How to prepare for a road trip?
Our Subaru magazine is jam packed with tips for planning a trip. We’ve covered road trips with friends, road trip planning when you’re part of a couple, places to go and what to see when you’re there. But when it comes to road trip planning, you should aim for the complete list: a mix of the fun — and the focused!
Road Trip Preparations
The Fun
Choose your road trip partner (carefully!). Jokes aside, do you know what their peeves are? Do they know yours? You don’t want to fly high with the excitement of road trip planning — and all the anticipation that goes with it — only to have your plans divebomb, crash and burn… all because the person you thought you could enjoy spending that much time with in a considerably confined space, turns out to be a diva of note.
But let’s say you’ve made this selection carefully (as part of your noteworthy road trip preparation), and you’re getting ready to head off on your adventure. Do you know the route you’re going to take? Have you pre-empted stops along the way — both for recharging rests and refreshments, and/or even for stay-overs? Part of a memorable road trip in your Subaru isn’t just the destination, but also the journey — right?
Keep the mood light and breezy by playing games. These help everybody stay alert and can teach you a lot you might not have known about your car-mates. Check out our post on “Road Trip Games to Entertain the whole Family.”
The Focused
As mentioned, ideal road trip planning means that stops along the way don’t have to be interruptions; they can be strategic as well as enjoyable. Spend some time in a town you’re not likely to see much of; who knows, you might make some new friends?! And if not, you’ll definitely have the memories forever.
How to plan a road trip itinerary?
Consider this example of a well-plotted, break-filled trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town, as an example:
- Johannesburg to Parys: ±1.5 hours
- Parys to Bloemfontein: ±3.5 hours
- Bloemfontein to Hannover: ±3.5 hours
- Hannover to the Karoo National Park: ±3 hours
- Karoo National Park to Montagu: ±3.5 hours
- Montagu to Cape Town: ±2 hours
You’ll notice that each sprint of driving here never exceeds 3.5 hours. This is smart road trip planning because it keeps you alert and refreshed. First prize is having more than one licensed driver, and rotating the driving responsibilities to give each person a proper rest in between their driving sessions.
Tips for Planning a Trip
To be sure your Subaru is in tip-top shape, part of your road trip planning should include a check-up for your car. Find your local dealership in context to where you’re based, and discuss a service inspection than can be booked into any one of our Approved Repair Network hubs — just so that you’re safe rather than sorry should something be amiss that could have been detected before you’re between here and wherever you’re headed.
Remember that, if you have any questions or concerns, or would like anything confirmed regarding your finely tuned machine, we at Subaru are here to help. Call our Customer Care Department on +27 11 608 0116, or pop in to your nearest dealership and have a chat to one of our friendly consultants. And if there’s something missing from your road trip planning — such as the Subaru itself — why not book a test drive and convince yourself that Confidence in Motion will be the greatest decision you ever made — fact!
