From Jozi to Kapa: A guide for your first road trip

Road trips are a great way to travel and explore the country to see places, sites, and scenery you don’t usually see in your day-to-day life.

Also see: Sleep tourism: Why travellers are choosing rest over busy itineraries

A road trip is also a great way to create more memories in one trip. Stopping in one city after another and catching glimpses of a world beyond yours while travelling to a specific destination is something a bus trip or plane ride simply cannot offer you.

However, as beautiful an experience a road trip can be, a successful, less stressful trip requires meticulous planning. Here is your beginner guide for your first trip.

1. Plan your trip beforehand

You do not decide to go on a road trip spontaneously.

Start with an outline in mind. Think where you are going, how far it is, what route you want to take, money for fuel and snacks, whether your car is safe to drive, how many people are joining you, and how many hours each person can drive.

Make sure you’re travelling with more than one person who can drive, someone who knows the route by memory, a physical map, and download an offline app as well.

2. Budget

Set a budget that accounts for the expected costs like snacks, fuel, accommodation, toll gates, and parking. Put aside reasonable emergency funds for cases where prices may have risen from your initial budgeting stage and for unexpected emergencies like being towed.

Also see: The benefits of solo travel

3. Make sure your vehicle is roadworthy

This step is the most crucial one.

Make sure your vehicle is up to date on everything, from brakes to engine oil to lights, and that your car has been recently fully serviced, your licence disc is renewed, your car insurance is paid, and you have roadside assistance. Check that your tyre pressure is good for all five tyres.

4. Pack an emergency kit

Make sure the emergency kit in your car is fully stocked. Create a checklist of items you will need, such as:

• First-aid kit
• Torch or headlamp
• Reflective warning triangle
• Jumper cables
• Tyre-repair kit or portable inflator
• Work gloves
• Tow rope
• Reflective vest
• Blanket
• Bottled water
• Power bank
• Copies of important documents
• Car window breaker

Anything can happen on the road. The last thing anyone wants is to be stranded in the middle of nowhere in a place they don’t know without any safety measures in place.

Also see: Packing tips every traveller should know