Top tips for the perfect road trip

As good as it is at home, one day there comes a time when one dreams of going on vacation or traveling. Below we will present you with a few points on how to succeed on a trip.

Top tips for the perfect road trip

1. International Automobile License

It is highly recommended that you take care of getting one. It is not difficult and not expensive. Yes, you can do without them. Many people do so. What is there, the author himself safely traveled by car in the U.S. and Europe with an ordinary Russian driver's license. But only at your own risk. In the case of a finicky police officer or an emergency, you may have problems. And some car rental companies may refuse to provide a car without an international license.

2. Renting a car

If you are planning to rent a car (you have a hard time getting to South or North America on your own), be sure to carefully study the car rental companies beforehand. There are more and more of them now. Get acquainted with reviews on forums. It may well happen that the price that is acceptable at first sight in not very diligent auto dealers may increase almost twice. Do not forget about the dimensions of the car. Do not take it "right to the size". Take into account that you will be in the car for a long time during the trip. Sooner or later the passengers will want to take a nap. And if initially a small sedan for four people seemed to you a good option (in the closeness, but not in offence), after a few days of the trip cramped space can become a serious problem.

3. Driving Regulations

Yes, they may be different in some countries. Somewhere insignificantly, somewhere considerably. It is desirable to learn in advance all the features of traffic rules of the country where you plan to go. So that it did not turn out later, for example, that there is left-hand traffic. Or speed limits are seriously different from those that are set in your country of residence. Find out about the toll roads. Fees, payment methods, the availability of free alternatives. Do not forget to read the rules on paying for parking. Los Angeles, for example, met us a fine of $ 100 for parking in the wrong place (where they are marked by the color of the curb). And this despite the fact that paid parking in the guarded underground parking in the City of Angels is no more than ten dollars a day.

4. The route

Carefully plan the route. Even minor errors can ruin your vacation. Be sure to set aside extra time for travel. Reserve. Move strictly to the schedule minute by minute, especially in unfamiliar areas, few people get. As a result, instead of enjoying the beautiful sights and national monuments, you, like a trucker, will have to relentlessly frantically catch up with the route, to be in time for the departure point or the end of vacation.

5. Google and Yandex Maps. And paper maps

Download as many maps and travel guides as you can on your devices. But don't forget the good old paper maps. They cost a couple of euros, and they can help you a lot. If your devices run out of juice or can't find the internet, a good old paper helps you get out of the back roads at night.

6. Accommodation

It is advisable to take care in advance about the key points of accommodation on your route. This thing is not as simple as it may seem at first glance. The fact is that by booking rooms along the route in advance you lose the ability to maneuver. Somewhere to stay for a day if you like the city, somewhere, on the contrary, to speed up.

If you don't book, you get the opportunity. But with it you risk spending the night in the car, not finding a bed in time. In this case, experienced travelers take a pair of sleeping bags. They weigh a couple hundred grams, take up little space, but at night oh how can help you.

7. Music

This is not as trivial as it might seem at first glance. A day or two in the trip without music can be tolerated, but then it becomes boring. The radio outside the cities often does not pick up, and sometimes it can happen that there is no player in the car at all. Or it is faulty. In this case the playlist you downloaded to your mobile device will help (don't skimp on its content). A mini speaker, the choice of which is now extremely extensive, will bring the situation to an ideal situation.

8. Food

Yes, along the roads, and especially in cities, if we are talking about civilized countries, you can always find something to eat. But it's worth being prepared for emergencies. First of all, be sure to buy a three- to five-liter can of pure drinking water in the trunk. Water is always useful! Take your word for it. Drink, wash your hands, wash your face. And also keep a couple of packs of crackers or something similar of non-perishable provisions in the car just in case. Severely hungry author once had to wait nine hours to arrive at the hotel while traveling in Spain. To have a trivial meal. The thing is that if during the daytime a lot of cafes and restaurants were eagerly waiting for travelers, at 7-8 pm, they all closed. And on the road along the sea and the mountains only automatic gas stations were open, where you could buy absolutely nothing but gasoline.

9. SIM card

Take care to buy a local SIM card. You have a rest not in a hotel, a permanent wi-fi you will not. And to know where you are, where the nearest hotel, gas station or cafe may always be needed. Also write down the emergency phone numbers of the country you are traveling to.

10. Useful little things

Pillow on the neck that we can see during air travel, a special blindfold, earplugs - these things will take up minimal space in your luggage, but will help a lot to recover during the trip. Insect repellent and sunglasses fall into the same category.

11. Online translator

Be prepared for the fact that far from the cities in small towns and gas stations, the locals do not know international languages. In that case, download online translators to your phone or tablet. Otherwise, at a gas station in a village somewhere in Catalonia, you will have to explain on your fingers for a long time to an elderly employee what you want.