How to Get the Family Car Ready for the School Holidays, Alright, so it’s probably weird to say here, but the school holidays can make the family car feel completely different. Like, even if the routine doesn’t change that much (and chances are high that it will anyway). So, during term time, it’s mostly the same routes, the same school run, the same quick stops, the same bags being thrown in and out. Then the holidays start, and all of a sudden, the car’s being used constantly.
But really, think about it: for some parents, not all of course, there are the day trips, swimming, food shops, park visits, seeing family, going into town, picking up friends, dropping someone somewhere, maybe a road trip if there’s enough time and money for it, and then somehow going back out again because nobody remembered something. So yeah, it’s worth sorting the car before the first full week gets going. Well, if the car’s going to be used more, it needs to be less irritating to use. That’s basically the whole thing.
Plus, if something is wrong with the car, especially during holiday, well, that will probably wreck a lot of plans for the kids too.
So, What’s Already in the Way?
Alright, so the boot is usually the first sign that the car isn’t ready. There’s always something in there that doesn’t need to be there anymore. Most (not all) cars tend to be guilty of this, like old shopping bags, spare coats, sports stuff, a picnic blanket, random returns, a scooter, or some item that keeps getting moved around instead of actually being taken inside.
While it sounds small, school holidays usually mean more carrying around than expected. If there are going to be swimming bags, snacks, a pushchair, beach towels, sports kit, or a food shop on the way home, the boot needs to have space before the day has even started. Sure, maybe not always, but you can almost count on junk or something crowding it up more than usual. Just clean it out before this happens; that’s really all.
Check the Car Before it Gets Used Every Day
Out of everything on here, this might be the most obvious, but at the same time, a lot of car owners seem to be pretty bad at keeping on top of this. So, maybe not always, but sometimes, school holidays can mean more driving than a normal week, even if there isn’t one big road trip planned. So check the simple things before the car just out of the blue stops working or potentially needs more work done on it at a bad time.
So it’s just the basic things like getting your oil checked, the coolant, lights, wipers, brakes, washer fluid, all of that. It might even be time to get some tyres, especially if you’re planning on going on a road trip sometime soon.
Make the Small Trips Easier Too
The short outings are usually the ones that get underestimated. Everyone thinks about the big day out, but the shorter trips are the ones that happen constantly. Like taking the kids out to lunch, or a park, or errands, or something. So bring some spare things like wipes, water, and tissues for that.
