One of my absolute favorite things to do each year is to take a trip to a nearby mountainous or hilly area, which displays the beauty of fall foliage. As the leaves start to turn colors and show off glorious hues of red, yellow, and orange, you can't help but want to pack up the car and take a picnic, hike, or even a long drive to enjoy the beauty of the season. My family usually makes a day trip out of heading to one of our favorite areas to view fall foliage, and it's definitely something worth planning for your family, as well.

If you're ready to plan a day trip for viewing and enjoying the fall foliage, here are a few tips to make sure you have the best trip ever!

Check peak color weeks in your area.

Peak color will be different depending on climate and temperature. Check to see when fall foliage will be at peak color weeks. I like to plan my trip for the week before or the week after peak color weeks. Peak weeks tend to be extremely heavy with traffic and can cause unwanted delays, interruptions in viewing, or even traffic accidents. If you can go earlier or later, you just might wind up with the best and most peaceful viewing experience.

Be prepared and expect delays.

When it comes to traveling during the fall season, you may be surprised by the number of delays and high traffic there is on the road toward your destination. You can expect to spend a little extra time in the car if you're viewing leaves near a peak color week. Plan your route ahead of time. It may be worth it to map out alternate routes, off of the main interstate or highway. You should always have a Plan B route planned, anyway, in case the traffic really gets jammed up. You should have a few provisions in the car with you, just in case you're in a more remote area where there isn't a place to stop for a snack or drink. Bringing along a stainless steel tumbler is a great idea, and the bigger the better. This will keep your water cold in the car, even after a few hours on the road. You should also bring a few snacks like apples, granola bars, etc- in case you need a boost of energy and protein.

If traveling with kids, bring something to entertain them with.

Our go-to in the car would be books. We love Wipe-clean activity books that are fun for the kids and easy for them to use in the car. There is virtually zero mess with a wipe-clean book. Doodle pads are also great! We like to bring two along with us in the car so we can have drawing contests! We also have lots of fun travel games that can easily be played as a boredom buster if needed.

Bring device chargers!

Since you don't know how long you'll be in the car from start to finish on your day trip, make sure you bring device chargers. Your kids will want them for tablets, and you will definitely want to have a way to charge your phone. No one needs to be stuck without GPS or without their camera. You know you'll want to take lots of pictures of the fall foliage you find!

Make sure the car is prepped for the trip.

As with any little trip you may take out of town, make sure the car is in good working order with no major issues that need to be addressed. Get your car to the dealership or a trusted mechanic if there is anything you think needs to be checked out before heading out of town.

This post brought to you by Reedman-Toll Subaru of Exton.