Planning a big road trip around Europe? How exciting! Before you pack your bags however, you’ll need to make sure your car is ready to go. As part of the #RoadtripsofEurope campaign, I thought I’d bring you some of my top tips to make sure you have a fun, successful, and safe trip. Here are some things to consider:
Check your tyres
This is one of the most important aspects. That’s because a blown tyre can be extremely dangerous if you’re traveling at speed, and can also cost you hours of your holiday if it suddenly begins going flat. One of the best ways to make sure your car is safe is to get your tyres checked by a professional and consider getting your tyres fitted at Kwik Fit.
Check all fluids
This includes your brake fluid, coolant, oil, and windshield-washer fluid. Take a look at your transmission and power-steering fluids as well. It’s a good idea to get a professional to check these if you’re going to be traveling for a while.
Look at your hoses
Squeeze any hoses with your forefinger and thumb near the clamps, which is where they tend to be weakest. Look for any mushy or soft spots. A hose in a good condition should be bendable but firm. Keep an eye out for cracks, a glassy, hardened surface, or abrasive damage.
Brakes
Obviously, you need your breaks to be in great working order- especially if you’re thinking about doing any of the best road trips in Europe, such as Route 500 in Germany, Trollstigen in Norway, or the Ring of Kerry in Ireland. Many of these road trips have some of the most incredible scenery and views in the world, but they also include some seriously high, windy, and sometimes dangerous roads. That’s not to mean that you shouldn’t check them out- you definitely should. But it’s imperative that your brakes are in good working condition.
Lights
Check your brake lights, indicators, and the inside car light are all in working order. Otherwise, you can expect to get pulled over at least once on your road trip.
Emergency kit
Just in case, you should make sure you have a few things with you. These include a battery-based phone charger, basic tools like pliers and a phillips screwdriver, flares, warning lights, or a hazard triangle in case you break down, and everything you need to change a tyre. You should also include a first aid kit.
Comments are closed.