Things You'll Need:
- Plenty of cold water
- Cell phone and charger
- Subscription to a roadside emergency service
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Step 1
Make sure your vehicle is road-ready for a warm-weather journey. Details include checking your coolant level, tire pressure and checking to see you have a spare tire handy.
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Step 2
Subscribing to an emergency road-side assistance company, if you aren’t already, is wise as well. Getting stranded by a broken-down vehicle in 95-degree heat can be dangerous, if not just intensely unpleasant.
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Step 3
Bringing your cell phone and charger is a must, assuming you have one. If you break down on a remote back road you can even be tracked through it.
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Step 4
Take along a cooler packed with ice and cold beverages, which you can refill whenever necessary. Water is a perfect choice, as many sweetened beverages won’t actually quench your thirst in the long run. Healthy snacks like carrots and apples can be nice to have along as well.
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Step 5
Assuming you’re not along the coast, plan your nights at lodgings that have a pool or adjoin a lake or river swimming area. And don’t assume your accommodations will have air conditioning--even though most places will, it’s better to be safe than sorry by asking.
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Step 6
Try to plan your itinerary so that you’re not in the car for endless amounts of hours. If you do need to make a "marathon" drive, see what attractions might exist to break up the trip, such as a water park, charming small town, or what have you.
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Step 7
If you’re traveling with children, consider bringing along games or activities that will entertain them on a long drive. There are travel versions of many popular board games now, for example.
