By Diane W. Jones

The All-American Summer Road Trip. It’s a family tradition like no other. Each year, millions of families set out on the long road to new and exciting destinations, and each year, one question is guaranteed to pop up time and time again—“Are we there yet?”

This year, why not let your children help with the planning of the trip, and allow them to mark the route you will be taking on a map. Involving your children in your trip planning is just one way to make your next vacation with the kids actually feel like a vacation. Here are a few more ideas:

Plan plenty of stops along the way. A 10-minute runaround at a rest area or park every couple of hours will allow children to let off some steam and let adults have a relaxing muscle stretch before the next leg of the journey.

Pack plenty of snacks, such as small boxes of raisins or bags of chips. If you want to give your children fruit, cut the fruit into small pieces and put them in convenient air-tight containers or plastic storage bags.

You may want to consider getting a small combination TV/VCR. Many are designed to plug directly into the cigarette lighter of your car.

Now that you have your family ready for traveling, what about your car? Before venturing out on any long road trip, you’ll want to make sure your vehicle is in proper working condition. When preparing vehicles for summer driving, the focus of many car owners is often air conditioning. While the air-conditioning is certainly important to the comfort factor, it is just one aspect of what makes for a pleasant and safe driving experience. To ensure your car keeps its cool for passengers and the parts under the hood, you’ll want to understand a few things about what keeps a vehicle working optimally in the heat.

To protect it from the intense heat produced by daily operation, your vehicle’s engine is equipped with a cooling system. This system regulates the operating temperature range of the engine. Regular service is important to keep this cooling system in top working condition.

Engine belts should be inspected for cracks, glazing, or missing sections and replaced if needed. Checking belt tension is important as well.

A check should be done to determine if there are leaks or corrosion in or on the radiator. Also, radiator hoses and connections should be examined for leaks. If hoses in the vehicle are cracked, soft or in poor condition, they should be replaced. Clamps that may have become loose should be tightened. If the rubber seal on the radiator cap is damaged, the entire cap should be replaced. The most accurate test of hoses and connections involves pressure testing of the pressure cap and radiator. Most service facilities are equipped to perform these tests.

Maintaining the proper coolant level is also important. Over time, it’s natural for engine coolant to become contaminated, so the system should be flushed and replenished periodically as recommended by the manufacturer—typically every three years or 36,000 miles. Warning: Never check the radiator or coolant when the engine is hot.

If you have concerns about whether or not the family vehicle will survive a long road trip, there’s another option—rent a car. It’s never been easier or more economical, and many families are choosing rental vehicles for long road trips rather than putting the miles on their own cars—especially leased vehicles.

Lastly, no road trip would be complete without your AAA membership card for those unexpected emergencies. Remember, Drive Safely!

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