Do it Smarter: Driving Vacations

It’s the first day of summer, and many of us have already been bitten by the “vacation bug.” In order to maintain financial as well as mental balance in this economy, many American families are opting for “driving vacations.” However, while you off exploring America, your “home on wheels” can quickly become a mess. Whether you’re planning to take the family on weekend day trips or week long road trips; keeping a clean, clutter-free car will help keep your mind clear and clutter-free too. Did you know that the average American spends 15 hours driving each week? Car clutter (like that bottle rolling under your feet) causes many driving accidents each year. Here’s how to Auto(matically) upgrade your car to work smarter for your family:

1.   Speed clean – inside and out:

a.    Target gunk on your car’s exterior with Turtle Wax Bug & Tar Remover ($6 Turtlewax.com) then head for the local car wash.

b.    De-smudge armrests and door handles with Armor All Cleaning Wipes ($4.25; mass retailers). Wrap a wipe around a twig to get the grime that collects in cup holders.

c.    Suck up dirt and schmutz on the car seats, carpet, and trunk with a cordless handheld vac Dirt Devil Gator BD10165 ($55 dirtdevil.com).

d.    Make the car smell nice with Febrese Car Vent Clips ($5 for 2, Febrese.com) and remove smelly stains with Hoover Platinum Collection Instant Stain Remover ($10, Hoover.com).

2.   Curb Clutter

a.    Reclaim the driver’s seat with the tiered Travelstacks from Quirky ($20, bedbathandbeyond.com) to contain odds and ends near the cup holder – while still stashing a drink.

b.    Re-use empty cold cereal boxes that the children personalized with contact paper, stick-on letters, shapes, and stickers to hold paper, coloring books, magazines, flat pencil case (with crayons, markers, and pencils), and small toys. (FREE)

c.    Re-purpose a medium sized UPS delivery box to create a “Dump Monster” to eat refuse collected inside the car. (Parents cut off the box flaps, and then use scissors to cut zig-zag design along the edges. Children can paint (teeth) zig-zag edges black, and the rest of the box (body) green. Then add wiggly eyes and pom-pom noses on each of the four sides. Have the children take turns dumping the monster at rest stops as needed. (FREE)

d.   Corral groceries and purchases, then shuffle them into the hotel with an old Laundry Basket (FREE) or the very pretty Horizon Rectangular Crunch Cans ($20, Umbra.com, containerstore.com) which flatten when not in use.

Last year my family took two “driving vacations” to the Resort Capital of the East Coast - Atlantic City, New Jersey. My daughter still talks about our Casino Hotel stay and the days we spent on the beach and boardwalk. I took so many pictures to preserve our experiences for her, but our Atlantic City “driving vacation” memories will be etched in her little brain for years. Isn’t that what vacations are all about – creating lifelong family memories? Where will your family vacation this year? What mode of transportation will you use to get to your vacation destination? We would love to hear your family’s favorite story about “driving vacation” memories. Please send an email to EpikosNJ@gmail.com with “driving vacations” in the subject line. You could be my next guest blogger, and share your memories with other readers that enjoy “Living Mindfully Today” too. We will feature “Driving Vacations” blogs for the entire Summer 2012. Here we go!