Hitting the road on your next summer excursion? Whether you're heading to Grandma's with the kids or hitting Route I-90 for a cross-country jaunt, don't leave home without these tried and tested traveling tips. With some help from our friends at AAA, read more about avoiding traffic, saving money, and staying safe and healthy (and staying awake!) on your next road trip. Just as important, learn more about feeling good once you arrive at your destination rather than spending unnecessary time recovering from the travel.

1. Before beginning a long drive, always get enough sleep and eat something before you go. Highly caffeinated beverages are not necessarily the best way to stay awake while driving. While initially you will feel more alert, the effects can recede with time, and your attention may wander although you remain awake.

2. Pull over and take breaks every couple of hours, even if you don't feel sleepy. Grab a snack, get some fresh air, and stretch your legs by walking around. If you need to, take a quick nap.

3. If you can, share the driving responsibilities with someone else. This will allow you to keep an eye on each other while driving and also enable you to nap without losing time. If you're driving alone, switch on the radio or put on some music (nothing better than a little hip hop for to keep dad awake, angry but awake,) and keep your window cracked open. You may also want to refrain from using your cruise control if you're driving alone at night -- having to concentrate on maintaining your speed can help you stay awake. And depending where you headed, watch out for deer and other four-legged varmints that could potential be hazardous.

4. When you do have to pull over -- move your vehicle off the road. Never park on the shoulder or in the breakdown lane for any reason except an emergency. If possible, pull into a rest area, take a break.

5. Without access to your local supermarket or favorite fitness DVD, travelers often find themselves subsisting on greasy fast food and abandoning their usual exercise routines to sit for long hours on planes or buses. Vegetarian, organic, low carb, low cal, low fat — no matter what diet you're on, there's a good chance that it went down the tubes on your last vacation.

But believe it or not, it's possible to eat well on a cross-country road trip, to stay active without access to a gym and even to go on a cruise without gaining 5 or 10 pounds. You can eat healthy and stay active no matter what kind of trip you're taking, saving you major time.

6. Search the web for traffic update sites and listen to radio traffic alerts, especially when approaching major cities. All-news stations on the AM dial are often your best bet. You should plan out your exact route before you even leave the house -- but bring along a map or road atlas just in case. While many folks like to print directions from

7. Lock all of your valuables (especially items that are clearly gifts) in the trunk or glove compartment and stow all luggage in the trunk.

8. Familiarize yourself with local traffic laws, which vary from state to state and especially overseas. Is it legal to make a right turn at a red light? What are the rules on yielding to pedestrians?

9. Before setting off on a long car trip, be sure your vehicle is in prime condition -- that tires are properly inflated, all fluids are at their proper levels and you have a full tank of gas. (For particularly long road trips, you may want to have your mechanic do a more thorough check.)

10. Consider becoming a member of AAA or signing up for your car insurer's roadside assistance program. You won't regret it when your car breaks down on a lonely back road in Iowa or South Dakota.

11. Keep costs down by conserving gas as you drive. Minimize sudden starts and stops, empty your car of all unnecessary weight, and slow down -- it takes much less fuel to drive 65 miles an hour than it does to drive 80.

12. Don't wait until your gas gauge is sitting on "E" to refuel. On an unfamiliar road, you never know when the next gas station will appear. As soon as you hit a quarter of a tank, start scoping out a place to fill up.

13. When traveling with kids, be sure to stop often -- not just for snacks and potty breaks, but also for fun. See a cool playground along the way? Pull over and throw a Frisbee around. You'll also want to pack toys, books and music for the car -- not to mention your motion sickness remedy of choice. 14. Feeling the munchies? Stock up on snacks and drinks at grocery stores rather than gas stations or convenience stores -- you'll get a wider and healthier selection, as well as better prices.

14. On longer trips, keep napkins, plastic ware and a small cooler handy for meals on the go. You'll also want some spare change for tolls, as well as a first-aid kit, flashlight, pillow and blanket. Keep a set of jumper cables, a spare tire or donut, and extra fluids for the car (such as windshield wiper fluid) in your trunk.

15. This last tip should go without saying, but it's important enough that I'll say it anyway: Make sure everyone in the car buckles his or her seatbelt. Not only will it keep you safe, but in most places it's also the law.