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If you are planning a Road Trip this summer it is better to be prepared rather than fly by the seat of your pants! Your first order of business is to decide if you are going to drive your own car or get a rental car. Both options have positives and negatives. By driving your own car you will save money, but depending on how far you drive you will put excess wear and tear on the vehicle. If you go the rental car route, you will incur more of a cost. The next question is ….what kind of roadside assistance will be needed in both scenarios. If you currently have roadside assistance on your car insurance policy you will be covered for flat tire change, lock outs and running out of gas. An issue may come in to play with towing in case you break down. Questions regarding towing coverage on your auto insurance policy should be addressed with your agent. To get more information on roadside assistance see our website: http://freedom4insurance.com/roadside-assistance.html If you have roadside assistance through AAA they also have their own set of rules. As always have your current car insurance card with you at all times.

Map out your route on paper before setting out on your adventure. Some people use their smart phone maps app and some have a navigation system in their car. You should still have a good old handy map. There will most likely be rest stops along the way so you don’t have to plan those out. You will also have to stop along the way for gas. Here is a website that we found where you can get the best prices on gas http://www.gasbuddy.com/ We even found a great website listing on AARP that estimates the cost of gas for your trip: http://www.aarptravel.costtodrive.com.
During a long road trip you are sure to get hungry! A fun website to check out for some great eats along your journey is: http://www.tvfoodmaps.com/ You just plug in your destination and notable restaurants mentioned on TV, like Diners, Drive ins and Dives will populate along your route.

If you have homeowners insurance or renters insurance, your contents in the vehicle will be insured as well. For example if you are taking ipads, smartphones, golf clubs, or a laptop on your trip and they are stolen from the car, you are covered minus your deductible.

It’s time to pack! Be smart when packing personal items, just because you are driving don’t be tempted to over pack. Have a first aid kit in the car as well as an emergency road kit. To avoid making frequent stops pack a cooler with drinks and snacks. If you are bringing kids along, pack movies, activities, books, ipads, hand held games and have some road trip games in mind. Some popular road trip games are ispy, I’m going on a picnic, license plate game and road trip bingo. If you are lucky the kids will sleep!
All of these tips should help you enjoy a well planned road trip full of fantastic family memories!