What’s as crucial to Thanksgiving as turkey, pumpkin pie, and football? Why, traveling across the miles to be with those you love, of course. Piling into the car, setting your GPS, and merging onto the crowded highways are necessary steps to getting to the table, but they’re not always easy to pull off.

Hidden roadside dangers can throw off your travel plans and threaten your budget. So, if you plan on hitting the roads this holiday, don’t press the gas before you read this guide.

Here is the Guide that will help you

Draw up a Budget

While a road trip may cost less than flights or train tickets, it’s not without its fair share of costs. You’ll have to fill up the tank more often, and you may want to bring your car in for a tune-up before you get on the roads.

Sit down with your finances to see how these extra costs affect your cash flow. If they stretch your budget to its breaking point, look at what other spending you can pause to free up cash.

Be wary of tapping your emergency fund for help. This cash is there to help you in case your trip goes sideways. Parking fines, traffic violations, or a minor fender bender can throw your budget off course if you don’t have an emergency fund.

If you face these unexpected bills without savings, an installment loan online may be a way you can get yourself out of trouble. You can even find installment loans for bad credit online if you’ve been denied bank loans in the past because of your score.

But while they’re a convenient substitute for savings in an emergency, online installment loans for bad credit don’t replace the need for this savings.

Check Your Vehicle

You may have confidence in your car when you’re zooming around town, but what about when your trip takes you across state lines? You need to make sure your vehicle is up for a long-haul before you put the pedal to the metal.

Simple maintenance checks can help you test your car is ready, and these tricks may also promise a smoother ride:

• Check all fluid levels (oil, brake, transmission, power steering, wiper fluids)
• Clean and/or replace windshield wipers
• Test tire pressure
• Switch to winter tires (experts recommend making the switch as soon as the weather stays consistently below 45 degrees)

Make Sure Your License, Insurance, and Registration Are up to Date

Driving without a current license or insurance can cause serious trouble for your Thanksgiving plans. If you’re caught, you could end up facing fines and points against your license. Or worse, an officer may impound your car or arrest you!

And while the chances you’ll get in trouble over for an expired registration tag is low, it’s never zero. If you’re pulled over for another reason, the office will notice these stickers are out of date and may levy you a fine.

Leave Early and Expect Delays

Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest travel days of the year. AAA reports more 55 million Americans kick off their holiday plans with a solid trip of 50 miles or more, and the majority of those travelers are your fellow drivers.

Some forty-nine million travelers will be sharing the roads. Once you add the usual commuters into the mix, your trip may take four-times as long as normal.

Adjust your departure with these delays in mind. These driving tricks will help you keep calm when you’re stuck in a sea of red brake lights. But more importantly, they’ll help you arrive at your destination safely, ready to tuck into some Thanksgiving turkey.