Drive Safe on Your Summer Road Trip

Each summer, hundreds of Columbia motorists will gas up their vehicle in preparation for a road trip. Although an out-of-town trip can be a very memorable and exciting experience, personal safety should still remain a top priority. Here are some important safety tips to keep in mind when traveling on a road trip. 

Take rest breaks

When traveling on a long journey, it is critical that the driver takes several rest stops along the way. The simple act of driving can actually cause a great deal of mental and physical fatigue. Drivers should never make the mistake of driving on an empty stomach. Hunger tends to cause people to lose their focus while driving. Instead of putting the responsibility of driving on one person, the best approach is to have at least two drivers. 

Observe the speed limit

Always take the time to observe the posted speed limit. The highway patrol is always on the lookout for speedsters. Driving at an extremely fast rate of speed jeopardizes the well-being of everyone on the road. However, traveling at excessively slow speeds can be just as dangerous. In some instances, a slow driver can cause a major traffic jam. 

Keep the vehicle locked at all times 

The car doors should remain locked at all times. There are always opportunistic thieves who are looking to rip-off inattentive travelers. It only takes a few seconds for an experienced criminal to steal items out of a vehicle. If the doors are unlocked, even a quick bathroom break could be disastrous. The best approach is to keep valuables securely locked in the trunk. 

Never leave children unattended

When traveling with small children, never leave them unattended. Before hitting the road, make sure that the child has a photo ID card. In the unfortunate event that a child becomes lost, an ID card can help the authorities track them down. Each year, dozens of innocent children are abducted. Small kids should be instructed to never talk to strangers. 

Have the vehicle serviced

In order to prevent car trouble on the road, the vehicle needs to be serviced prior to the road trip. Some of the most important items that need to be checked out include the coolant system, brakes, battery, tires, transmission and air-conditioner. It is also important to check the oil level before hitting the road. 

Organize a roadside emergency kit

SC travel agents recommend that everyone keep a roadside emergency kit on hand. Some of the key items include a first aid kit, jumper cables, flashlight, pocketknife, duct tape and a basic tool set. It is also advisable to keep bottled water and a few snacks in the vehicle. 

These are great tips to remember every time you take a road trip. South Carolina is a great destination for your travels. If you want to find out more about Columbia, SC travel, AAA has some wonderful ideas for you, including a lot of budget- and family-friendly suggestions.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.

10 Things to Keep in Your Carry-On

Do you hate packing? Let's make it easier! When you keep things packed, it's easier to just pull together the rest of your stuff and get on your way to your destination. There are some things you should just keep in your carry-on. They will make your trip easier, more comfortable and you won't need to buy them when you get there and realize you should have brought them to begin with.

Sunscreen - Sunny or not, it's really important to protect yourself from the harsh rays of the sun. If you don't use the same sunscreen on your face as the rest of your body, you may just want to look for makeup with SPF in it, to cover both bases in one product. You still want to cover your other exposed skin with sunscreen, including your ears, back of your neck and the part in your hair.

Sarong - Multipurpose! Can be used as a cover up, skirt, towel, picnic blanket, scarf or more. It's a great item to have and packs super small.

Tote bag or reusable bag - Carry around your groceries, laundry, beach essentials, souvenirs and anything else. I love one that packs into itself and I can carry in my day bag to pull out in case I need it.

Packable rain jacket - Better than an umbrella, keeps you dry and can also be used as an additional layer if it's chilly wherever you are.

Eye mask - Ever been woken up with sunlight right in your eye as soon as the sun comes up? So many hotels have horrible drapes. If yours do, these will help you sleep past the crack of dawn without having to burrow under the covers like a groundhog.

Ear plugs - You never know when you'll be a victim of noisy neighbors or construction. They are smart to have just in case.

Flip Flops - Wear them to the beach, down to breakfast, out on the deck, to the pool or wherever else you don't want to wear real shoes, but aren't about to go to barefoot.

Vitamin C - Keep yourself from getting sick on vacation. You're being exposed to random germs, recycled plane air and unhealthy food. Even if you choose nutritious options, you still might not be eating as you normally do, which could lower your immune system, along with not getting as much sleep as usual.

Papaya enzyme - Along with new foods you might never have encountered and all the delicious, but unhealthy options you are faced with, you're bound to have some digestion issues and/or heartburn. Papaya enzyme are chewable tablets that aid in breaking down food and making you not feel like you ate one of those Taco Bell burritos that just sits in your stomach.

Aspirin/ibuprofen - Well, this is pretty self-explanatory. Helps with headaches, swelling, minor aches and pains, etc.

What are your must-have travel items?

TunnelBear: Watch Your Favorite TV Wherever You Are

Okay, so I know I'm not the only one who has issues with wishing they could watch stuff from their DVR or Netflix queue or even stuff on network websites like NBC.com while I'm on vacation. Not that I have that much time to watch TV, but sometimes you just want to veg out while relaxing and either there isn't anything on or all your choices are in a foreign language. Once we were in the Bahamas and waiting out a hurricane watch with the only thing on every channel the coverage of the hurricane's route. We tried to watch stuff online, but because we weren't in our own country we were blocked from any streaming videos. 

While bringing along a couple DVDs or downloading movies to our laptop is a solution - because we did watch the last 4 episodes of Dexter while in London and France on DVD - it's not always convenient and you may not always bring enough or fell like watching what you brought. So, how do you fix that? A VPN (virtual private network) like TunnelBear is the answer! In short, it uses "tunnels" to hide your IP address from the network you're trying to access and makes it look like your computer is in the country of the website you're trying to use. For example, say I want to use my Netflix account, but I'm in Germany. Using TunnelBear, that will be downloaded on my computer, phone or tablet, I can select US as my country and then log onto my Netflix account as I would from home and then stream anything I want.

Another awesome thing the TunnelBear app allows you to do: connect to your Pandora/Spotify account. Eric likes to listen to music while getting ready in the  morning and he often either uses Pandora or his phone playlist. As much fun as listening to local music stations can be, sometimes you just want to listen to your favorite tunes so you can sing along in the shower. 

So, what else can it do? If only having access to your streaming services isn't that exciting to you, there are two other great things about TunnelBear:

1. Keep your browsing activity totally safe! TunnelBear takes your privacy seriously and that mean that you can feel free to use your credit card, personal information and check your banking account without worrying that someone is going to snipe your information. All your activities and info are coded and completely hidden, which makes this a great app even for domestic travel, because public WiFi is not always a great thing.

2. Ever traveled and found an absolutely amazing show that you love, love, love so much and then go home and can't watch it? Yeah, me too. I have two shows that I wish I could have watched once I came home from trips: Es Incroyable and Two Pints and a Packet of Crisps. Of course, on this last trip, I found the French version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and even though I can't understand most of the words, it's super funny. With TunnelBear, you can pretend to be in those other countries and watch these shows online if they're available. Awesome!

There are three different plans to choose from on TunnelBear: The basic plan called Little Bear, which is free and two unlimited data plans. The Giant Bear enables you to download to your computer and two other devices for $4.99 per month and the Grizzly Bear, which gives you the same great deal, but at a 17% discount if you pay for the entire year ($49.99). It's super easy to download and to sign up, too.

Once you've set up your account and downloaded the app, all you have to do is choose the country you want the internet to think you're in, turn it on and then browse away. Simple, right? The video above shows you just how simple. Use it on your PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android phone or tablet. Use it for Skype, Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, Spotify, Apple TV, all your web browsing and more! 

I'm really excited to start using this app more to view shows I never thought I'd get to watch again and feeling secure wherever I go with my laptop and phone and not feeling like I might be the victim of identity theft because I want to look at my credit card transactions from the last week. The rates are totally affordable and let you bring your fun with you, while also giving you peace of mind. Download it now!

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.