How to Make Road Trip Memories

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripOil #CollectiveBias

It is no secret that our family loves to travel.  Most of our vacations start with a road trip.  Whether we are crossing one state border or several, there are road trip traditions that we always do.  This summer our road trip is taking us to visit family in Tennessee.  We love staying in a cabin in Gatlinburg to see the Smoky Mountains.  It is such a beautiful change of scenery from Texas.

How to Make Road Trip Memories

Before we hit the road for our vacation we always get our vehicle checked and ready.  This week we had to purchase two new tires for my SUV, get it inspected and the oil changed.  I feel like the whole vehicle had a makeover.  At least I now know it is safe to make the 14 hour drive this weekend.

While shopping for our road trip supplies we had my oil changed at Walmart’s Automotive Care Center with their Pennzoil Platinum®: Full Synthetic Motor Oil with PurePlus™ Technology since my SUV has a little less than 50,000 miles on it.  Although the line was long at the auto center, they were quick and efficient with getting it done.

Getting my oil changed with Pennzoil {oil that helps clean out sludge lesser oils leave behind} at Walmart helps make our summer road trips a success by saving time and money.  Now we can rest comfortably knowing the vehicle is ready to make the trip.

Photograph State Signs

No matter how many times I have driven across the Tennessee state border, I still take a photo.  We photograph every state sign we pass.  We share on social media and text to our family to show how far we have come.  There is just something exciting about making it to the next state.

Visit Welcome Centers

We try to visit each state welcome center when we cross a border.  It is the best place to use the restroom, stretch your legs and have a picnic.  The state welcome centers are usually very well kept.  The restrooms and rest area are always extremely clean.  Several of them have nice walking trails around them for exercise.  If you travel with pets you can walk your dogs here too.

Can you tell the kids were half asleep in this photo?  After a long few days at the beach in South Carolina we continued on our road trip to Tennessee.  Even though they were sleeping I made them get up and take a photo by the Mississippi state sign.  It’s a tradition, after all.  One day they will thank me.

Play Road Trip Games

There are several road trip games that we love to play.  Our go-to-game is the alphabet game.  You go through the alphabet in order from A to Z and have to find the letters.  We all work together as a family and search.  If you pass a sign that has an A in the name, you move on to B.  You can look at business names, signs, license plates, and car labels such as Ford, etc.  Some letters can be tricky but no skipping!

Another fun activity while taking a road trip is geocaching.  This summer we are going to attempt Pokemon Go, I wonder how many we can catch!

Pack a Picnic

I hate stopping to get snacks and fast food on road trips.  We always fill a cooler full of ice, drinks and lunch.  We plan ahead to allow enough time to stop and have a picnic along our route.  This gives us a chance to break up our long drive and get some fresh air.  The kids can easily access their healthy snacks from our tote bags and we stop to grab drinks from the cooler along our drive.

Enjoying the view along the way makes the road trip less stressful and curves car sickness.

Selfie Stick

Our last summer road trip consisted of eight people.  Thankfully, we remembered to pack a selfie stick so we could all squeeze into a single shot.  Documenting our road trip memories is my favorite part of the trip.  I love looking back on all the photos to reminisce.

What road trip traditions do you have?

Right now Walmart’s Auto Care Center has their Pennzoil® High Mileage Vehicle® oil change on Rollback from $39.88 to $35.88 until September 28th.  It is perfect for vehicles with over 75,000 miles on them.  I know with all the road trips we take it will not be long before my SUV reaches that many miles.

Rent a Party Bus

Make your road trip even more fun while traveling to Riverside by party bus.