Your family’s summer road trip to Walt Disney World is just around the corner, and you may be beginning to identify with the Clark W. Griswold family from “National Lampoon’s Summer Vacation.” Then again, with a little planning, maybe his trip won’t be a comedy of errors. Head to your local video store, rent a copy of “Summer Vacation,” enjoy a family visit to Roy Wally World, and learn how NOT to drive cross-country. Afterward, you may find some of these tips helpful:

Have a place to sleep. No one likes looking for a motel late at night, so if you book early, you’ll be the hero of the family. If you prefer to keep your schedule flexible, create a list of alternate stopping points that offer decent meals and accommodation (don’t forget the phone numbers). Call ahead in the afternoon, once you have a better idea of ​​how the day is shaping up, to ensure a room is waiting for you.

Keep the kids busy. Many families bring enough games and activities for the entire trip, and some invest in DC-powered TV/VCR combos or portable DVD players. Books on tape (or CD) are another great idea. The Harry Potter books are more than enough for a two-day trip in each direction.

Get ready. Nothing is more expensive or frustrating than a breakdown when you’re away from home. Maintain your car before you leave: check tires, brakes, transmission and air conditioning, change oil and top up all fluids. Be very careful if you are driving your RV or pulling a trailer: schedule a service several weeks in advance, in case you need a special part.

Be save. Let’s not fool ourselves. Driving is even more dangerous than flying. Improve your family’s odds by changing drivers frequently and traveling no more than 500 miles per day. 24-hour marathon rides may take you sooner, but you’ll pay for it in risk and exhaustion. And face it, after a high-energy Disney vacation, the last thing anyone needs is a drowsy driver behind the wheel on the way home.

Do AAA. Get the most out of your AAA membership and use your travel discounts, the latest road construction news, all the maps you could want, and their famous Trip-Tik route planning service. If you don’t have a membership, a long car ride is a good excuse to get one.

Have fun on the road. Why suspend your vacation until you get to Disney? Map of visits to nearby points of interest. What roads lead to Orlando and what are the sights?

East Coast travelers typically navigate south on I-95 and switch to I-4 near Daytona. Popular side trips on the way include Washington DC, Williamsburg, VA, Cape Hatteras, NC, Charleston, SC and the Daytona/Cape Canaveral area of ​​Florida.

Drivers a little further inland (as far west as Pittsburgh) choose routes that include I-77, I-79, and/or I-81, eventually joining I-95 in South Carolina. For a great back road for history and nature buffs, stay on I-81 all the way to Knoxville, TN, where it joins I-75 to run through Georgia. National parks and Civil War battle sites dot the route from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to the Shenandoah Valley (did you know Disney once wanted to build a theme park here?), and on through the Smoky Mountains.

I-75 is on almost everyone’s plans from Ohio to Chicago to St. Louis and beyond, as nearly every preferred route merges with I-75 before reaching Georgia. The Chattanooga Tennessee/Northern Georgia area has a variety of interesting natural and historical sites, and is a perfect choice for your halfway layover. Those further south and west inevitably gravitate towards I-10, which skirts the Gulf Coast until it also meets I-75 in Florida (who can resist a stop in New Orleans?) once On I-75, Disney World-bound travelers head south past Ocala, Florida, to Florida’s Turnpike, which cuts southeast toward Orlando and I-4.

We hope your road trip is the best kind of adventure!

Copyright © Jennifer Marx, PassPorter Travel Press. All rights reserved.