It’s the end of the year and, once again, many families will be taking a road trip to their holiday destination.

Often, the focus is on the end point, particularly for the kids who tend to utter the familiar phrase: “Are we there yet?” But take some time to enjoy the ride and make it a pleasant journey.

Tracker provided the following tips to provide peace of mind and ensure that you get to your destination safely:

• Pre-trip check – Ensure your vehicle is fit for the trip.

Fill up with fuel; check the tyre pressure and tread – don’t forget the spare wheel; check the oil, water and brake fluid levels; test the headlights, rear lights, indicators, fog lights and brakes; ensure the wipers are not perished or broken; make sure the licence disk is valid; and check that the emergency triangle, jack and socket wrench are in the vehicle.

• Testing, testing – Test your tracking device to make sure it’s working, including the assist button if your device has one.

If you’re subscribed to a first responder service, it will be reassuring to know that help will be immediately available in the moment of need.

• SOS – Ensure that you have all important and emergency contact numbers with you.

Make sure you have an emergency contact number of someone not travelling with you available to first responders. Remember, most modern phones need to be unlocked for use and so having your ICE contact on your phone isn’t helpful. It might be better to write this down on a good old-fashioned piece of paper. Also, let someone close to you know of your movements and your anticipated arrival time, so that they can alert the authorities if you don’t check in. Some tracking services have apps that you can use to share your location with such a person.

• A little bit of planning – Plan your journey in advance, including sufficient rest stops, and ensure that you have the correct directions to your destination.

Pack plenty of “padkos” and drinks. Also, don’t forget important items like your driver’s licence, medical aid card, clinic card for babies, veterinary card for pets, allergy bracelets and passports if travelling to a neighbouring country.

• Activities – Keep the kids entertained with some car games, like the old favourite “I spy”. Also try “Road-trip bingo” where players spot road signs or sights along the route and cross them off on a board. If crossing sights off on a board will be a bit tricky, try the “Alphabet game”…

Mom or Dad starts the game by choosing a letter of the alphabet. Whoever spots that letter out the window first, for example on a billboard or a licence plate, gets a point. The person with the most points in the end wins. Or try your luck with “20 questions”, where one person thinks of something and everyone else has 20 yes or no questions to guess what it is. If someone guesses correctly within the 20 questions, they are the winner and they get to go next. If no one figures it out, then the person answering goes again.

Also, a little screen time can offer a decent distraction, so take along some digital entertainment and don’t forget to pack the chargers and power banks.

• Music – Make the journey festive with a favourite music playlist. Include some good road trip songs like I would walk 500 miles by The Proclaimers, Shut up and drive by Rihanna, and Where the streets have no name by U2.

“With a little bit of planning and some pre-trip checks, you can ensure that the journey to get there is as much fun as the holiday itself,” said Michael du Preez, Product and Marketing Executive at Tracker South Africa.

“Remember, life is about the journey, not the destination. We wish you and your loved ones safe travels and a peaceful and relaxing festive season.”