It’s that time of the year again when most people are out on the road for the holidays. Tracey Kagan Law has a few tips for those of you who will be spending most of your holiday getting to and from your loved ones homes.

• Don’t follow the crowd. Sometimes the best time to travel is on the holiday itself. Or, if you can take the time, a couple of days before or after the holiday rush. In the case of Thanksgiving, that means hitting the road on Tuesday and/or returning on Monday. We rarely have that much flexibility, but we’ve found that traveling on Thanksgiving Day is actually a nice experience. The traffic jams are pretty much gone, and even if our arrival is a little too late for the official feast, the reward is a great selection of tasty leftovers and hosts who have had a chance to relax from their frenzied preparations for the holiday.
• Get a CB radio and learn how to use it. There is a tendency these days to think CBs are outmoded, but nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, professional drivers use cell phones and satellite Internet connections, but they still rely on CBs for local information and safety advisories. For car drivers, no other device can provide such instant information on road hazards, tie-ups and alternate routes. Best of all, CBs work even with cell phones don’t.
• Keep all your electronic options in play. Satellite radio is a great option, but it you’d like to listen to local radio, visit MyTravelTunes.com before you hit the road. Enter your route, select musical genres, and presto! You’ll get a list of radio stations for your entire trip. The site also provides real time local traffic alerts and weather advisories. If you hit one of those interminable delays, you can always turn on your laptop, DVD player, MP3 player or other entertainment device. If you happen to be in an area with good wireless service, you can even log onto the Web and get up-to-the-minute traffic information. Worried about depleting the batteries? Get a power inverter for your electronic gizmos.
• Think like a Boy Scout. Around the holidays, you have to be prepared for just about anything, so keep a cache of emergency supplies in your vehicle. Include these items: blanket, flashlight, candle and matches, bandana or tea towel, paper towels, first aid kit, batteries, water and a good adventure novel. Carry emergency food, too. Canned items are best – We carry MREs (meals, ready-to-eat) — but things like SPAM (Don’t laugh! Try it!) and fruit cocktail are fine. If the cans don’t have pull tabs, bring a can opener, and don’t forget some plastic utensils. If you keep emergency provisions in your vehicle all year round, now is a good time to check that they are still functional or edible.
• Brush up on your winter driving skills. If you are traveling up North, don’t be fooled by all those autumn decorations. Thanksgiving can bring some of the worst winter driving conditions of the year. Snow, sleet and ice are particular worries, so now is the time to check those tires and recall what it means to “steer into the skid.”
• Stretch and move whenever you get the chance. If you find yourself trapped on a jammed highway with a few thousand of your closest strangers, do some road-trip calisthenics. Isometric exercises like rolling your shoulders and flexing your back and upper arms can be great stress relievers. If possible, get out of your car and perform the “Chicken Dance.” You will entertain your fellow travelers and get your own circulation moving. It may not get the traffic to move any faster, but it will put some of the festivity back into the trip.
• Take along audio books and some games. Audio books are great because you can listen to them while you drive, but bring along some other amusements in case your route becomes a parking lot. A deck of cards is the easiest and most portable entertainment, but travel versions of popular board games can also be good choices
• Remember: Any road trip is a good road trip! It’s the unplanned events that can transform an ordinary car trip into an adventure.