Four Ways to Prepare Your Car for a Long Drive

Let’s face it. We all dread long car rides. But these four steps can help you minimize the time you spend in your vehicle and make those trips more bearable.

First, clean out your car and make sure it’s as clean as possible. Vacuum and wipe down anything that needs attention to keep things looking tidy inside and out of your ride. This includes the windows, seats, floor mats, dashboard, and door panelling. Next, set up your car with a playlist that includes instrumental or mellow songs or one with just vocals so you can enjoy some peace while driving.

Insert a few podcasts into the mix to add an extra dimension of entertainment for yourself or your passengers. Lastly, take care of any special needs in preparation for the trip by packing snacks, blankets, magazines, water bottles, pens, and paper for yourself or any other passengers who need them.

Four ways to prepare your car for a long drive

Preparing your car for a long drive entails some careful planning. You can save yourself plenty of time and aggravation by following these four simple steps:

Cleaning out the car, loading up on music, preparing snacks, and ensuring that everyone is comfortable. Cleaning out the car includes vacuuming and wiping down any surfaces that need attention. This includes windows, seats, floor mats, dashboard, and door panelling.
Loading up on music helps you to enjoy some peace while driving. A playlist that consists of instrumental or mellow songs can also be soothing for both you and your passengers. A few podcasts like Serial or TED Radio Hour provide an extra dimension of entertainment for yourself or your passengers.
Packing in snacks helps you to stay energized on the trip. Note that you can pack various kinds of food and snacks depending on the nature of your drive. Although light snacks usually do the trick, you may want to consider packing real food especially if you have a long ride ahead, let’s say over six hours.
Comfort becomes the most important aspect during a long drive. We all know how fast the body become exhausted when sitting in one position for a long time. To improve comfort, you can consider bringing along cushions and neck rest pillows to help you and your passengers can enjoy some comfort.

Things to avoid in your car

Dirty laundry. You never know when you might need to make a quick stop, and your dirty clothes can cause a mess.

Piles of garbage in the trunk. Trash is one thing you don’t want to be forced to deal with during a long drive, so don’t leave anything that doesn’t belong in the car.

Weird smells and sounds coming from the car. If something seems off, it probably is. Check out your car before you hit the road to make sure everything is as it should be.

How will this help me?

Long car rides can be unpleasant, but with these four tips, you can make them a bit more tolerable.

1. Keep your car tidy: Your car needs to be clean both inside and out for a better driving experience. Cleaning up before a long drive will help you avoid distractions, which will result in fewer crashes.

2. Make your commute more enjoyable: Listen to music or podcasts that are instrumental or mellow and allow yourself to unwind as you drive down the road with peace of mind.

3. Prepare for any special needs: Pack snacks, blankets, magazines, water bottles pens, and paper for yourself or any other passengers who need them all packed ahead of time.

4. Avoid crashes: With fewer distractions on the road and a clean ride, accidents will be less likely to happen, which means fewer traffic stressors during travel time.