posted by Travel Cat on Jul 29
Have you ever just thought about driving into the sunset rather than going home?
You must have been sitting in traffic on the way to work - or stuck in congestion going to visit a friend - and just wanted to be out of there and off to somewhere different, so why not just do it one day?
You don’t need to plan a vacation and take time of work as such - just pick a direction and drive off! Of course, if you have longer, you can get further - but a few days will do! I did it once, just thought about a few things I wanted to see, and headed off…..
The Trip:
I love historic buildings and wildlife, so when I set off on my 3 month road trip - I made sure that I joined a few societies (to get free entry) and then headed off into an adventure!
You can end up anywhere and for as long as you want - depending on your car and your ideas. Even better the adventure if you just take a map and your bags!
Your only worry need be finding a petrol station and deciding where you want to visit next!
As long as you have a hotel guide to hand, you can stop anywhere you want - 1 night or 2! There is no need to book a room way in advance - although you sometimes might have to make a few calls to find an empty room at the weekends - you can call as late as 3pm and still get a place. This gives you more freedom to change your route and plans as things happen.
Staying in the same accommodation in places you like the look of allows you to leave your things in the room while you go out and explore - whereas if you only stay the one night, you need to have you stuff in the car while you visit places. Not so much a problem on the shorter trips - but not so good to leave too much in your car while you head into a zoo or museum for 4 hours or more!
And most hotels offer breakfast included as well as a great place to eat dinner - so you don’t even need to wander around looking for food. Or maybe stop off at a store on route and stock up on goodies for the room - there’s nothing better than feet up and a box of chocolates after a day exploring!
The Car:
Well, needles to say you are going to need a car you can trust to take you all those miles - and a car that looks good too wouldn’t be too bad either!
If you are only going away for the weekend - then just head off in whatever you have - but if you are going to make a habit of driving off whenever the mood takes you then why not start making your car look great too!
Make sure that the inside looks as good as the outside - whether it’s shiny bumpers or cool seat covers - you can drive in style wherever you decide to go! No need to be embarrassed about your wheels!
Whether it’s a nice picnic basket for the back seat, a sleek bike rack for the roof or some brand new vw accessories for the camper-van - splash out and make it a trip to remember!
Sometimes, you wait so long trying to plan the ‘perfect’ trip, that you never actually get around to doing anything! The number of people who say ‘I was planning to do something like that…’ or ‘I’ve always wanted to do that!’ But why can’t you just do it?
Take a chance and just go do it!
So, get a collection of your favourite CD’s and grab your camera for the ride of your life!

