You drive me crazy!
With the August bank holiday weekend on the horizon, many people will be ‘gearing’ up to hit the roads for their late summer road trip, with the average driver spending a total of 251 minutes in the car travelling to and from their destination, with the most popular hot spots being Cornwall, Devon and the Lake District.
Sounds great right, a nice little road trip to somewhere nice, but we’ve done a little bit of research and have discovered that a whopping two thirds of Brits (64%) actually suffer from road-trip-phobia and dread spending long periods of time in the car.
The biggest triggers
When it comes to what sets off road-trip-phobia, the biggest triggers were found to be heavy traffic, with a third of motorists (29%) admitting this drive them round the bend, tiresome drives (20%) and being uncomfortable in the car (14%).
Back seat driving continues to put a tenth of motorists (11%) off longer journeys, and amazingly a quarter of drivers (24%), can’t survive long road-trips without 4G or a Wi-Fi signal – especially social savvy people under 30, with a third (29%) even going as far to say that it’s essential for a good trip.
Finding that happy place
To keep their families entertained on long journeys it seems that parents have a few tricks up their sleeves…
A quarter (24%) admitted that they’d bribe their children with sweets if it ensured a peaceful drive, and a third (35%) will splash the cash on new tech accessories to keep their children entertained.
A sixth (14%) even said that they’d forgo their own playlists to play nursery rhymes on repeat if it keeps the kids happy, putting their own sanity at risk.
Our road trip hacks
To help drivers along the road, we’ve created a set of hacks to help for the perfect road trip.
All motorists really need is a steady flow of air to keep them alert, a working sat-nav so they don’t have pesky instructions from back seat drivers, snacks that are easy to clean should the kids spill them, and a minimum of three toilet stops to keep your passengers happy.
Andy James, UK CEO of 1ST CENTRAL, said “While some might find long car journeys daunting, it needn’t drive motorists round the bend; the road trip can actually be a great way to reconnect with your family. By following our simple hacks motorists can take the stress out of their journey, leaving them with more time to simply get on with what matters and enjoy time with their families.”
Take a look and see if our five hacks can help you achieve the perfect road trip…
1. Get a breath of fresh air
Stuffy cars are the worst, especially on long car journeys, which is why it’s important to have air conditioning on or the windows open to circulate air within the car.
Not only will this help motorists drive with a clear head, but passengers are also less likely to feel nauseous and uncomfortable on the journey.
2. You won’t like them when they’re ‘hangry’
Ensure you have a enough snacks and drinks in the car so no one gets ‘hangry’ on the way.
Obviously think practically about what food and drink travels best – you wouldn’t want to have a messy car by the time you reach your destination.
So, drinks in cartons or cans and dry snacks tend to work best.
You may also want to avoid snacks high in sugar so that kids aren’t sent into a craze mid-journey.
3. Check how many service stations are along your route
While you don’t want to incur the wrath of ‘hangry’ passengers and will want to keep them hydrated, be mindful that they will need to relieve themselves along the way too.
So, Google how many service stations or restroom opportunities there are along your route to ensure you stick to your schedule and accommodate the needs of everyone you’re travelling with.
4. Check your tech
There’s nothing more frustrating than finding out your sat nav doesn’t work, or your phone battery dies mid journey.
Check your technology works the night before you travel and make sure you have a power bank or charging cable in the car to keep you on track.
5. Keep your family entertained while keeping your sanity
With so many portable gadgets now available to buy, you can easily find some in-car entertainment tech to suit every budget.
While these are great to keep the little ones entertained on long car journeys, more traditional car games like eye-spy can also do the trick and singing songs can help to make the journey fly by.
