Europe is a continent that is absolutely exploding with places to explore. Whether you’re a lover of history, culture, natural beauty, food, or just about anything else, there are a lot of stops to make. Which is why a road trip through the hottest of hot spots is something I’d recommend to just about anyone making the trip. But you want to make sure you’re not making any huge mistakes when you do. So here are a few rules to keep things smooth and enjoy it all a bit more.
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Learn how to drive
Whether you’re going from the UK or the US, you’re going to have to get used to how different the roads can be. This is for your safety more than anything. For one, get prepared for a lot of roundabouts that can seem like quite the roulette. Similarly, you need to be more cautious about overtaking and being overtaken. While many do navigate with their signals, it’s not a universal language over there.
Pay the toll
If your road trip involves going between different countries, then you’re going to have to make sure that you’re legally fit to enter. For a lot of places, that means passing through a toll and having a highway vignette. A vignette is a pass that you stick inside your car, making it clear you’re free to drive on through. Make sure you know which places require a toll and which require a vignette. For instance, Croatia only requires toll payments while Slovenia only requires highway vignettes.
Plan your stops well in advance
Yes, road trips are about exploration, but there’s a lot of Europe to explore. Plot out every stop of the journey and learn as much about each stop as you can. Particularly in cities, you want to find out where to put your car and how far it is from where you’re staying. You want to know where to park in Paris before leaving the car behind to explore Notre Dame and the Louvre.
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Don’t forget anything
Preparing for a road trip means getting equipped. You need to know the climates of the kind of places you’re going and make sure you have the right clothes. It’s a good idea to keep a car emergency kit, with a blanket, food, a list of emergency numbers and jumper cables, too. Create a checklist of essential road trip equipment and make sure you have it all.
Keep those memories
There’s no point taking a road trip only to get caught up in all the ways you can make sure it goes smoothly. You also want to have a trip you’ll always remember. Taking snapshots is good for more than just keeping the memory. It’s also a good way to incentivize yourself to find those shots worth taking, which means a bit more exploring.
Do your research and book as much in advance as you can. As well as helping you stick to places you can at least recognize, it’ll keep you safe and make sure you hit those bucket-list locations. After that, it’s about enjoying the trip as much as you can.
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