The Long Road Trip: A Guide
If you’re reading this, then chances are that you’ve definitely gone on a long drive once or twice. We can all attest to this- long road trips are incredibly boring. Sometimes, they can be taxing on both the driver and the vehicle you’re using on the trip.
There’s nothing else to do but look at the window and talk to your fellow passengers. If you’re the one driving, then you’re stuck behind the wheel for hours at a time, fighting off sleepiness on top of navigating. If you have some kids with you, it’s hard to keep them busy without making a fuss. Most of the time, they end up falling asleep out of boredom.
Boredom isn’t the only enemy, too. Your car’s systems and tires should also be in tip-top shape, and it would be best to have all the information about their status at hand instead of doing some guesswork.
We here believe that not all road trips shouldn’t be so boring, and here are some items that can help make your long trips a little more bearable (and safe).
In-car entertainment
There are tons of ways to entertain your passengers in your car, and while tablets/iPads are already available, they don’t have the widest display possible to entertain everyone in your vehicle. It’s a bit of a chore to keep it in place, too- most would hold them in their hands and that can get pretty tiring for drives that last for hours.
This is where Car DVD players come in. Usually mounted on headrests and dashboards, you can load a movie into a USB device and have it play. This takes away the chore of having to hold a mobile device steady just to be able to watch a movie.
Additionally, there are plenty of in-car DVD players that support a game function, allowing your passengers to play games to while away the time before you get to your destination.
If you have an SUV or a wider vehicle, a roof-mounted car dvd player is perfect. This not only spruces up your car’s interior, but these players have wider displays making it the perfect car entertainment tool. If you have the space in your vehicle, this is an excellent choice for an entertainment system on your vehicle. Since they look quite nice, prepare to have your passengers impressed for it’s sleek and stylish design.
When you’re looking for in-car entertainment systems, there are some points to remember. Here are some of those important factors:
Make sure to check the player’s resolution. If you’re not familiar with video resolutions, there are three main resolutions that you need to be aware of: (1) 800x600, which is the lowest resolution these days. It’s also known as SD, and it’s small. While it can definitely show movies, note that the image fidelity isn’t so amazing for devices in this resolution.
(2) 1024x600 can support HD resolutions, but this is more of an entry level HD resolution. You can play hi-def movies here and the image fidelity is great, but this is still only a leg up from SD/standard definition.
(3) And finally, you have 1080p and 4k, which is the highest quality available today. Videos in this format are extremely high definition and in most cases will show movies the way they were intended to be shown.
Input/outputs. Make sure that your DVD player has multiple different input/outputs. You’re looking for the most important inputs, which are SD card slots, USB slots, AV in and out and if possible, a wireless/bluetooth transmitter.
The USB port is one of the most important inputs, as you can just load movies into a USB player. For example, if you have some kids around the age of 5-8, you can put in some kid’s movies or TV shows in your flash drive to keep them occupied!
Supported formats. This is perhaps the most important point here. Not all car dvd players are made alike, and some of them don’t support newer formats.
You’re looking for car DVD players that support most known video formats such as .mp4, .avi, .mkv. If your player can’t decode the video format, then you won’t be able to play it. Of course, you’re also looking for a multi-region player that is compatible with most dvd cd format.
Sometimes, movies aren’t that entertaining for some kids and people. For this, video games are a great alternative. Some 8-bit games are available for use with your car DVD player, and our remote controls double as wireless IR gamepads. This is great for keeping kids entertained for long drives!
Some can also be detached from your car headrests or wherever it’s installed, making them portable DVD players too! So if you have to do a pit stop somewhere, your passengers won’t have to stop watching if they so prefer (and if the movie is a particularly good one). It’s not an imperative, but it’s a nice option for you and your passengers.
Alternatively, your passengers can connect your mobile device through an HDMI port, using the car DVD player as an output. This enables your passengers to watch their movies or play their games, console style, on the car DVD player!
Keeping your trip as safe as possible
Of course you and your passengers’ safety should be your first priority when driving. Some accidents are related to tires suddenly blowing out or deflating, making cars careen into other cars or static objects out on the road.
Avoid this by making sure that you have a diagnostic scanner and tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) installed on your vehicle, giving you all the information you need and telling you of your car’s status.Digital versions of these car diagnostic tools are especially helpful, as they provide real time input using external sensors linked to your car’s systems.
Pressure gauges are good tools to monitor your car’s tyre pressure, but when it comes to monitoring your tyres a digital system is irreplaceable due to its real-time diagnosis, giving you a clear idea of your tyre pressure and temperature, not to mention it’s current pressure range.
While statistics say that 90% of automotive accidents in Australia happen due to driver errors and laxity, you shouldn’t take any chances and leave the 10% related to technical/mechanical errors up to chance. An OBD2 car diagnostic scanner and a tyre pressure monitoring system ensures that your vehicle is in great shape enough to take on a long drive.
Our OBD2 diagnostic tools are easy to use and will give you the full skinny on your car’s status, without having to fiddle with wires or fussy installation methods. Similarly, our digital and fully wireless tyre pressure monitoring systems are available to keep your tyres in good shape, sending out an alarm anytime there’s something wrong.
Great peripherals that go well with your car
You’ll need to have your full attention on the road as a driver. Luckily, there are excellent items that can cater to this, letting you answer calls or talk to people without taking your hands off the wheel.
Safety should be your #1 priority, and if you’re out on a long drive and need to attend a very important call, use a wireless earpiece to answer it. Never take your hands off the wheel or the stick, and make sure that your phone is mounted to a reliable phone holder, while we’re at it!
You’re looking for these factors in car peripherals when you’re out on a long drive:
Highly durable and of the highest make
Compatible and will not damage your gadgets or your car.
Easy to use, and offers adaptable features (such as 360 degree rotation for mobile phone holders)
Reliable. You certainly don’t want your phone suddenly slipping off from it’s holder in the middle of driving!
Keep an eye out for an update to this article. Next time, we’ll be sharing some additional tools driving tips for safety!
