Road & Travel Magazine's Blog

Mommy's Guide to Cars & Tires E-book

Today’s hectic family schedules often leave little room to take care of the “little things.” However, car maintenance should never be one of those little things that falls through the cracks. By taking just a few minutes to educate yourself, it could help keep your family safe and save both time and money. Simple things like changing your oil, rotating your tires and checking tire pressure are very important and can make all the difference.

 

Automotive safety is about more than just car maintenance. Being prepared for emergencies and incorporating certain safe driving techniques can help protect your family and cut costs.

 

Uniroyal Tire’s free e-book, “Mommy’s Guide to Cars & Tires,” is a great resource for moms and families. Available at www.UniroyalTires.com, you will find helpful information about all of the above topics. No family should get on the road without knowing this basic advice; it can give you peace of mind to know you are doing what you can. Since safety is paramount on the road, reading this free e-book will give you great tips to make your daily trips and long excursions even safer.

Drive a Luxury Car Despite the Cost

Everyone admires the lifestyles of the rich and famous, but living the lap of luxury can seem nearly impossible. However, driving luxury cars doesn't have to burn a hole in your pocket. Leasing a car from an online lease transfer source is a increasingly more popular option to drive a luxury vehicle without the expensive committment of buying it.

The top 10 leased luxury vehicles are:

1. BMW 3 Series
2. Mercedes C Class
3. BMW X Series
4. Land Rover Sport
5. Cadillac Escalade
6. Cadillac CTS
7. BMW 5 Series
8. Mercedes SL Class
9. Mercedes E350
10. Mercedes S550

RTM's Luxury Vehicles Become Top Lease Choices article is a great source for more information on luxury cars and how to lease them.

Stay Safe On Your Road Trip

Heading on a road trip this summer? Proper preparation is key for a smooth, problem-free ride and fun for everyone.

Is Your Car Road Worthy?
As obvious as it sounds, you want to make sure that you're vehicle will be able to make it to your destination and back. Check the oil, coolant, wipers, lights, horn, belts, hoses, battery, and tires before take off on your journey. For information on how to prepare your vehicle for a road trip, check out RTM's article Vacation Car Care Tips.

Take the Train Instead

If you don't want to spend your hard-earned cash on gasoline or your hard-earned vacation time stuck in airports, you may think your vacation options are limited. However, trains are a great way to take a vacation. Luxury train lines are located all over the world, and have all of your favorite top of the line accommodations.

Venice Simplon Orient Express
This luxury liner travels from Paris passing through the Swiss and Austrian Alps. The trains stops in Budapest, Hungary where guests stay at the Mariott Hotel. The next morning, passengers head along to Bucharest Romania, where they engage in a tour of the city, before embarking again, and finishing out the trip  in Istanbul.

Air Conditioning or Open Windows

The dog days of summer are here and the days are only getting hotter. Nothing is worse than driving in a overheated car, the steering wheel is hot, the interior is hot, and all that hot air is difficult to breathe in. Air-conditioning is one of the great features on modern cars, but the fuel-efficiency of it comes under question. For those who are sweltering in their cars trying to save a buck, you will be happy to know that it isn't necessary — just take the freeway.

Air conditioning is actually more fuel efficient when traveling at highway speeds because open windows create a drag on the car. This drag will make it harder for your car to move foward, thus requiring more gas to get it moving. It's the opposite for stop-and-go traffic; the actual air conditioning system will use more gas than just driving with the windows down. If you can, try to bypass as much stop-and-go traffic as possible. The more time you spend at a stopped position, the more gas you waste.

If you want to save fuel regardless of the traffic situation, try these tips...

Wet N' Wild Vacation Ideas

One of most iconic summer fun images is the sunny, sandy beach.  There are many options when selecting a beach to go to, as beaches range from lakeshores to ocean coasts, family-oriented to secluded and completely private.

Family Beach Time
Many stretches of beach today are family-friendly, as beach-combing with the family is a easy and fun family activity. The U.S. boasts all types of family friendly beaches where you participate in water sports and volleyball matches, or just walk along the coast and collect shells. Fore more family friendly beach vacation ideas, check out RTM's Top 10 Family Friendly Beaches.

Go Nude
For those who are more comfortable in their birthday suits, nude beaches and nude recreation is a growing industry. Nude resorts provide everything other resorts do, and you don't have to be clothed! Fore more information on nude resorts, check out RTM's Best Nudist Resorts article.

Water Park Fun
But if beaches aren't your thing, and you're still looking out for water-related fun, water parks are another great option. Water parks provide the cheery environment and excitement of theme parks, but with the added bonus of being able to cool down in summer heat. Check out RTM's Top 5 Water Park Picks for more information.

Indoor Water Park Innovation
However, if the weather doesn't agree with your water park plans, there are now indoor water parks to broaden your options. Avalanche Bay Indoor Water Park in Boyne Falls, Mich., is a place where you can enjoy water park favorites such as lazy rivers and water slides under a solid Swiss-Austrian roof. For more information about Avalanche Bay, see RTM's review of Avalanche Bay Indoor Water Park.

Whitewater Rafting Thrills
White-water rafting is another exciting option for water related travel. Rafting along a river can be a heart-pumping ride. Rapids vary among levels called classes, level one which requires no skill to level six that even some of the most experienced rafter wouldn't touch. Rafting is available all over the United States and internationally. See RTM's review of a California rafting experience for more information.

Is Your Vacation Food Safe?

If you are planning a picnic, camping trip, fishing trip, hike or other outdoor travel, remember food safety when you are planning your meals. The last thing you want to encounter on your travels is food-borne illness. To be sure you stay safe, plan ahead. Decide what you are going to eat and how you are going to cook it; then plan what equipment you will need.

Follow these basic rules for safe eating:

• Pack safely: use a cooler if car-camping or boating, or pack foods in the frozen state with a cold source if hiking or backpacking. Keep raw foods separate from other foods. Never bring meat or poultry products without a cold source to keep them safe.
• Bring disposable wipes or biodegradable soap for washing.
• Plan on carrying bottled water for drinking. Otherwise, boil water or use water purification tablets.
• Do not leave trash in the wild or throw it off your boat.
• If using a cooler, leftover food is safe only if the cooler still has ice in it. Otherwise, discard leftover food.
• In the wild or on the high seas, protect yourself and your family by washing your hands before & after handling food.

Read RTM's full article on food safety to keep you, family and friends safe and happy this holiday weekend.

Planning a Road Trip for Less

Road trips are a wonderful way for families to vacation, but they sometimes end up being more expensive than anticipated. To save yourself from the stress and worry of an over-extended budget, follow these tips to ensure a fun and affordable family vacation.

 

 

 

• Entertainment books are a great way to save, and offer hotel, event and restaurant discounts by geographic area.
• Restaurant.com is a service that sells restaurant gift vouchers at a discount. You can typically get a $25 dining certificate for less than $10. 
• Most major museums in the United States have one day a month or week where tickets are discounted or free.  When you’re doing your research and planning outings, make sure you investigate.
• If you’re headed to a big city and want to take in a show, look for a discount ticket outlet. They sell off unsold theater and event seats last minute at considerable discounts.

For additional money-saving tips to help with planning a budget-friendly road trip, visit  Uniroyal’s “Hit the Road for Less” e-book.

2010 Lexus IS 250 Convertible - A Siren's Tale

by Martha Hindes

Call me gorgeous. I tantalize. I roar down streets and highways, owning the wind in my face and an audience of admirers as I pass. I am adored for the luxury I present and the pampering I offer. I am the 2010 Lexus IS 250 two-door in latest fashion.

Call me impetuous. I am bad with Lindsay Lohan abandon, but good to the core, founded on 2.5-liter, 204-HP power, 21/29 MPG modesty and full safety systems security. The test drive I offered passed with praise for handling prowess.
 
My talents show in a one-touch ballet of top-down conversion as I fold and stow my three roof panels neatly in my trunk and emerge from sultry hard top coupe to deliciously free convertible. Color me eye candy in flaming red on my streamlined body, and the fabled Lexus "L" on my emboldened face.

My optional navigation responds to the merest touch, pouring out routes and markers as my Mark Levinson Premium sound soars. Can I coax you into parting with my $48.2 K price? It's my intention to try.

For more information on the Lexus IS Convertible, click here.

For more 2010 road test reviews from Road & Travel Magazine, drive here.

 

Listen Up! More Accidents Occur in Summer

It's always important to drive defensively and cautiously, but it's even more important to drive carefully during the summer months. People tend to spend more time on the road during the summer, thus increasing your likelihood of an accident. In fact, the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day have been dubbed the "101 deadliest days for all drivers".

Interestingly enough, though most drivers look down on dangerous driving risks such as running red lights, and driving while intoxicated, it doesn't stop them from taking the dangerous risk themselves.