Auto guide on Planning a RoadTrip
We often wish to escape from our daily routine life to a place where we can get some calm and peace. Unlike our daily commute, travelling on long routes needs precise planning. Be it checking the condition of the vehicle, Route planning or even tackling emergency situations.
One has to make sure that the vehicle being used is in its best condition and has completed its due servicing. Also the details of the route should be very clear. Before commencing the journey, one has to take care of the lodging options. In case of an emergency, there should be sufficient storage of resources. Over and above, a roadtrip needs detailed planning in advance.
In this auto guide article we concentrate on the meticulous details of all the essentials needed while planning a roadtrip.
The vehicle
One has to make sure that the vehicle is at its best condition. The tyre pressure, engine oil and the conditions of the brakes have to be thoroughly checked and verified if they are at the optimum levels. Before taking the vehicle for a long journey, make sure that it has been serviced properly and has passed all the general checkups and maintenance from an authorized workshop.
Also, the type of vehicle needed for the trip has to be decided according to the different requirements. If the roads are not proper and it is a hilly terrain then ideally an SUV should be the best solution. However if it a smooth road and the conditions are very favorable then a sedan or a hatchback can be suffice just fine. An hatchback can be used if there are not many passengers and also it is handy while parking it in tight spaces.
Route planning
A good route planning could reduce the stress one can come across and also assure reaching the places on time. Additional help can be acquired from apps such as google maps which is available on most of the modern mobile devices which will be handy throughout the journey.
Having information of the places to be visited can help plan the journey in a better way along with ensuring reaching the destination on time. Apart from route planning, importance is to be given for the timing of places to visit. Most of the government tourism places such as monuments; famous temples etc have specific timings for visitors. A clear knowledge about the same is a must to avoid disappointment. Collecting contact numbers of the concerned office would turn out to be useful.
After studying the route maps, one can sort out the list of places to visit on priority. Time of reaching specific place is very important for example Visiting Brindavan Gardens at Mysore would be best during evening than during broad day similarly visiting a bird sanctuary or a hill view during early morning would offer a better experience.
Boarding and Lodging
After making a route plan, the immediate next thing one has to consider would be that of booking hotels or lodges. These days most of the well furnished hotels have internet booking facility. One can directly book the room of choice and report to the hotel as per schedule. However in case of emergency situations, it’s always better to keep information of hotels that could be available in nearby town and city.
On such long journeys there must be adequate arrangements to make a short interim stops. These stops can be for used for food, refreshment or for relaxing purpose but then they are very important as it helps reduce stress. Also on highways, often there are no hotels for long stretches together so such stops can take care of adverse situations. It is always advisable that the driver takes frequent stops on long journeys to ease up.
Packing
Packing is a very interesting part of any tour planning. While a missed item could give troubles, too much luggage could take up otherwise useful space. One must first consider the number of days of travel, type of places to visit, climate conditions, and probable dress code at places to visit. Luggage won’t be much of a problem if the car is a sedan or a MUV/SUV. In case of hatchback cars there is limited space for one or two full size bags. Here one must take extra care while choosing things to carry. Even the age and gender factor also matters while selecting clothes and other accessories. If elderly passengers are travelling then double ensue that they carry their relevant medicine else it could lead to complications.
Things like a water bottle, small knife set, a pen torch, battery, a matchbox ,a small utensil and ready to eat food articles (Maggie, MTR Upma, etc) could be very handy when needed. Emergency on road
Emergency situations like Tyre puncture, Technical break down, Planed attack by gang during night travel etc are some of the adverse situations one can come across while on travel. We had dealt with the topic in detail in our auto guide article on “Emergency Auto Guide”. A brief reference of the same would always be helpful during travel. http://www.cartrade.com/auto-guides/emergency-auto-guide--117482.html
Conclusion
In planning a road trip, major part lies in preparations to be done. Most of the points mentioned in article are known to many people. There are innumerable instances where despite knowing everything about measures to be taken while going on tour, people tend to make mistakes by taking things for granted.
The main intention of the article is to stress the important things to check and follow up in a clear manner so as to ensure a smooth trip.
Learning from past and applying to the present is the key to happy traveling. We welcome the viewers to share their experience, provide tips from their experience of long touring that could be helpful to others
