Don’t let an unexpected breakdown ruin your summer. Following these tips can help you prepare for the heat:

1. Cooling system — When your engine is cold, check your coolant and make sure your radiator fins have not been clogged by dirt or debris. Remember to keep fingers away from the electric cooling fan while doing this and never remove the radiator cap if the engine is warm. In addition to coolant, keep an eye on the oil level and the fluids for power steering, brakes and transmission.

2. Temperature Gauge — If your temperature gauge moves into the red zone or the high temperature warning light goes on, pull over to a safe location and stop your engine. Do not open the radiator cap. Driving a car while the engine is overheated can cause serious damage.

3. Oil — When the temperatures are high, you need oil that provides extra protection for your engine. A fully synthetic oil such as Mobil 1 is a good choice; it’s designed to protect your engine at any temperature and provides fuel economy benefits. Fuel economy grades provide excellent fuel savings compared to higher viscosity grade oils.

4. Belts and hoses — Inspect all belts and hoses, looking for signs of wear such as blistering or cracks in the rubber. If they show signs of wear, replace them now.

5. Tires — In high heat, under-inflated tires are more likely to blow out. Once a month, check the pressure of all tires. To find the correct pressure rating for your vehicle, look inside the driver’s doorframe or your owner’s manual.

6. Windshield wipers — The rubber on your wiper blades is susceptible to the summer heat. Examine your blades, and if they show signs of wear, invest in a new set.

7. Battery — Hot weather can shorten the life of your vehicle’s battery. Inspect the batteries and battery cables for corrosion, cracks and dirt. Many service centers can check the condition of the battery and charging system. If the battery is weak, replace it.

8. Lights — Check your headlights on low and high beam, as well as your brake lights, turn signals, side marker lights and emergency flashers. If you’re towing anything, check your connections to ensure your trailer lights are working properly.

9. Vehicle Exterior — Wash your vehicle regularly to preserve the finish. After it has dried, apply a coat of wax to the exterior to protect the surface.

10. Emergencies — Keep an emergency kit in your trunk with some basic items in case your vehicle breaks down. Be sure to include a quart of oil, a gallon of drinking water, jumper cables, windshield washer fluid, basic tools, gloves, a flashlight with some spare batteries and a first aid kit.

Get 10% off car rental with Budget!
 

Budget is helping promote geography education among America’s children by providing fun and informative road-trip activities for kids, while also offering ways for parents to save money while on vacation.

Now through August 15, 2007, customers who rent from participating Budget airport and neighborhood locations will receive a free copy of the Budget “Best Trip Ever” money-saving coupon booklet, which includes great deals and special offers on a variety of products and services,

• Discounts on Budget car rentals at airport and neighborhood locations
• Discounts on Budget Truck rentals
• Kids games and activities, courtesy of My Wonderful World, a National Geographic-led campaign to help boost kids’ global geography knowledge, or “geo-literacy”
• Dollars-off coupons for Dunkin’ Donuts
• Buy-one, get-one-free offers and dollars-off Baskin Robbins coupons
• Special offers on breakfast, kids’ meals and dessert at Perkins Restaurant and Bakery

In addition to great savings and deals, the Budget “Best Trip Ever” coupon booklet includes information on the “Budget Geo Brain Game Sweepstakes,” where participants who can successfully answer 10 geography questions supplied by National Geographic will be entered into a drawing with a chance to win one of eight $1,000 U.S. Savings Bonds.

The Budget “Best Trip Ever” booklets also show parents and kids how to be part of the My Wonderful World campaign with tips for making vacations more fun and memorable as well as Geo Brain Game warm-up questions.

The games include: “Sights to See,” a crossword puzzle filled with names of popular tourist attractions in the country; “Jokes for the Road;” and “Back Seat Bingo,” the traditional bingo game with boxes illustrating street safety signs, animals and other sights kids might see while on a family road trip.

Since you are going to need a rental, why not get a few extra coupons. This is a nice value - so book right today.

Get 10% off car rental with Budget!
 

A survey of  Visa Credit Card holders finds that Americans are planning on spending an average of $1,654 on their summer vacation, making it one of the biggest purchases most people are likely to make all year.

The Visa Card Holder  surveyed 1,000 cardholders and also found that 15 percent of respondents won’t be taking a summer vacation this year.

On the high end, 4 percent of those surveyed said they would be sending over $5,000 on their summer vacation, making them ‘mega vacationers.’

Visa’s “Travel Wizard” helps consumers decide between necessary and flexible expenses by walking them through the process of preparing a travel budget with an interactive checklist and corresponding travel tips. Users can build budgets for meals, hotels and entertainment expenses and make spending adjustments before traveling.

For example, the calculator will automatically estimate the cost of fuel for drivers based on trip mileage or prompt flyers to factor in the cost of food at the airport. With the ‘Travel Wizard’ estimations, travelers can modify excessive transportation, lodging, and meal expenses to plan a more cost-effective vacation.

The Summer Travel Budgeting Center and “Travel Wizard” are part of Visa’s award-winning financial education program, Practical Money Skills for Life, and available for free at www.practicalmoneyskills.com/travel.

The Summer Travel Budgeting Center also contains some important tips for travelers to consider before hitting the road this summer.

They include:

• Remember to budget for spending money: Equipment rentals, snacks and gifts can add up quickly.

• Seek advice from fellow travelers: Research online for recommendations from locals and learn from others’ mistakes.
• Airfares to more remote airports are often considerably less expensive than the more popular, and crowded, alternatives closer to town.
• Always ask if hotels, restaurants and attractions offer discounts: AAA, AARP and other organizations often negotiate discounts for their members.
• Add 10 to 15 percent to your budget for unanticipated events: Things like lost luggage, a flat tire or an Emergency Room visit. Make sure you bring along copies your medical and auto insurance information.

 Comment: the budgeting suggestions are terrific.  The survey is a little loose, and doesn’t consider an important factor: the income of the cardholders.  If the 4% of the “mega vacationers” have a high income level, this wouldn’t concern me.

A better measurement would be: What  percentage of family income is applied to vacations?

I think a comfortable range would be 2% to 5% of gross family income.  That would mean a family with a net income of $100,000 would spend at a top end $5,000 on their vacations. 

If you figure total family income of $50,000 a top end vacation would be $2,500.  With kids, a plane flight to Disney and a week’s stay there could be really tight.  That’s why we encourage using discount coupons and pre-purchasing discount restaurant and fast food Gift Cards at our site ValueDining.com.

Vacations memories are lifelong, with planning and creative cost cutting - they can be wonderful times.

Ellen DeGeneres is America’s first choice to ride shotgun on a road trip, beating out celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Will Ferrell and Paris Hilton.

And all politics aside, U.S. travelers elect to hit the road with presidential hopefuls Rudy Giuliani and Barack Obama.
These are just two of many revelations from Rand McNally’s 2007 Great American Road Trip Survey, which polled 4,000 adults nationwide about their summer road trip outlook, favorite road trip destinations, what goes on in the car during the drive and which celebrities they most would like to have in the passenger seat.
According to the survey, 21 percent more Americans plan to take road trips this summer than last year.

Survey Offers Insights Into Road Trip Plans and Preferences

• Eighty-five percent of Americans plan to take a road trip this summer, whereas 70 percent of last year’s survey respondents said they planned to take a summer road trip.
• Sixty-two percent of men surveyed said women are more likely to get lost on a road trip; 80 percent of women said men are more likely to get lost.
• American Idol fans may love to watch Simon Cowell on TV, but they would rather not spend time in a car with him. Only 7 percent chose Simon as their preferred road trip companion.
• Twenty-four percent of men named Paris Hilton as their first choice for a road trip buddy. Less than 2 percent of women agreed.

Gas Prices Affecting Travel?

• Seventy-seven percent of drivers would not cancel road trip plans ifgas prices continue to increase.
• Forty-two percent would consider planning more or longer road trips if gas prices drop.

Which Presidential Candidates Are Most, Least Popular Travel Companions

Drivers overall selected Rudy Giuliani as the presidential candidate with whom they’d most like to take a road trip. Although Hillary Clinton tied Barack Obama for most desirable road trip companion among Democrat respondents, Clinton’s intense unpopularity with Republicans (80 percent voted to leave her behind) and Independents (52 percent voted not to take her) made her top the list of least desirable companions.

Presidential Hopefuls With Whom People Most Would Like to Road Trip

• 26% Rudy Giuliani
• 20% Barack Obama
• 18% Hillary Clinton
• 17% John McCain
• 13% John Edwards
• 6% Mitt Romney

Presidential Hopefuls With Whom People Least Would Like to Road Trip

• 52% Hillary Clinton
• 13% Mitt Romney
• 12% John McCain
• 10% Rudy Giuliani
• 7% Barack Obama
• 6% John Edwards

Celebrity Road Tripping

Ellen DeGeneres was the most popular celebrity road trip companion for all ages, except respondents between the ages of 18 and 28. For that age group, Will Ferrell was the celebrity of choice. It was Ellen’s appeal among women that put her in the top spot.

Celebrities With Whom People Most Would Like to Road Trip

• 32% Ellen DeGeneres
• 24% Oprah
• 23% Will Ferrell
• 14% Paris Hilton
• 7% Simon Cowell