Upgrade your summer road trip

Summer is here, and whether you’re traveling across the country or hitting the open road for a regional day trip, the secret to a truly stress-free adventure lies in the preparation. With seasonal travel surging and gas prices the highest they’ve been since 2022, hitting the highway without a plan can put an unnecessary dent in your wallet, or worse: leave you stranded on the roadside.

To help you maximize your summer fun, protect your budget and keep your passengers
secure, we’ve put together the ultimate road trip checklist for you to make this your best
summer road trip yet.

Get your vehicle ready

Before you hit the road, give your vehicle a thorough once-over at home, or schedule a
pre-trip inspection at a AAA Approved Auto Repair facility.

 Tire tread test: Tires are your car's only point of contact with the road, and
summer heat combined with long distances can cause major wear. Check your
tread depth using a quarter: insert it upside down into the tire grooves. If you can
see the top of George Washington’s head, it’s time for a replacement.

 Pressure check: Underinflated tires degrade handling, wear out faster and
drastically hurt your fuel economy. Check the PSI when the tires are cool,
matching the number listed on your driver’s side door jamb (not the maximum
number stamped on the tire itself). Don’t forget to check the spare!

 Battery power: Extreme summer heat can zap a battery's life even faster than
winter cold. Open the hood and look for any white, green, or blue corrosion on
the terminals. If your battery needs replacing, download the AAA app or call the
number on your AAA membership card to request mobile battery
service anytime, anywhere.

 Fluid checks: Check your engine oil, coolant, brake fluid and transmission fluid.
Ensuring your coolant is at the correct level is the number one way to prevent an
engine from overheating on a scorching summer afternoon.

 Clear visibility: Summer storms can pop up out of nowhere. If your wiper blades
are streaking or brittle, swap them out. Fill your windshield washer reservoir with
a fluid formulated to clear away bugs and highway grime.

 Prep your emergency kit: Ensure you have jumper cables, a working flashlight
with fresh batteries, a first-aid kit, drinking water, basic tools (pliers, screwdrivers)
and reflective triangles or flares.

Increase your fuel efficiency to save at the pump
By making a few small adjustments to your driving habits and planning ahead, you can
significantly stretch your fuel budget amidst high summer gas prices nationwide.

 Ditch the rooftop cargo: It’s tempting to throw the extra luggage in a rooftop
carrier, but aerodynamic drag is a massive fuel killer on the highway. Packing
light and keeping items inside the vehicle helps maintain fuel efficiency.
Removing 100 pounds of unnecessary weight can boost your fuel economy by
1%.

 Cool down: When you first get into a hot car, don't immediately blast the air
conditioning. Roll the windows down for the first few minutes of driving to push
the trapped hot air out. Once the cabin has ventilated, roll up the windows and
switch on the A/C. On the highway, using the A/C causes less wind resistance
than driving with open windows.

 Smooth and steady: Fast starts and hard braking can reduce your fuel economy
by an astonishing 15-40% in stop-and-go traffic. Accelerate smoothly, watch the
traffic ahead to time stoplights and use cruise control on long, flat highway
stretches to maintain an even pace (but never use cruise control on wet or
slippery roads).

 Obey the speed limit: Fuel economy for most vehicles peaks around 50 mph
and drops off sharply as speeds increase. Lowering your highway speed by just
5 to 10 mph can improve your fuel efficiency by up to 14%.

 Stop the idling: If you are pulling over to check directions, waiting at a scenic
overlook or stuck at a long train crossing for more than 60 seconds, turn off your
engine. Idling can burn up to half a gallon of fuel per hour, whereas restarting a
warm engine only uses a few seconds worth of gas.

 Look for Top Tier gasoline: When it's time to fill up, look for stations
displaying the Top Tier™ logo. AAA research shows these high-detergent fuels
keep engines cleaner, preventing carbon deposit buildup that reduces efficiency
over time. Unless your owner's manual explicitly requires premium fuel, stick with
regular 87-octane—premium won't offer any extra performance boost for engines
designed for regular.

Plan smart with new tech
The days of juggling giant paper maps while steering are long gone, but smart routing is
still the backbone of a successful trip.

 Map electronically: Download the AAA mobile app or use the online TripTik
Travel Planner to map out your route in advance. This helps you avoid active
construction zones, heavy holiday traffic congestion and accidental backtracking,
all of which waste fuel. You can also find the cheapest gas stations along your
route and hotels offering exclusive AAA member discounts. The app can also
integrate directly into your vehicle’s dashboard via Apple CarPlay to give you
quick, hands-free access right on your car’s display screen.

 Download offline maps: If your summer route takes you through state parks,
rolling hills or remote coastal areas, cell service can easily drop out. Download
your route maps for offline use ahead of time so you never lose your way.

 Get help from the experts: If you still prefer a paper map, stop by your closest
AAA branch to talk with a AAA travel advisor. They can help you with everything
from travel inspiration to your best route options to member discounts and deals
to use throughout your trip.
 
Pro tip: Don’t forget—roadside assistance is much more than a tow! Your
membership means we’ll be there to help you out when you get a dead battery,
flat tire, lock your keys in the car or even run out of gas. Download our app to
request roadside assistance anytime, anywhere.