Hacks and Helping Hat-Tips to Stay Cool, Calm and Collected on a Road Trip, from Ford

Be it a regular two-day weekend, or an extended staycation a few hours away by car, it’s hard to beat the excitement of hitting the open road on your way to invaluable family time.

Of course, any extraordinary journey often requires perfect planning and prior preparations, and at the height of summer, keeping cool under the conditions is often easier said than done. To be as comfortable and as confidently primed as possible for your short-term sojourn, consider these helpful tips from Ford.

Late night departure: While not always possible, postponing your departure until after the sun sets will dramatically reduce the heat inside your cabin. Ford has available lighting technology that can make night-time driving less stressful, too, like Dynamic LED Headlights and Auto High Beam Control, which detects oncoming vehicles and automatically switches to dipped beams until the vehicle has passed.

Visionary visor: You might see taxis or delivery drivers sticking a newspaper or restaurant menu to their window in the hope of blocking out the sun when it beams in from side of the car, but your sun visor is probably more flexible than you think. The slide on rod sun visor can easily keep that blindingly bright sun glare out of your eyes, keeping you invariably more comfortable.

Too cool for school: Staying hydrated is one thing, but keeping your liquids cool is something entirely different. Ahead of your road trip, be sure to pick up a cool bag or a cool box to store your bottles of water, or perhaps to maintain a level of freshness to some fruit slices. While your air conditioning system will keep you from overheating externally, a chilled bottle of water will prove invaluable during long daytime drives in the summer.

Life’s a breeze: The last thing you need in summer is an underperforming air conditioning unit, either in your home or your car. Before you hit the road, ensure your AC is topped up with the necessary gas to keep the cabin nice and cool. Proper maintenance of your car’s air conditioning has several benefits: it saves money, reduces the amount of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the atmosphere, and increases the life of your vehicle's air conditioning system.

Chilling sounds: Summer songs, big hits, and cool chords make any long car journey less stressful. The 12-speaker B&O PLAY premium audio system by Harman available in Ford vehicles has been perfected by acoustic engineers for a sound even audiophiles will appreciate. Prepare for your getaway by setting up a few different playlists, and lose yourself in concert quality while en route to your destination.

Stay the course: It might seem like an obvious point, but plan your route. SYNC® 3, Ford’s next generation of voice-activated technology, with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto* capability, has a new, easy-to-use design and features. The easy-to-read colour LCD touchscreen displays phone, audio and navigation functions. SYNC 3’s navigation function allows you to search easily for places of interest, such as a particular building or meeting point, and save them for future reference. This cuts down on valuable time needed to search through menus or maps to help make your day more productive.

Be Prepared: Though you’ve now thought of everything to make the journey a cool success, there’s no harm in being extra vigilant, in the off-chance everything doesn’t quite go to plan. It's a great idea to be prepared for any crisis by putting together an emergency kit. You never know how long it will be before emergency help reaches you. Things to include in the kit are jumper cables, a flashlight, stretch cords, water bag, knife, tyre inflator, first-aid kit, PVC tape, plastic gloves, non-perishable food, flares, and a blanket.

*Some of the licences for Android Auto are still being finalised for official release in the UAE, and therefore will be introduced as it becomes available in market.