Preparing For A Long Car Journey.
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Our Cornish holiday is fast approaching! With just over a month to go before the long drive, Mikey and I are focusing on getting the car sorted and kitted out to ensure it’ll make the long car journey down there without and hitches!
I can’t believe that the summer holidays are nearly upon us and that Luke will be finishing Year 1. We’ve booked a fun week away in sunny old Cornwall, which is where I grew up. It’s a good 5 hour drive but it’ll likely take closer to 6 when we factor in stops for food, stretching our legs and changing Oscar’s nappy.
Mikey and I are no strangers to long car journeys though. We love a good road trip and so we’ve had many years of experience preparing the car before we head out on the road. I’ve put this post together with a few tips featuring some simple things that you can do to ensure that you all get to your family holiday location in one piece.
Keep reading for some practical road trip tips!
Fix any outstanding car issues.
Before you head out on a long car journey, it’s a good idea to fix any niggling issues you’ve been ignoring or putting off. It’s also a good opportunity for you to give your car a once over and make sure there aren’t any other underlying problems you don’t know about!
For a little while, Mikey’s driver side window didn’t work. It was easy to fix but finding the time to do it was proving difficult. There’s no way we were forking out the money to get it fixed by someone else though, especially when the tool we actually needed was only £10 from eBay. It sure does pay to know a thing or two about the mechanics of your car! With only a few weeks to go, Mikey and Luke found the time to go bond over “working on the car” and just fifteen minutes later, the window was fixed.
Get a decent satellite navigation system and make sure you know how to use it.
It’s strange, I can’t even remember what it was like travelling without a satellite navigation system anymore! I wouldn’t dream of setting off on holiday and exploring a new area without a decent SatNav nowadays. They’re the ultimate car gadget, especially on a long car journey, but do make sure you have familiarised yourself without your system before going on a long trip. There are some great navigation systems you find easily with autoDOC.CO.UK.
Top everything up.
The best time to do this is when you’re giving your car a good once over and looking for any issues. Take your oil, screen wash, water and anything else out with you and top it all up. You might also want to check on the status of your air con system, especially if you’re expecting to be sat in traffic with other holiday goers at some point.
Clean your car both inside and out.
Car journeys with children are stressful enough, so make sure you’ve made life easier for yourself by cleaning your car out and creating some extra space. Cars are magnets for crumbs, crisp wrappers, drink bottles and random items of clothing. Make sure you give the interior a good vacuum, ensuring you’ve pulled the car seats out first, so you can really get to those crumbs! Involving the kids in an afternoon car wash is a fun and practical way of keeping them entertained and involving them in the pre-holiday preparations.
Organise your boot space and make sure you have the necessary safety essentials packed.
No matter how much stuff you’ve got to cram in the back of your car, make sure you have also squeezed in everything you may need in case of emergency. I’m talking spare water, snacks, bulbs, oil, a first aid kit and a reflective emergency warning triangle {especially important if you are travelling through Europe}. Make sure that these things are placed so that they can easily be grabbed in time of need.
And finally, if you’re going on a long journey with kids, make sure you’ve got plenty of snacks and things to keep them entertained!
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Lukeosaurus And Me
Rachael is a 31 year old mum to 10 year old Luke and 5 year old Oscar. She lives in England and writes about family life, crafts, recipes, parenting wins(and fails), as well as travel, days out, fashion and living the frugal lifestyle.
One Comment
rv vent
A long road trip requires proper planning and detailed car care. So before you start packing your bags for your spontaneous getaway, make sure that your car’s in proper shape. After all, you don’t want to get stuck in the middle of a dusty hot road with a broken down car!