Are you planning a road trip with friends, alone, or with family? Perhaps it is a long-distance drive? Road trips, especially long drives, can be particularly draining for both seasoned and new drivers.
Taking time to plan for such trips can save you from boredom and fatigue, even when looking to drive alone. Below are a few tips and tricks on preparing for a long-distance drive.
Pack An Emergency Kit
There is no better way to plan a road trip than to prepare for the worst. This means bringing an emergency kit complete with all the essentials you’d need, both for you and the car. This includes necessities such as spare engine oil, fuel, fuses, a bottle of water, a blanket and a shovel. Some of these will come in handy in case of a minor accident or when you have to spend the night in a remote or detached area. The blanket and shovel will come in handy in cold and extreme winter temperatures.
Stock Up On Entertainment Options
Long trips, even in the company of friends and family, can become boring, especially if you do not have a single source of entertainment. It thus would be advisable to create a playlist everyone would enjoy throughout the trip. This may mean downloading music for offline listening or, even better, creating a mixtape. If music isn’t your thing, you can try an audiobook. You might also want to ensure your car stereo is functioning optimally. This might mean getting your amps and subs checked and ensuring that you have QI wireless charging to keep devices fully charged.
Make Sure The Car Is Well-Serviced
Although the car might be running fine, it is advisable to check everything to ensure it is in the best condition possible. Check everything from tire pressure, fuel levels/gauges, water level, oil condition and level, and brakes.
Pack Enough Food
Packed food is an absolute must if there are children involved. It would thus be advisable to pack up enough snacks to help keep everyone fueled up for the entire trip. You could choose to prepare sandwiches for everyone to enjoy during the better part of the trip, then consider packed foods later on. It might be good to avoid drinking lots of fluids, as these will mean lots of stopovers.
Pack Right
Take your time to prepare and pack your car for the trip. This can be the difference between having numerous stopovers and not. Packing strategically will help ensure no rogue bag will come flying from the back seat, nor will you forget about your favorite snacks in the boot. A roof box might be handy if you are short on car storage space.
Take Regular Breaks
As mentioned, long trips can be monotonous, leading to physical and mental fatigue. Tiredness, according to ROSPA, is the root cause of more than 20% of reported road accidents in the United Kingdom. Such can however be avoided by taking regular breaks and getting enough sleep the night before.
