How to Prepare for Your SPACE Expedition

The plans are set, the PTO is taken, the permits are in and you’re excited to embark on a new journey with your SPACE trailer. But there are still some important things to prepare before parting on your SPACE expedition.

Checklists

What do the Apollo mission, medical surgery, airplane takeoffs, and road trips all have in common? They all require extensive and exhaustive checklists. Even seasoned travelers forget things, and sometimes the consequences are inconvenient, or even dire. Make an itemized checklist for the various components of your trip organized based on the contents of containers, then a checklist of the containers themselves. This ensures you don’t forget anything and can have peace of mind while traveling, knowing you have the right stuff. There are a wide variety of apps to serve this purpose, or even just simple pen and paper.

Maintenance Checks

Mechanical issues can derail an expedition fast. It is always worthwhile to check tire pressures, oil levels and give your SPACE trailer some attention before departing. If you are traveling interstate, get the car cleared by a trusted mechanic to tackle any underlying mechanical problems. A quick check beforehand can save a lot of time, money and frustration spent at a faraway mechanic.

Handle Your Business

If you’re taking time off work, handle things in advance to keep your expedition stress free. A little advance work can go a long way to make your transition back to work smooth. Set up an out of office email, inform your employer and confirm your PTO. Consider a set time or date to check back in with your work but allow yourself grace to be unavailable the rest of the expedition.

Let your People Know

It may seem small, but letting people know your planned itinerary can go far to keep you safe. This works to the benefit of both parties. Loved ones may be the first to raise an alarm about travelers being out of contact and initiate a rescue. People familiar with your itinerary may also share crucial information about weather, outages or other events that can prevent a lot of trouble for travelers. Other times the knowledge where someone is can soothe loved ones when travelers are out of cellular service but according to plan. Consider leaving a direct itinerary and using a location tracking service. Most map apps such as google maps, or apple maps have features to share your location with others.