As we wave goodbye to 2016, a New Year beckons! It’s a time for new travel opportunities and a chance to discover more areas of this incredible planet and all it has to offer; one of the best ways to achieve this is with a good old-fashioned road trip. The stuff of legend due, in part, to Hollywood movies such as Easy Rider, Dumb and Dumber, and Road Trip (aptly enough), it’s also a chance to kick back and enjoy some stunning scenery.
For a road trip, you can stay local or you can head far afield to new countries and make your way around. It’s entirely up to you – but how do you ensure you have an awesome road trip? In part you need to ensure your vehicle is up to the job, but there are also a few extra pieces of advice you should bear in mind.
Visit the right country
If you’re heading on a road trip, make sure you visit the country with the best scenery available! Whether it’s America, Scotland, England, France, Germany, Japan, or Iceland, there are established road trip routes which you can follow in most nations.
Iceland, in particular, has an incredible route set up which traverses all the way around what is essentially one very big island. Do a bit of research before you head out anywhere and you should be all set for a fantastic road trip in 2017!
Read travel books!
For a bit of inspiration, why not read a few classic travel books? From the likes of On the Road by Jack Kerouac, the Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux, and almost anything by Wilfred Thesiger, there are plenty of books which will inspire wanderlust in you. This list of 13 such travel books will help you along!
Watch travel films!
Again, this is an easy-going way to get a bit of research done. Get inspiration from the movies; watch Easy Rider, Dumb and Dumber, or whatever else you want to pick up tips for how to have a fun road trip. Just leave out any of the more chaotic elements! This list of 10 great American road trip films is a great place to start, especially as the US is basically synonymous with road trips.
Use apps like Airbnb
Take advantage of free apps such as Airbnb to ensure you have a cheap and friendly place to stay. This app is an online community where independent accommodation services put up cheap places to stay for weary travellers – it’s not exactly a new service so don’t worry about veracity, there are tens of thousands of registered places to stay which kind of makes it the eBay version of accommodation.
Get the right tyres
Wherever you’re heading, you want your vehicle (be it car, SUV, 4×4, or even a van, most likely a van) to be in tip top condition. One of the most important factors is ensuring your tyres are up to the task so, considering the amount of miles you’ll be putting in, you’d be best set with a new selection of compounds.
If you’re driving a 4×4, for instance, ensure you get the right 4×4 tyres to deal with the current season and where you may be heading. If you’re going to be off-roading (always a good option for maximum fun!), then you’ll want strong and durable tyres up to the task.
Whatever your situation, you can head to a garage or use a mobile tyre fitting service to ensure your vehicle is all setup and ready. This includes giving it a good service check for any mechanical issues, and ensuring your tyre pressures are at the right levels.