Editors Note: Blogger Sara Stringer sent us this post, and given that we’re always up for a road trip, we thought it was a worthwhile read!  Leave your summer travel plans in the comments below!

There’s no more enjoyable adventure for many people than a nice, long road trip. The idea of packing your bags and getting away from the routine is appealing, and it invariably creates memories that will provide laughs and tears for years to come.

Getting prepared for the trip is exciting in and of itself. Choosing your lodging, planning your route, and packing necessities for your travels builds a lot of excitement and anticipation. By the time you actually hit the road, you can be almost giddy.

The only thing that could upset the apple cart at this point would be to run into some kind of expensive or inconvenient problem. While some of those things can’t be avoided, others can be prevented very easily before you leave town.

Financial Preparations

The most common financial consideration most people have for a trip is the money for the trip itself. But there are a lot of other things that can come into play financially, and some of them should be handled before you leave town.

Insurance is a common one. It can be easy to forget your payment in the hustle and bustle of getting ready for a trip, and some companies make it very tough to pay quickly. That’s the advantage of websites like acceptanceinsurance.com, which will not only accept your payment online but can also jumpstart your coverage quickly if you’ve traded vehicles just ahead of the trip.

Credit cards are another. Think about opening a new one that’s a better deal. Then call the company and tell them you’ll be traveling so that they don’t block transactions. Also make sure they have your cell number in case there’s some other problem.

Home Preparations

The neighbor kid is mowing and your pooch is safely ensconced at the boarding kennel. Ready to go, right? Not quite.

There are some other things you should do, too. A good old-fashioned light timer isn’t enough security for your home. Think seriously about an alarm system. Not only will it save your belongings, it will also save you money on your homeowner’s insurance.

Secure the house. Turn off the water at the meter, so that any leaks inside the home can only release a tiny amount of water until you’re back home and prepared to react. Make sure that you also turn off your water heater. Unplug expensive appliances in case of lightning. And have the post office hold your mail so that burglars don’t see your box filling up.

Communication Plans

It’s not enough to have a phone and a whole army of chargers. You need to check out your plan. Talk to your carrier and make sure that your travel will move you seamlessly–and affordably–into roaming mode.

Check coverage, too. While most large cities will have sufficient towers for any carrier, remote areas may not. It could be safer for you to get a prepaid phone to use on the trip if one of those will get you coverage in these rural locations.

Have a landline number available whenever possible, and share it with someone back home who also has a landline. During disasters, cell coverage can be lost while wired lines remain intact. It will be easier to check on everyone’s safety if there’s a landline each way.

Travel is a time when we get to escape from all our worries. We don’t need to replace them with other worries, so before you hit the road, be sure you’ve made proper provisions for the things that could trip you up while you’re away from home.