We’ll get into how to stay in control below.
How to Prepare Your Car for a Winter Road Trip
- Take your car in for a winter tune-up. You’ll need to tell your mechanic that you’re going on a winter road trip alone and to pay special attention to the:
- heater, defroster, brakes, lights, oil levels, and exhaust system.
- condition of the tires. Make sure they are in good shape and read tip 2 below.
- quality of your windshield wipers. This is important as worn out wipers will smear ice on your windshield rather than clean it off.
- anti-freeze in the radiator. A car traveling in winter can’t survive without anti-freeze in the radiator.
- Winter tires are a must. If you’re going into snow country, you’ll need winter tires. For some trips in the mountains, tire chains may be useful but pay attention to local recommendations on this. Chains are hard on roads and they are often prohibited.
- Get roadside assistance. If you have AAA or CAA you’ll be fine in North America. If not, consider buying it. Both organizations offer a lot of peace of mind for the price plus there are additional benefits like discounts on hotels.
Planning a Road Trip in Winter
If you drive in snowy weather on a regular basis many of these tips will be familiar but there’s no harm in reiterating them here.
