coast in your rented sports car? If you’re thinking of getting a rental car for your trip, there are some things you need to know.

The first thing you should know about getting a rental car is that you need to make sure your auto insurance policy has the “Rental Vehicle Insurance Endorsement.” This endorsement will cover the cost of damage to a vehicle that you don’t own, which in this case is your rental car. However, this coverage is only valid for vehicles in Canada and the United States. If you plan to take a road trip else where, you’ll need to purchase additional travel insurance.

The second thing is any accidents that occur in a rental vehicle, where you are found at least 25% or more at-fault, still count against your driving record. You may not own the car or even live in the country where the accident occurred, but it will still count against your Ontario driving record.

Related Read: Taking a Vacation This Winter? (Includes Rental Car Information)

5. Plan Your Route

By mapping out how many kilometres stand between you and your destination you can begin budgeting for the cost of gas. The cost of gas is often overlooked when planning for a road trip, but since prices vary between cities, it’s important to think ahead to prevent costly surprises. Remember, you won’t be driving in a straight line to your destination and you’ll likely spend some time idling on busy highways, so make sure your budget has some wiggle-room.

6. Bring Entertainment 

While the driver needs to keep their full attention on the road, especially since they will be driving in an unfamiliar area, the other passengers will be looking for something to do during the long trip.

• Games – Bring-on the travel sized board games! Alternatively, you can play card games and word games, in addition to travel ready board games.
• Movies – If your vehicle has a built in DVD player make sure to bring lots of family favourites and new movies to enjoy. You can usually find bargain movies at Walmart or other big brand stores, but be sure to check your local public library too. Today’s libraries have some of the most up-to-date movies and TV series and rental times are usually a week or more.
• Books – Small paperbacks are great for long road trips! Look for discounted books in the weeks leading up to your trip either online or in stores, or visit your local library for recommendations. If you’re like myself and can’t read very well in a moving vehicle, considering buying or borrowing some audio books. It’ll be a nice change from the radio where you’ve already heard the same song at least 10 times.
• Music – The radio is great for about the first day of your road trip, but after that you’ve probably heard all of the latest hits more times than you can count. Try using music services like 8tracks, Spotify, or Apple Music for unique, user-made playlists that will keep you head bopping and singing for days to come!
• Food & Drinks – What? Eating can be a form of entertainment too! Make sure you have a variety of snacks in the car, such as sandwiches, crackers, cheese strings, oranges, juice boxes or carrot sticks, especially if you have young kids. These treats can be used as a reward for good behavior during the trip and can help hold off the munchies if you have a bit further to travel before you stop for the day. Having some snack foods will also prevent you from stopping frequently to buy meals and can ultimately save you money. You can find more travel snack ideas HERE.
• Other Must Haves – These definitely aren’t for entertainment purposes but having wet wipes, hand sanitizer, and paper towels on hand can make the trip run a little more smoothly for adults and kids alike. Pillows and blankets are also a great way to keep everyone cozy during a long trip.

8. Have Fun

The most important part of any vacation is having fun. So pack your things, and with the hard stuff out of the way, focus on having fun during your vacation!

Don’t forget to give us a call before you start your next summer adventure!  You can contact us at 1-888-298-7343 for more information about travel insurance or to notify us about your upcoming travel plans.