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Article Taking A Road Trip These School Holidays? Here’s What You Need To Know

September 24, 2024

18 Comments

During the school holidays, many families use this time to pack up the car and go on a holiday with their children. However, before starting the engine, there are multiple things you need to consider taking on the great open road.

Steve Berlin, Franchise Owner of JAX Tyres & Auto Toowoomba says: “School holidays are an excellent opportunity to go on a road trip and explore the world around you. However, this is also one of the busiest times of the year for travellers. Ensure that you triple-check the components of your vehicle, such as fluids, lights and brakes before starting your adventure. Simple tasks such as topping up the car’s engine oils and coolant and checking the condition of your tyres can help guarantee that your journey is not only safe but also enjoyable.”

Here are Steve’s five tips to make sure your car is ready for the journey.

TIP ONE: GET PROFESSIONAL HELP

When preparing for a school holiday road trip, ensure your vehicle is in good condition to guarantee safe travels on the road. Before driving, take your vehicle to a certified workshop, such as JAX Tyres & Auto, to conduct a comprehensive maintenance check on your vehicle. This visit to the mechanic will inspect the engine to make sure it’s running smoothly, check the brakes to ensure they are responsive and assess the transmission for any signs of wear and tear. Completing this check is the first step on your adventure.

Check out what our Mouths of Mums Review Team had to say about their Jax Tyres & Auto experience.

TIP TWO: CHECK AND TOP UP FLUIDS

Your car’s fluids are its lifeblood. Ensure all essential fluids, including engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and windshield washer fluid, are at appropriate levels. Low or dirty fluids can cause significant damage to your car and lead to breakdowns. Regularly check the fluid levels and top them up if necessary. Replacing fluids at recommended intervals can prevent many common car problems.

TIP THREE: INSPECT TYRES AND BRAKES

Tyres and brakes are crucial for your safety on the road. Ensure your tyres are properly inflated and have sufficient tread depth. Uneven wear or low tread can reduce traction, especially in adverse weather conditions. Worn-out brakes can mean that your vehicle is unable to complete a smooth stop. Steve says, “It’s always better to be proactive and get a professional check-up before starting your road trip during these school holidays.”

TIP FOUR: TEST LIGHTS AND WIPERS

Visibility is paramount when driving, especially on long journeys where you may encounter different weather conditions. Effective windshield wipers are essential for maintaining visibility, so before hitting the road, make sure to inspect and replace worn-out wipers. Ensuring your vehicle’s lights are functioning properly is crucial for safe night driving. Before heading out, test all your car’s lights, including headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and hazard lights, to ensure they are working correctly. Making sure that both of these parts are functioning is not just to ensure visibility, but for the safety of yourself, your vehicle, and other travellers.

TIP FIVE: PACK AN EMERGENCY KIT

Even with the best preparations, emergencies can still happen. Pack an emergency kit that includes essential items such as a first-aid kit, flashlight, jumper cables, basic tools, a spare tyre, and a car jack. You should also consider packing other essentials, such as food, water, and blankets, to be prepared in case you have to wait for assistance. Having an emergency kit on hand can significantly improve your safety and comfort if something unexpected occurs during your trip.

By following these steps, you can significantly reduce the chances of car troubles on your journey. Proper preparation ensures a smooth and enjoyable trip and keeps you and your loved ones safe on the road.

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Comments

  • Husband does all this sort of stuff, checking the tyres etc and booking the car in for a service before our annual getaway. I guess my emergency kit is packed anyway as part of what I would pack to go away. We never tend to drive too far off the beaten track and usually to a well populated area.

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  • My car is regularly serviced and looked after by the service centre, and I always check tyre pressure etc. prior to driving any distance. As I don’t have a lot of money, I always tend to travel with a blanket/doona on the back seat of my car in case I don’t get to where I am going in the one day and have to stop for a kip on the way. Always have some food and drink with me just in case as well. These days most highways have many service centres on them so it is not as hard as it used to be when I was younger. Good precautions though.

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  • I’m lucky that my husband has always taken it upon himself to check the car out before trips.

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  • I guess you can’t be to prepared for long haul road trips and making sure your car is in tip top condition is a good start.

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  • Goodness gracious.
    While these things can be useful, especially if you yourself are not capable of servicing your car, it is excessive. We live hours from anywhere and would have to go through this rigamarole every day if we did this whenever we were going to drive a few hours.

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  • I love road trips as long as they aren’t too long.

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  • Definitely have your cat serviced and checked over thoroughly before a road trip. Best to be safe then sorry

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  • I love a good road trip…. but my kids not so much. They get bored super easily and sometimesget car sick, so while this list is great from a vehicle point of view there’s a lot more to planning a road trip than just the vehicle itself when kids are involved.

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  • Definitely great advice! Checking the car is in good working order is so important and something I think most people forget to do!

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  • It’s particularly important for us to be very prepared when we go on our road trips. Having a car in good working order is a must. We will be off doing some overnight hikes in some fairly remote lesser travelled areas, so car trouble or any kind of trouble at all would be disastrous!

    • I completely agree with you on being well prepared for trips in the car to remote areas. We take similar trips and we are always well prepared and also people are well informed of where we are going with dates and times. It is responsible to be well prepared and for people to be informed.

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  • Definitely do the car checks! We went camping a few weeks back and on check out, the car batter died!!

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  • These are good and sensible tips for sure. But another thing you need to consider f a road trip is suitable for you as a family looking at the various family memebers. A road trip can be extremely challenging with young kids (especially if you have children with additional needs within the family) and driving for long can be extremely boring

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  • We always make sure we have our car serviced before any long road trips. I agree; it is so very important to ensure tyres and brakes and other essentials are given the attention they need. Safety when driving and making road trips is so very important. We always have our travel kit; emergency kit and first aid kit in the car for road trips.

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  • This was such a great read and a good suggested list to consider before taking a trip away. An emergency kit is always a must, I have one in my car and thankfully never had to use it but it is good to know it is there should I ever need to.

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  • Very sensible precautions, especially if you’ll be travelling in less populated areas.

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  • This is a great list. Something that needs attention apart from just packing is of course the car.

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  • Excellent list! I was one of the lucky gals to experience the service at Jax Tyres & Auto and couldn’t recommend them more. In the few years we were in ‘woomba I went there, too! I definitely second the emergency kit for the car, but would also suggest a roll of toilet paper (you never know!!) I also keep a fire blanket in the boot as we love a camp fire.

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