If you’re off on a European trip and taking your car, there’s always ‘the list’ of things you’ll need to do and take. Some are out of the ordinary (breathalyser) others are more usual (sat nav), but there’s always that list.
With the holiday season rapidly approaching (yes it’s a couple of weeks until the schools break up!) I thought back over the years to what has often been a stressful build up to the point of departure.
I’ve often found myself working late in the days before a family trip abroad – simply to make sure I’m fully on top of (or ahead of the game on) everything I’m responsible for while I’m away.
And then there’s ‘the list’. This starts being formed in January or February, as soon as the holiday destination is decided and the dates are set. It begins life as a vague set of things we think we might need or need to do, in order to get the best from our break.
Things you’ll need for a European driving trip
Since more often than not we decide to take the car to Europe, this soon escalates into a list of lists! There are the things we must sort out for the car – insurance, breakdown cover, servicing and so on. Then there’s the list of what we need to take with us – everything from sun screen to sat nav, bathing gear to buckets and spades, and passports to paperbacks.
We’ve actually just put together the Which? Car top 10 list of things you’ll need to take on your driving holiday if you want a hand with putting your own list together.
Of course, then there’s the ‘things-to-do list’, which is also stressful – cancel the milk, check the tyres, tell the neighbours, close the house up…
Is it really worth all the effort?
I occasionally think maybe a ‘staycation’ would be a more relaxing option. But then there are my previous holiday memories tempting me back. And I do enjoy the excitement and anticipation – both during the family debates about where and when we’ll go on holiday, and then once we reach a decision and make our bookings.
And once I arrive at wherever it is we’ve been grafting hard to make it to for our holiday, I always find the rest, relaxation and recuperation time is worth all that stress. So hopefully our list of things you’ll need for a European driving trip will help take some of the stress out of the preparation for some of you. Now where did I put the camcorder?
Does the daunting ‘list’ put you off going on holiday with your car?
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