Argus Car Hire

So the DVDs are BOR-ing, the Nintendo DS battery is on its last legs and the “are we there yets” are beginning to get incessant - what do you do now to keep the kids in the back occupied?  Well you might try a few of these rather lo-tech games.  You’ll be surprised just how much mileage the little ones get out of them…

I Spy

Perfect for long car journeys-it’s the game where you spot things beginning with a letter.  This is better for children who can spell and can be very educational.  Children learning to read can play this with a little bit of help and those younger can focus on colour.

Motorway Snap

Each player picks a colour of a car or make and writes down the make and colour of the car.  Whoever sees a car of the same colour or make shouts “snap”.

Coloured Cars

Each player picks a colour and this is written on a piece of paper beside your name.  Players get a point each time they spot a car of their chosen colour.  The winner is the first player to reach 10 or 20 depending on how busy the road is.  This game is useful for helping children with their colours and attention.

Hand Over the Map

Give your children their own copy of the map of where you are going.  Show them how far you have travelled and how much further there is to go.  Every time they ask “Are we there yet?” let them take out their map and see for themselves.

Printable Colouring Pages

Colouring is a tried and tested method for distracting young children.  The following are some links to online colouring pages for you to print.

Crayola Printable Colouring Pages

National Geographic Colouring Pages

Nickelodeon

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A little while back we held a competition that asked you to tell us about your Ultimate Road Trip recommendations.  Your stories revealed lots of things, from special memories to favourite routes, but most of all, just how much you enjoyed the freedom and independence of life on the road.  Your responses were so interesting and informative that they got us thinking about ways you could help enhance the whole road-trip experience for other drivers.   

The following are a few tips we’ve compiled (with your help) for surviving life on the road:

The Route:

No matter what your plans, two things are essential:

1. A Starting Point

The biggest regret many of you admitted to was driving too many miles in one day.  So no prizes for guessing what we’re about to suggest.  Cut down your miles and you’ll be surprised about how much more you’ll get to enjoy and experience your new surroundings.  With a flexible plan you’ll be able to spend more time somewhere that really captures your imagination. 

 2. A Map

While many of you found adventure off-the-beaten-track, without maps or GPS help, first-timers can’t really go wrong with a tried and trusted route.

The Car:

When booking your rental car ahead of the big trip, consider your route carefully.
If you’re heading for the hills and mountains, think SUV.  Do a little research and you may only end up paying a little more for a bigger car than you might for a compact.  Take into account the number of passengers you’re bringing along.  If you book your car with a major credit card you’ll probably be partially covered for rental insurance, but always check!  Call your credit card company and clarify exactly what is covered and what additional insurance you need to buy from the rental card company. 

You might also look into adding another person to the rental car contract.  One designated driver may be a recipe for arguments. 

Your Party:

The passengers you’re travelling with are likely to affect you more than any other aspect of your trip.  That’s why it makes sense to sit down with your friends and have a conversation before your trip to figure out what each person wants to get out of the trip.  Although you’ll rarely all agree on what’s fun, it is possible to strike a balance between planning and adventure, even if personalities end up clashing sometimes.

If some people feel iffy about travelling without hotel reservations, while you wouldn’t give a second thought to sleeping in your car, try compromising.  Booking accommodation on certain nights of the trip but keeping other options open will make everyone happy.  The clearer everyone is about the trip before getting out on the open road, the happier your trip will be!

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The weather is heating up, but so too are tempers.  To help avoid nasty confrontations, we’ve compiled a list of our top three driving grievances and how to avoid them this summer.

Traffic

Red. Yellow. Green. Beep. Rev. Swear.  Traffic jams are part and parcel of driving no matter where you travel.  However, with a little careful planning and help from clever technology, there is light (hopefully green) at the end of the tunnel (preferably empty).

In-car navigation systems, especially ones that link to real-time traffic information providers can help you to avoid traffic jams altogether.  But, if you haven’t got one, the best thing to do is to avoid well-known traffic black spots, especially on public holiday weekends when they’re notoriously bad.  Forget technology.  Whip out the good old-fashioned map and seek out alternate routes.

Caravans

A home on the road: the perfect holiday in theory, but let’s get practical.   Small aluminium house + clapped out car =unhappy union. It is one that poses many potential dangers (and much stress) to the drivers stuck behind the rattling, could-jackknife-at-any-minute caravan.

So how do you steer clear of caravans?  Well, you could just stick to motorways and dual carriageways, where caravans are banned.  But then again, you’re on a driving holiday, shouldn’t you be getting out there and enjoying the open road?  Well, you could always set a destination on your GPS and make a request for it to show you all local caravan sites.  If you’re heading to a beauty spot with a high concentration of sites, it’s probably best to avoid taking the back road!

Tailgators

Tailgating is probably the number one cause of road rage for drivers at any time of the year.  Picture it:  You’re in the second overtaking lane and there’s a snarling sports car lurking mere inches away.  You feel intimidated, you’ve no other option but to break the speed limit, then you realise there’s no space in the middle lane to pull into.

Tailgating is not only uncomfortable, but can also be infuriating when you’re the car being tailgated.  The best thing to do is remain calm and pull over if you can.  Most road rage incidents happen as a result of drivers taking other people’ s bad driving habits personally.  What you have to realise is it’s not personal, you’ve just found yourself in front of a bad driver.  If they want to get ahead, just let them go.

What kind of drivers annoy you? Leave a comment and let us know!

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