Prepping for Rainy Day Car Travel

Driving in the rain can be completely nerve-wracking, especially if you have other people in the car with you. You want to make sure you and your passengers get to the destination safely, plus it’s also an added bonus if everyone and all of your belongings stay dry. Before you depart for your next outing in the rain, check out the following tips to help you prep for rainy day car travel.

Plan For Safe Stops
If you know the weather is supposed to be bad, plan for safe places that you can stop along your route just in case visibility is severely impacted. You don’t want to find yourself driving in a torrential downpour with no idea of where to stop. If you know you’re driving right into the bad weather, get to your safe place and get settled in before the unsafe conditions happen and you’re in the middle of it.

Bring Waterproof Jackets and Boots
One of the worst feelings is “squishy feet” when your sneakers or shoes get wet while you’re still wearing them. It’s even worse if your clothes are wet and sticking to you at the same time. When you’re prepping for rainy day travel, don’t forget the rain gear. You don’t have to wear the waterproof jackets and rain boots in the car, but at least, have them with you within reach and not in the trunk.

Prepare for Pictures
If you have kids in the car, you’re going to have to keep them entertained somehow so they don’t distract you while you’re driving. One way to do that is to give the kids cameras to use. Cloudy and rainy day pictures are a beautiful thing and they can be made even better from a child’s perspective. It will keep the kids busy for awhile, especially if you give them different things to search out to take pictures of.

Bring Extra Chargers
Make sure you have plenty of extra phone and gadget chargers with you when you’re prepping for rainy day travel. Don’t just bring the chargers you plug into a wall outlet or that you plug into the car. Bring portable ones as a backup, but make sure they’re fully charged first before you leave your home.

Bring Extra Umbrellas
Don’t be under the impression that your seemingly good umbrellas are going to stay intact throughout a rainstorm. You should bring two umbrellas for every person in your car just in case one or more happens to either fly away or break into several pieces.

Prepare Your Car
When you’re prepping for rainy day travel, there are several things you should do to your car in anticipation of the trip. First is obviously to make sure that your car is in good working order considering the last thing you want is to be stuck in a downpour and realize your car isn’t working as it should. Part of that is to check your tires and windshield wipers. While you’re at it, consider adding rain repellent onto your car windows so it makes it easier to see when it starts coming down. Additionally, put a tarp down in the trunk in case you have any wet items that you need to transport, and put plastic bags in the front and back of your car to protect any items you have to carry from getting wet. Don’t forget to pack car flares, a car emergency kit, and a medical kit just in case.

The rainy season is going to be here before you know it, so you may want to get started on packing up certain items, such as the tarp, bags, and emergency kits, so you have a head start and it’s one less thing you have to worry about doing when the time comes around for you to fully prep for your rainy day travel.