Long road trips can be great fun, and the perfect alternative to travelling abroad if you’re on a budget. With so many beautiful and interesting places to visit and thing to do and see at home in the UK, it’s no surprise that more and more people are opting for long distance road trips for a holiday. However, when planning a long road trip, making sure that you are safe and that everything runs smoothly is absolutely vital. Preparing your car for the drive is one of the most important things that you can do in order to ensure that you get to where you’re going and back without any problems. We’ve put together a checklist of things to do to prepare your car for a long road trip.
Planning the Route and Parking
Although this might not involve your car and its physical condition, planning your route, including where you’re going to park, is an important step when preparing for any long road trip. Mapping out and planning your route beforehand via the AA route planner can help you to avoid traffic, pick the shortest (or the most scenic) route, and help you avoid stress whilst driving with a smaller risk of getting lost. Along with that, booking your parking space or spaces beforehand from Your Parking Space can also make things easier for you, as you’ll spend less time looking for somewhere to park and more time enjoying your trip.
Lights and Electrics
When preparing your car for a long road trip, check that all of the lights and electrics are working. If you have a tail light that’s been blinking and threatening to go out for a while now, before a long road trip is the perfect time to have this fixed. Since your car’s lights are so important when it comes to safety on the road as they inform other drivers of what you’re about to do and help you to be seen, making sure that they are all in good working order before you set off is essential, even if you’re only planning to be driving in the daylight.
Oil and Water
Before setting off on a long road trip, you need to ensure that all of the vital liquids in your car’s engine are topped up. This includes engine oil, water, and windscreen wash, which are all crucial when it comes to your car working and driving properly. If you haven’t topped up any of these for a while, there’s a big chance that you won’t have enough to withstand hours of driving at a time. It’s not difficult to top oil and water in your engine up by yourself, or you can take your car to a garage to have it done by someone who’s in the know.
These are just some of the most important things to prepare for before a long road trip. Making sure that your tyres are inflated properly and the car is clean and comfortable for you and your passengers is essential, too!
