Road tripping in summer is a long-standing tradition for many people.
Something about getting in a car and just travelling for a long time has romantic connotations for many, and the open road has often been the stage for many amazing adventures both in literature and in real life. Embarking on a journey on a whim is not advisable generally speaking, as your car may not be ready to undertake the strain of hours and hours of constant running, unless you’ve recently purchased a new car from Cars and Co National Car Brokers, in which case the newness of the car should be fairly reliable. Here are 6 ways to prepare for your next big road trip, in the hopes you’ll be inspired to find your next great adventure.
Planning
Planning is crucial, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
Road trips are great for the possibility of spontaneity, but that doesn’t mean a basic framework will go awry. Work out where you want to go and the places you want to visit along the way, and make a loose set of places to visit. This will make your road trip more than a meandering directionless jaunt into the country, and ensure there’s always a final spot in mind for you to reach.
Entertainment
It’s something people don’t tend to remember about road trips, but they are incredibly long, and often boring. Bring things to entertain yourself, you will absolutely need them at one point or another, and it’s a common trap that people fall into where they assume the sights and sounds will enrapture them, however after six hours of nothing but pastures and grazing cows you really begin to wish you had brought a movie or something to watch that night.
Scheduling
Working out an idea of when you want to be at your stopping points is more of a safety thing than a required thing. You don’t want to rush yourself through the sights and sounds of your rolling holiday, but you will be travelling through unfamiliar areas and staying in strange places, so having an itinerary of sorts to leave with a family member at home is good for safety, especially if you’re travelling alone.
Food
Packing food that you bought before your trip began is a good idea. This method of pre-buying food with long shelf life means that you won’t have a night spent hungry towards the end of your journey, and you also won’t have to spend fuel money on food. Buying canned vegetables, soup and long-life milk and other things that can be kept outside of a refrigerator is a great idea for these reasons, and future-you will thank past-you for the foresight.
Clothing
Travelling will always expose you to different temperatures than you’re used to, with different biomes and different clothing needs. If you’re travelling through countryside Australia during the middle of summer it’s a fairly safe bet that you’ll need shorts and a singlet, for instance, but the nights in the country can get surprisingly cold, and you might need one or two changes of warmer clothing. Pack a little bit of everything and a lot of what you’re sure you’ll need, and you’ll be ready for anything.
Company
Finally, we come to one of the most crucial parts of the road trip experience.
If you bring anyone with you, who do you bring? You have to be ready to be in close quarters with this person for hours on end and days at a time without any space for yourself, so make sure you choose wisely. Also, adjust your plans for the food and fuel accordingly, and it might be a good idea to try for someone who has a license and can drive your car, so you don’t have to be the sole provider of transport for the entire trip.
If you’re safe and careful with your resources, your road trip can become the stuff of legends amongst your friends.
