Driving home for Christmas by Bert Kaufmann CC BY 2.0
Driving home for Christmas by Bert Kaufmann CC BY 2.0
Christmas is often regarded as the best time of the year but also one of the most stressful, especially if you are a motorist with a long stretch of road ahead of you.
There are 12 million cars expected to be on the road over the festive period with the average journey taking 75 minutes. If you have a lengthy drive ahead of you before you get to see your nearest and dearest, then read our top tips to help you prepare and enjoy the trip.
Fuel prices in the UK are the lowest that they have been for years. Take full advantage of this and fill your tank – especially if you are travelling to a rural location where petrol stations are few and far between.
Reduce your risk of getting lost by fully charging your sat nav before you head off on your journey and stay alert by taking regular breaks. It is also worth stocking up on food and snacks for the trip as service stations can be pricey and often have limited choice. Having treats ready to give out will also keep passengers occupied.
Car games are a great way to keep the whole family entertained on a road trip. Classic activities such as ‘I spy’ are free to do and loved by everyone. The ‘Who am I?’ game is also a fun but challenging task that requires participants to guess a famous person simply by asking questions that are met with a yes or no answer.
As we approach 2015, almost every household has access to a mobile phone or tablet that can perform a multitude of tasks – including streaming TV shows, playing music and app games. These are excellent for keeping small (and big) kids entertained during a trip and can be kept fully powered with in-car chargers. However, make sure that you have sufficient data allowance to stream or download large files, otherwise you may be met with a substantial bill come January.
It may be worth investing in a portable DVD player for journey entertainment. These can be attached to the back of car seats, reducing the risk of driver distraction. Tablets can also be used in the same way.
Classic Christmas movies such as Home Alone 2, The Muppet’s Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life, will be happily received by bored passengers.
If you don’t fancy playing games or occupying passengers with expensive gadgets, then you could always create a playlist of your favourite Christmas songs to listen to.
If you need some inspiration, we have listed some of the most popular songs for this time of year.
So you have made it to your destination, it’s now time to enjoy Christmas!
Remember all of these tips can be applied to the return journey and if you need some advice on driving in winter weather or getting your car prepared, you can read our essential guide.
If you think fitting all of your newly received gifts into your car is going to be a struggle, take a look at our storage ideas.
