What To Prepare For A Long Drive

Last weekend, a friend and I decided to drive down south (of Cebu). I had just arrived from a morning plane from Manila and will be leaving the following Monday so our schedule was tight and because of this it was decided to head straight south from the airport. Actually, there were no particular places we wanted to visit. The plan was just to take a relaxing drive south and that's exactly what we did.

The car was loaded up with gas, tire pressures, oil, coolant and brake fluid levels checked. We were good to go and down the road we went pushing the pedal to the metal. That is until a couple of kilometers later, when our stomachs rumbled and reminded us something we forgot to do --- eat breakfast! Mental not to selves: "Above all things, do not forget breakfast before driving out."

OK, we didn't plan that out so well as we had thought but there's always next time and for sure we won't be making the same mistake again. And to remind us of that here are Jahms's Mental Notes Before A Long Drive that will come in handy in the future:

1.  Charge up the camera and load a blank memory card -- expect to take lots of photos and you have one, bring a spare battery for the camera! You'll never know when you would need one to capture those special moments!

2.  Stock up on food and water -- food is essential for a trip! Sure you can do this along the way especially if the travel time is around mid-morning but if you plan to leave early morning, you have to buy the day before.

3. Check the car -- as stated above, check the tires (including the spare), oil, coolant and brake fluids and gas up! Don't forget to bring tools in case of emergencies. 

4. Bring extra clothes and a towel -- you'll never know when a strong urge to take a dip in the beach/river/spring would come and it's better to bring extra clothes than to wait for them to dry or worse, get in your car and get everything else wet! 

5. Load up your cellphone! -- Make sure to load your cell phone with prepaid credits in case you need to make an emergency call or inform your loved ones where you are or you will be so dead when you get back to the city!

So those are the essentials. Plan your day ahead so you could enjoy. Happy trip!