Long car journeys can go either way. It can be a fantastic chance to spend time with your friends and family, out on the open road, and taking a break from your real life and the ever-growing time demands of technology. Long car journeys are enjoyable experiences that bring you joy, giving you a chance to see the sights, have some fun and relieve some stress. Or, it can be an uncomfortable, hot, sticky, tedious nightmare that you never want to repeat. In the worst scenarios, it can even be dangerous or have a negative impact on your health.
If you’ve got a long car journey coming up this year, you’ll probably want to make sure it’s one of the wonderful ones. So, here’s everything that you need to prepare to make it so.
Check Your Car
The last thing that you want during a long road trip is car trouble. You don’t want to break down in the middle of nowhere or find yourself involved in an accident because your car is in poor condition. If you want a smooth and safe journey, it’s imperative that you take the time to perform some car safety checks before leaving home. Giving yourself plenty of time to fix anything that you need to before setting off.
Be sure to check the tire pressure and tread, your brakes and lights, your mirrors, all of the fluid levels and any dashboard lights that are on. If your car hasn’t been in the garage for a while, you may even want to take it in for a full service.
Arrange Appropriate Insurance
No one wants to have an accident or breakdown, but no matter how careful you are, you never know what might happen. Make sure you’ve got cheap car insurance that covers everything you need, as well as travel insurance to protect your trip. It can also be worth purchasing breakdown cover; just make sure it covers your destination and not just driving at home.
Plan Your Route
A satellite navigation system or a maps app on your phone is a useful tool, but it’s vital that you don’t rely on it blindly. Programme in your route and set your system up in your car. But, also take the time to plan your route and look at maps. Use this time to book motels along your way if you will need stops.
Plan Another Route
Maps and even satellite systems aren’t always up to date. Check online for any news of roadworks, large incidents or planned road closures and plan an alternative route. It’s a good idea to have a few backups in mind just in case you run into trouble along the way.
Pack Carefully
The key to a happy and harmonious road trip is often in the packing. Take your time to make sure that you’ve got snacks and drinks, plenty of music, pillows, blankets, games, a change of clothes and travel toiletries, wipes, a rubbish bag and anything else that you can think of to make the trip both comfortable and fun.
