Before a road trip, your vehicle should be prepared for the journey. Either schedule service beforehand for an oil change, tire service, and so on, or check the various car systems yourself. Make sure you know Rental Cars will be up anytime. Just in case you might need it. You should examine the tire pressure in all four tires and ensure that you have a spare tire on board in case you get a flat along the way. That happened to me more than once.