Road trips never used to happen as much as they did ten or twenty years ago. Then coronavirus happened, meaning people are less likely to travel abroad and more likely to stay in their own country. However, they still want a break or even a holiday. This usually means driving somewhere different. Some countries are large, others small. You may just need to jump into your hybrid and head to the next city to visit some family for a week. Or you might be hauling your family across the entire country in an epic road trip. Maybe the road trip itself is the actual holiday. Whatever your planning, it pays to be prepared. If you aren’t, then you’re inviting any kinds of problems and mishaps. You may be used to long trips, or maybe this is your first. Advice for a trip may sound the same, but you need to apply it to your own journey. Don’t blindly apply advice without considering your own situation first. These should at least help change your perspective and help you have a far better and safer trip.
Full Safety Check
If you’re going long distance you need to ensure your vehicle is safe. This includes quite a lot of work, especially if you haven’t used it for a while or gone long distance for a while. You might want to get a full service. If your brakes are feeling a little spongy you’ll want to get brake repairs as soon as you can. Make sure you check the wiper blades. Are they clearing the screen properly? If not invest in new ones because it can be dangerous if you’re going fast and it starts to rain. Check the fluids, make sure you’re all topped off and ready to go. Tyre’s are another part of the vehicle which needs checking. If the tread has worn, make sure you get new tyres. You can measure this to make sure. Bad tyres will slip and slide so make sure you’ve got ones which can properly grip the road. If ever in doubt make sure you speak to your local mechanic and ask…better than being caught out on the road and getting yourself into trouble which could have been avoided.
Be Careful Off Road
When you’re off road you need to be a little more careful. Especially if you’re going into the wild on a hike or camping trip. Make sure you have told a couple of people where you’re going and that you’ll call them when you arrive. Take some emergency food and supplies. Take a sleeping bag or blanket with you and plenty of water. You might also want to take some spare petrol or diesel if you can. You’ll also need to take a spare tyre just in case something goes wrong and you need to change it. If you’re going somewhere snowy then you’ll really have to consider using chain tyres to get the grip you need. You might also want to take a decent shovel in case you get stuck. Consider a bit of old carpet too…if you’re getting no traction, even on the chains, this can help get you out of a sticky spot.
Plan Ahead
Long distance trips can be quite complex. In this day and age, a sat-nav is all you need to ensure the trip is successful. Yet, even so you should plan ahead to the best of your ability. This means booking your hotels in advance…with all that’s going on you might find it hard to find a good one. Plan your route too. Check the sat nav and see what it tells you. Make sure it’s updated to the latest software otherwise there might be road closures or other issues you’re not aware of. Planning ahead will also help you avoid the crazy traffic queues. If you work out when these are you can ensure you get to your destination a lot quicker than having to battle through countless queues of backed up traffic.
Know Where To Stop
If the trip is so long that you’ll need a break to sleep, make sure you plan these in. Don’t overshoot services or a motel if there’s a huge gap between the next one. Make sure you know where you are going to stop or otherwise simply make sure you’re travelling with someone else who can drive. That way you can both ensure you stay as fresh as possible. Enter them into your sat-nav so you know you won’t miss any of your stops.
