Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for June 23, 2003

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, June 23, 2003 | 8:10 a.m.

Lisa Ferguson's Laugh Lines column appears Fridays. Her Sun Lite Column appears Mondays. Reach her at lmsferguson@yahoo.com.

Taking the safe route

Time to start planning summer road trips. Heading to the mountains this year? How about the beach?

No matter the destination, before loading the family ride with pool floaties, hiking boots and/or hibachi grills, it's best to determine and prepare your vehicle for the types of terrain you'll be covering on the road to respite.

That's the advice being filtered through the national Valvoline Instant Oil Change chain's car-care expert, Gary "The Gearhead" Galick.

If surf and sand are in your plans, Galick suggests starting with the car's exterior via a good wash-and-wax job. Not only will you look cool while cruising along the coast, but the effort will help protect the vehicle's paint from damage caused by the sun and salt air.

If you'll be coming 'round the mountains this season, be sure to have your vehicle's brakes checked to stave off surprises as you tackle the twisting, turning roads. Same goes for the battery, as steep elevations can drain its juice.

Escapees to the big city should opt for synthetic oil when changing their car's vital fluids, because it will protect the motor from the stresses caused by the stops and starts of driving in traffic.

Highway to harmony

No matter where you're headed this summer, if you're traveling with kids, be sure to pack some extra patience.

There are ways to thwart the "Are-we-there-yet?" blues among little ones, according to family travel experts Pamela Wright and Diane Bair, who have co-authored more than 25 travel guides on such topics as visiting Walt Disney World and campgrounds and going on animal-watching adventures.

Wright suggests children be allowed to help Mom and Dad plan the family's vacation by getting books on locales at the library or bookstore, and then deciding what activities sound interesting. "And show them on a map where you'll be traveling," she urges.

To help pass the long hours during car rides, stuff a bag or bin with crayons, markers, books, puzzles and, of course, snacks. Even the necessary pit stops can be fun with the help of bubbles, sidewalk chalk and jump ropes (which will also burn some of the annoying energy of anxious tykes).

More vacation advice from Wright: "Stay flexible. You might not get to half the places on your itinerary, and that's perfectly OK."

Paradise awaits?

Even the best-laid travel plans are bound to show their flaws. According to a recent national survey of 3,000 parents and youngsters, sponsored by electronics-store chain Circuit City, family vacations aren't always what they're cracked up to be.

Those long car rides we mentioned earlier: Come to find out they're the bane of the existence of 56 percent of parental units and 51 percent of kids. Meanwhile people polled actually reported that being out of touch with folks and goings-on back home was the worst part of traveling. Um, isn't getting away from it all the purpose of vacationing?

Other road-related aggravations mentioned by both groups included distractions coming from the back seat (32 percent); getting lost (26 percent); and having to pull over for "frequent potty breaks" (27 percent). It could be worse: Skip the stops and watch tensions in the car climb a lot higher.