Dodge has recently commissioned a survey and according to their gathered result they have found out that around eight in ten Americans or approximately 77 percent plan to drive for their next family vacation. The Dodge brand national survey aims to provide insight on how Americans deal with family road trips. The survey also wants to help families to prepare for the upcoming holiday travel.

Basing on the survey, Dodge was also able to point out the factors considered as important to families who plan to go on a trip and these are as follows: comfort, convenience, and fun.

So Dodge together with Susan Foster a renowned travel expert and author has teamed up to offer families with simple to follow tips to avoid possible road trip disasters and to focus on quality family time especially for the coming holiday season:

•    Family usually chooses to drive due to the extra luggage and gear that they can take with them—and for the coming holiday the extra gifts they can bring. It is ideal to have a vehicle such as the all-new 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan with innovative storage areas since it provides more packing flexibility. It is also a good idea that when packing the vehicle to gather all in one area and edit to fit. Soft-sided bags may be squished in to fit as compared to rigid rectangular suitcases.
•    Prior to your family trip make sure that you make a list of things that you need to bring with you. Remove unnecessary things. It was found out in the survey that one in four Americans or approximately 25 percent have experienced stress during family road trips due to packing problems.
•    The survey also shows that no matter how enjoyable family road trips are still 59 percent of six out of ten Americans have experienced stress before or during the trip attributed to boredom or the lack of entertainment. Entertainment features such as DVD players, satellite radio, and SIRIUS Backseat TV™ can do wonders in making road trips fun. Likewise, classic games such as playing cards or telling jokes or counting cars of a specific color, etc. are also great pastimes.
•    The Dodge brand national survey also reveals that around 33 percent or one in three Americans say that his or her reason to drive rather than fly this holiday is to get control of the trip including the ability to decide when to stop and go for sightseeing. Three-quarters or 75 percent of Americans say that they enjoy looking at the different parts of the country.
•    And in order to ensure that you enjoy your family road trip make sure to choose a reliable vehicle loaded with helpful features such as a navigation system which makes it easier for you to chart your itinerary. Another advantage of road trips is that history and geography becomes real once kids see and experience the country. To add to the excitement of the trip you may choose a different route with the aid of your car's navigation system for your return home trip.

According to Ralph Gilles, Vice President—Jeep®/Truck, Advance Interior and Component Design, Chrysler: "Today's families are on the move, and the all-new 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan is purpose-built to serve their everyday needs. With new features such as the Swivel 'n Go(TM) seating system, dual DVD entertainment system and SIRIUS Backseat TV, the Grand Caravan brings the comforts of home on the road."