Being a Prepared Driver: Long Distance Travelling

The festive season may be over but there are still many people on the roads. Some may be going away for the holiday breaks now while others may be travelling to visit family or attend weddings and parties. Wherever the road takes you it is important that you take care of a few things before you depart. Here are a few tips to help prepare you for long distance travelling.

• Pack your suitcases in advance. Whatever you’re going to take with you to your destination needs to be packed early so that you don’t forget anything. Then pack your suitcases into the car the night before you leave. You don’t want to exhaust yourself on the day you’re going to drive. You’ll need all the rest you can get.
• Get rest. Ensure you get about 8 hours of sleep the night before you leave. Your body and your mind need to be in top shape when you tackle long distance travelling. You need to concentrate at all times to ensure your safe arrival at your destination.
• Travel with someone. When driving a distance it can become tedious after a while. Take someone with you, possibly someone who can relieve you of the driving responsibilities. This will enable you to rest while the other person drives.
• If you’re travelling with kids, take activities. Kids can get bored quickly. Pack a few games, toys and snacks to keep them busy. Also take a pillow and a blanket to make them comfortable when they take a nap.
• Check your car. If your car is serviced on a regular basis then you know that the major concerns are out of the way. However, in between these services and especially before you go on a journey, you need to check a few things. Check that your car has sufficient water and oil, the tyres are pumped, there’s enough fuel, the clutch functions normally and the brakes are checked. You can take your car for a quick clutch and brake check if you are in doubt. It’s a quick process for clutch and brake repairs.
• Pack some snacks and drinks. While you’re on the road you might become peckish or thirsty. Having a few snacks at hand will save you the time, cost and effort of getting it from the fuel station’s convenience store.
• Make sure that nothing obscures your view of the back. Sometimes you might find that you have plenty of bags so you pack your car to brim. You always need to be able to view all around your car and seeing through the back window is important.