Road Trips are becoming an increasingly popular holiday activity for a large number of travel enthusiasts. This is largely due to it being glamorised by celebrities in television programmes; being showcased as an exciting way to learn about cultures and see new places.
One example of this is Ewan McGregor, who embarked on a 19,000 mile journey on his motorbike in the popular TV mini-series ‘Long Way Round’ back in 2004 with his friend Charley Boorman. Together they travelled through parts of Europe, Asia and America.
Top Gear has also contributed, with presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May completing a number of road trips during the ten year duration of the modern version of the programme across America, Europe and even the North Pole.
However, it is not all fun and frolics as Clarkson et al. found out on their road trip across the USA in 2008 when they failed to research certain intricacies of local culture prior to entering Alabama. With this in mind, we chronicle the top five essentials that travellers often forget to think about before embarking on their road trips.
5. Insurance and Breakdown cover
While travel enthusiasts commonly realise that travel insurance is of vital importance; the majority of motorists automatically assume that they will be covered in any country by their motor insurance and breakdown cover policies. This simply isn’t the case with the majority of providers, so it is important to check the small print of your policy before leaving so that you know whether or not you will need to purchase separate policies to cover you in foreign lands.
One thing to bear in mind if you are forced to shop for separate policies is that the cheapest deal will not always be the best value for money, as cheaper policies may place stipulations on the number of days cover you are eligible for each year outside of your home country.
Going without both of these policies simply isn’t an option. Taking your vehicle onto the road without being covered by insurance is illegal; while going without breakdown cover would be foolish. The frame on McGregor’s bike broke in two places while the pair were in Serbia; a problem that would leave the average motorist who is without the aid of a supporting television production crew in serious trouble.
4. Mobile Phones
Even if you have the most comprehensive breakdown cover package in the world, it is going to do you know good if you can’t phone up your provider and ask for help.
However, it is not mobile phones that most people tend to forget; it is actually their phone chargers. Phones are neither use nor ornament if there isn’t some way of charging them available.
3. Puncture repair kit or spare wheel
This isn’t as much of an issue if you already have a sufficient breakdown cover policy in place, but it is still a wise precaution. Always make sure that you have either a spare wheel or at the very least a puncture repair kit available with you at all times.
It doesn’t take much to tear a tyre, particularly in countries where the level of maintenance on the road surfacing is below par. You would therefore be unwise to leave home without taking this precaution.
2. First aid kit
It isn’t just your vehicle that can suffer the odd bump or scratch. You should therefore always ensure that you are carrying a first aid kit in case of an emergency, either involving yourself or anyone else that you happen to be travelling with.
1. Local laws, culture and environment
This is something that Clarkson forgot to research prior to entering Alabama, but local laws and cultures will obviously vary. It is therefore important to make sure that you are conforming so as not anger local residents or arouse the suspicion of law enforcers.
Are there any taboo topics in terms of religion? Want is the local currency that will be required? Is the water going to be okay to drink from the tap? These are all things that need to be considered prior to venturing off on your journey.