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Now that the summer is well and truly upon us, the chances are that your mindset is slowly turning to holiday mode. While you could spend your annual vacation catching a flight and sunning it up on some tropical shore, you might prefer to choose a more financially astute vacation. The road trip has been a staple option for many holidaymakers for decades. The idea of packing a bag and taking off in your set of wheels is freeing. You can be spontaneous and decide when and where you will go. Perhaps you’d like to take a jaunt to a national park, or maybe you’d like to drive to a mountain range, or perhaps you’d rather drive to the coast. The choice really is yours.
A road trip puts you at the forefront of holiday organization. Unlike a tour that you book through an agent, you won’t be paying commission, and everything you decide to partake in will have to be organized by yourself. This can add an element of stress to your vacation, but it can also empower you to head off the beaten track and go where fewer tourists go. If a road trip sounds like your sort of thing, read on to find out how you can be sure to have an awesome holiday.
Planning
While planning can become a little tedious, especially if you’ve never done it before, it’s vital if you are to make a success of your trip. Usually, you book through an agent or online and your holiday is sorted. This time, you need to plan your driving route, the stop offs that you will make, accommodation you need to book and activities you want to partake in. You could choose to slum it and camp throughout your trip, or you might prefer the luxury of hotels.
You could decide to take your own car on your travels, but many people prefer to hire a new vehicle for the trip. This can bring a sense of novelty to your vacation, rather than taking the same set of wheels that you drive every day on your commute to work. You could select a convertible, a Cadillac or a campervan to take on your trip. If you have a young brood in tow, a campervan can be perfect to cut costs on accommodation. You also have more freedom, pulling up wherever you like and hunkering down for the night. RVs, caravans and campervans make you more self sufficient than if you were to rely on motels and hotels every night.
Make sure you have the relevant insurances and check your vehicle over before you leave. At the very least, you should be checking your tires, oil and other fluids. Ensure you have breakdown cover and always have the number of qualified car accident lawyers in your back pocket. You might not foresee a collision happening, but it’s always good to be prepared.
The Route
While it is a road trip, you shouldn’t be spending eight hours a day driving without doing anything else. Design your route so that you can drive for a couple of hours, have a break, maybe enjoy a tourist attraction or two, drive a little more, enjoy a meal at a nice restaurant and then check into your next hotel. Doing too much driving will leave you tired, and you won’t have time to do much else. Ensure that you make a list of the sights you want to see. If you head to a national park, you might spend a few days not driving at all and just soaking up the nature around you. Remember this is your trip, and you can choose to do as much or as little as you like.
Boredom
Little human beings that tag along for the ride often complain of being bored. Counter this by providing your little darlings with plenty to keep them occupied. Have designated tablet time, get yourself a couple of portable DVD players, some travel games and the odd book. Often kids are bored because they’re hungry so ensure you have plenty of healthy snacks for the ride. Pick up some trail mix, fruit, oat bars and sandwiches. By ensuring that they have little time to get bored, you can have a much more pleasant trip. If you find the constant whine of ‘Are we there yet?’ becoming unbearable, it might be time for a pit stop.
Don’t sit your kids in the back never to talk to them for the trip. Chat to them about where you’re going, the activities they’ll be having a go at, and keep them enthused and excited about their vacation.
Heading out on a road trip should be exciting. While it takes a little more planning than the usual holiday, you could find your family having the most exciting and worthwhile vacation ever because of the quality family time you get to spend together.
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