Planning the Ultimate Road Trip

On the road again...

It’s ok to daydream. It’s ok to occasionally gaze out of your office window and dream of the wider world for a bit. Close your eyes for a second and you can picture yourself, your best person by your side, haring down an open road laughing like drains.

Step one: Pick a car

Not sure what to take? It’s a good thing you’re in the right place to get hold of some of the best cars in the world. Give yourself a budget, and head to Carhuna’s classified listings, or the auctions and find your dream set of wheels. The kind of car you go for depends on the sort of road trip you want to take. In the mood for something adventurous? A V8 Land Rover Defender would suit. Or do you simply want to sit back and cruise - something from Bentley might just fit the bill. If you’re looking for an icon, then a classic Porsche 911, or Jaguar E-Type will fill the brief perfectly. If you’re the type who thinks packing things like clothes, and… things is a bit much, then how’s about car light on luggage space? A Ferrari F40, perhaps? However you like your cars, Carhuna has something perfect for you.

Step two: Find your people

Solo road trips can be incredible things. No one else to worry about, time to spend at your leisure, you can stop whenever you want. For some people there’s little better than seeing the world armed with little more than their own two eyes. If that’s not what you’re about, it’s time to sort an invite list out. The people you pick depend on a number of factors. The first is, probably, the number of seats in the car. If you’re in a two seater you should probably limit yourself to one person. If you’ve back seats and a big boot, you can bring a few more people along. The trick here is to make sure whoever’s in the car with you is going to compliment your style. Hitting up party spots might be great for you, but if your buddy is more the museums and gallery type you may butt heads more than once. Ensure your company is aligned with your goals. And that they can all fit in the car.

Step three: Choose your country

Staying in your home country can be fun. It’ll give you an opportunity to explore the big shiny places that people on Instagram rave about, and maybe see where you’re from in a new light. You can also get as far away from home as possible. Point your car at the nearest country you don’t have a passport for, and try something new.

Step four: Decide what kind of driving you want to do

Different people get different kicks out of driving. For some, only the smoothest, twistiest roads will do. Others love the big, open sweepers you find in places like Spain. Alternatively, getting from place to place using motorways to see as many cities as possible could work for you. Of course, there’s the off road route as well. Make sure you nail down the kind of roads you’re after before committing to anything. Unless…

Step five: Are you a planner?

Are you going to be regimented, or leave things to chance? Picking the exact places you want to go, and specific things to see does guarantee a full trip, but it leaves little to chance. You’ll stay in the places you want to without any fuss, which is always good after a day of pedalling across continents. Sometimes it’s fun to simply point your car at a city and see what happens on the way. Who knows who you’ll meet in a tiny town miles from anywhere. Or what kind of adventures you’ll end up on as a result.

Step six: Pack properly

Make sure you’ve got the right kind of kit with you, and that it doesn’t eat all the space in the car. If you know where you’re going is likely to be chilly, take a jacket… but not six. Having every inch of space in the car full to the brim will be uncomfortable, and means you can’t bring anything home with you - apart from a fridge magnet or two.

Step seven: Get the boring bits right

No one likes the admin bits of road trips, but if you get them right straight away you’re golden. Make sure your car’s insured in the right places, you’ve got breakdown cover sorted, you’ve paid for clean air tags in the cities that may require them, and that you’ve got the right set of bulbs/high viz jackets/triangles in easy to reach places should the authorities want to take a look. Oh, and don’t forget your passport. Just in case.

Step eight: Have the best time

This one’s self explanatory, but it’s worth mentioning all the same.

Step nine: When you get back, maybe switch things up a bit

You’ve ventured out into the wider world in a shiny car and loved every moment of it. Why not pop it up on Carhuna and switch it out for something a little different for round two?