1. Plan Your Journey

Avoid stress whilst you’re on the road and plan ahead. It is well worth planning a route to take across the country, planning roughly how much you can spend each day and planning activities that you can stop and do along the way.

2. Check Your Car’s Fluids

To keep your car in tip top condition and avoid the risks of breakdowns, you should make sure the following fluids are kept topped up: including engine oil, windscreen washer fluid, engine coolant and of course, fuel.

3. Check Your Tyres

Take a few moments to check the tread and pressure of your car tyres. This may save you from breaking down or worse, a crash. Check that you have a road worthy spare wheel in your car in case of an emergency and maybe a can of tyre foam?

4. Prepare Car Games

Preparing a range of car games that the children can play may delay or at best, prevent the dreaded question asked by every child on a car journey, ‘Are we there yet?’. Grrrrrrrr!

5. An Emergency Kit

No matter how old or new your car is, it could break down. An emergency kit should consist of a breakdown triangle, a blanket, a torch, high visibility jackets (legal requirement in France), a mobile phone, a map, and most importantly breakdown cover details. If you break down put on the hazard warning lights, get out of the car on the passenger side and move away from the vehicle.

6. Pack The Car Well

If you pack the car in a rush you have a tendency to miss things, and to forget where everything is in the car. Take your time, put things in the glove box that you will need on the journey. Make sure you can easily reach things like CD’s, tissues, snacks, map etc. Everything else should be packed in the order you will need them.

7. Stop For A Picnic

Who says that your holiday has to start when you reach your destination? Why not start it on your journey and stop for a picnic along the way? Take a few snacks, sandwiches, crisps, drinks and fruit and find a nice spot to stop and have a picnic.

8. Plan A Scenic Route?

Rather than just traveling along the boring motorways, why not plan a scenic route for your journey? Advantages of taking a scenic route to your destination include, avoiding long holiday tailbacks, stopping to stretch your legs more often, and discovering quaint little villages and beautiful scenery along the way.

9. Take Anti Sickness Remedies

There is nothing worse than having poorly children in the back of the car. As well as over the counter anti sickness tablets you can use acupressure bracelets which have a small plastic button on the inside which put gentle pressure on acupuncture points. One final remedy would be to try ginger snap biscuits, as ginger can be a natural remedy to nausea.

10.

Have you got your Free Motor Legal membership & accident survival checklist?

If the worst happens and you have a bump that was not your fault, calling our 24/7 claims line on 0800 144 44 88 could have you back on the road without needing to claim from your own insurance policy and avoid paying your excess.