by
Rachel L. Miller
But
before the experience actually got underway, I had a lot of preparing to do. Which
leads me to the following list for my fellow potential solo female road trippers: Take
a dependable vehicle. You don't want to be going anywhere (long-distance road
trip or not) in an unstable car. There's nothing worse than constantly fearing
a breakdown (and your subsequent meltdown). I drove our
long-term road test vehicle - an '03 Subaru Outback that only had about 5,000
miles on it. The car handled beautifully, its solid V6 managing the Smoky Mountains
without breaking a sweat. It hugged curves, stopped on a dime and had hardly any
wind noise whatsoever.
Get
a pre-trip check-up for your car.
It can cost as little as $20, but it'll give you major peace of mind while you're
trucking away on the interstate. Get the oil changed and most places (such as
Jiffy Lube) will do a quick inspection of the rest of the vehicle, as well as
top off fluids. Our oil change and checkup at Jiffy Lube cost $30 and took only
five minutes, not counting the extra five minutes the technicians used to drool
over the Subaru's engine. ("It's so pretty," one said. Since when do
tough-as-nails car mechanics use the word pretty, anyhow?) You also might
want to mention the terrain over which you'll be driving -- desert driving is
much different than tackling the Rockies (click here
for more information).
Map
out your route -- and be familiar with it. Shoot off an e-mail to AAA (if
you're a member) and request maps of the areas through which you'll be driving.
Always have a road atlas stashed in your car -- they're cheap (Rand
McNally's is about $12) and will save you from all sorts of trouble if you
get lost. And make sure to study the route for at least a few minutes -- if you're
anal like me, you might even pinpoint an exit you'll want to use for a gas or
food pitstop. I discovered a great road trip tool in the guidebook "Along
Interstate 75" by Dave Hunter ($21.95, Mile Oak Publishing -- it's usually
on sale on amazon.com for $16), which has amazingly detailed mile-by-mile maps
of I-75, including tips on speed traps (take that, Ohio!), tips on avoiding rush
hour traffic (a-ha, Cincinnati!) and places of interest along the way (mmmm, real
Tennessee moonshine!).
Have
an emergency kit in the trunk. I don't drive anywhere without a trusty nylon
bag containing all the essentials in case of vehicle trouble. Make sure yours
has the following: a flashlight, bottled water, batteries, jumper cables, a can
of Fix-A-Flat (in case
of the dreaded flat tire), first aid supplies, flares or a reflective triangle
and enough change to make a telephone call, if necessary. I also always throw
a blanket in with the kit -- you just never know when it could come in handy. (CONTINUE...)
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