Our Cultural Road Trip: Creating Family Memories & Learning While Staying Safe & On Budget

The story of our cultural road trip is part of a campaign compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. However, all opinions, memories and labor are mine alone. #CambialoConQS #CollectiveBias

One of the things I love the most is traveling with my family and since we are a bunch of six in my household and can quickly become twelve or more when my sisters, nieces and nephews are also part of our adventures. That’s why driving within the United States is our favorite way of getting to know new places, and that’s exactly what we did with our latest cultural road trip when my sister Yanil came to visit from the Dominican Republic and wanted to know more of North Carolina.

Traveling provides us with endless opportunities to teach our children about the world around them and beyond, and since kids of this generation are experiencing the unique time in our history in which cultural diversity is becoming the norm, going on a cultural road trip I knew would not only benefit my kids, but also my nieces who came from DR to spend part of their summer vacation with us. This was already a culturally enriching experience because the simple fact that they were spending time together represented the cultural exchange that is now common among family members who live in different countries.

However, as the hosts, we wanted them to experience some of the beautiful and cool things North Carolina has to offer. I also wanted there to be an educational experience for the kids to go away with more than the beach and being on the road. That’s when we decided that our cultural road trip had to be to the Outer Banks where there are not only beautiful beaches, nice restaurants and fun activities to do, but there is also history the kids could learn: both the locals and the visitors.

We chose to stay at Nags Head to enjoy its beautiful sand, warmth and cool water. Spending the day playing with the strong waves (and running from them for the little ones!) was a great bonding opportunity for all of us. The kids play in the sand and we talked about the differences of going to the beach here in the US, versus going in DR. No palm trees or vendors, colder water and no music. The kids had a blast, my nieces enjoyed getting to know this new place and my kids have been asking when do we get to go there.

For the educational part of our cultural road trip we chose to visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial, which I must say was pretty cool for the adults as a well , because none of us had been there before. We told the kids about the history of flight and how the brothers took the first plane ever to the air, we talked about the importance of determination and letting your imagination flow to achieve what some might think it’s impossible.

We also took other road trips while my sister visited: went to the North Carolina Zoo and the kids enjoyed getting to see the animals and run wild all over the huge space. Visited the Marbles Children’s Museum as well as some of our area parks.

Planning Our Cultural Road Trip

Of course, in planning our cultural road trip there were key elements that I had to take into consideration: it had to be educational, fun, close enough so the kids wouldn’t not get restless in the car, and above all, it had to be affordable. In the other hand, safety is always crucial for us as a family and having the car checked for all the needs was very important. I must confess that since my husband is a mechanic I get away with not paying too much attention to my car.

When he checked the vehicle he was shocked about how low the oil was, especially since he had been telling me to bring him the car for a few weeks. I felt bad because I know I should pay more attention to those things and he suggested I learn how to check the level and change the oil when needed. The truth is that I might need to do it at some point and it doesn’t hurt for me to learn.

So, I did!

Before doing anything I headed to Walmart to buy what I needed for my adventure. Hubby is always wanting good quality while I keep an eye on the budget, so we agreed that the best option was to get the Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™ Full Synthetic Motor Oil and I was happy to see that the 5 QT presentation had an everyday low price of $20.24 on rollback. You can’t beat that!

I want to share with you the tutorial of how to change the oil on your car and become a do it yourself powerhouse. However, if you are anything like me, you’d probably have someone do it for you and I have great news for you. You have the option to go with the “do it for me” smart choice by visiting the Walmart Auto Center and get an awesome deal with the Pit Crew Oil Change for just $19.88. That’s a smart move if you don’t want to get your hands dirty and don’t have a personal instructor at home, like I do. Either way, you can be confident that Quaker State can give you peace of mind by keeping your car well maintained with quality oil products that you can trust.

Personally, as someone that knew nothing about oil changes and car maintenance, I feel confident with Quaker State because it is a brand I’ve known since living in DR, it is used all throughout Latin America and is one of the top-selling ones. So, I knew that much. Hubby was impressed, lol!

DIY Tutorial: Changing The Oil
For Your Next Cultural Road Trip

Once I got back from Walmart I was excited to learn a new skill. I’m independent and love when I can be self-sufficient while staying on budget by buying a product that provides great value. Having the confidence that I can do this if I need to has been very empowering. Plus, it was easier than I had imagined, and I’m sure you can do it, too!

What You Need:

1 5QT Quaker State Oil (make sure to use the oil weight designed for you car, as specified in your Owner’s Manual)

1 filter (you can check your car’s service manual to see the specifications)

Old rag

Oil tray to drain the old one

A jack stand (this is the most important tool when changing your oil at home, this will guarantee your safety)

A car jack OR you can use two car ramps to lift the car up

Funnel to pour the new oil into your car

Small set of sockets with assortment sizes

Oil filter wrench

How To do It:

Make sure your car is cool before starting the oil change
Check the oil level to see the condition of the leftover oil. If it’s too low and too dirty that might be a sign of potential issues with your engine
Open the oil cap to allow the oil to flow when you drain it
Jack up the car and put the jack stand under the vehicle and make sure is secure
Remove the oil filter before draining the oil
Place the tray under the car and remove the oil drain plug
Put the new oil filter in place and reinstall the plug and make is torqued properly
Carefully, lower the vehicle
Place the funnel and fill with oil according to vehicle specifications
Put the cap back on and start the vehicle for a few seconds, check for leaks underneath the car and the filter area
Recheck oil to make sure is at the right level
Make sure to put a sticker on the windshield to remind you when your next change is due
You’re done!