Home Travel 4 Game-Changing Tips for Driving to an Unfamiliar Location

4 Game-Changing Tips for Driving to an Unfamiliar Location

If you are anything like us, driving can sometimes be quite a stressful situation! While taking your car on a familiar commute can be done almost without thinking, this is not always the case when you are driving to an unfamiliar location. However, it really does not have to be and taking your car somewhere new can actually be an enjoyable and liberating experience.

Map Out Travel Plans

Planning ahead and marking out your travel plans is one of the easiest ways in which you can take away the stress of driving to an unfamiliar location. A good old road map can easily do the job here. Simply plan out the route that you would like to take and refer back to this while you are on your way. Everyone should have a road map in their car anyway as it is something that will always come in handy should you get lost. For those of you who discover at the last minute that you don’t have a road map to hand, you can always print off a map from the internet from sites like AA Route Planner until you can purchase a road map from a service station.

If you have the cash, it can also be helpful to have a Sat Nav nearby as the latest systems are normally very accurate and can help you get from A to B easily. What’s more, a Sat Nav can also keep you right when it comes to speed limits, as this too can sometimes be quite confusing when you are driving to an unfamiliar location. However, we would still recommend that you take a road map and have your route planned out on this too, as even the very best of Sat Navs may not be up to date with any construction changes that are going on and we’ve all been there when the Sat Nav decides to take you off into a completely different direction!

Stick to Major Routes

Following on from mapping out your travel plans, we would also suggest that when you are driving to an unfamiliar place you stick to the major routes. While it may seem like a great idea at the time to take an alternative route to try and shorten the time, this can end up disastrous as you may end up completely lost and take even longer to end up at your destination! Even if you think you know better than your GPS, which will often stick to the major routes, it is worth keeping to these roads as you also never know when you will have to stop in at a petrol station, grab a bite to eat in a restaurant, or book into a hotel. While these places are commonly found on major routes, you will not find them so easily if you take detours along smaller roads. When it comes to topping up on petrol the website Petrol Prices is invaluable for finding the cheapest prices in a local area.

Pre-Book Your Parking Space – eliminating the need for loose change

Once you have arrived at your destination, you will then need to find parking for your car. This can be another very stressful situation, particularly if you are in a busy city where parking spaces are limited and demand is high. This problem is very easily solved, however, by using a system such as YourParkingSpace to pre-book parking. This site allows you to log in and enter the unfamiliar destination to which you are travelling. It will then provide you with a list of the different spaces available to rent in that area. You can then choose a parking space that is suitable for you and when you arrive at your destination there is no stress as you can simply head straight to your parking space! If you are going to be frequenting the same location, you can also book daily and monthly parking. This can not only save you time, but it can also save you a lot of money as we all know that city parking is not cheap.

Take a Break!

Driving can quickly become very boring and tiring but there are ways in which you can make your journey a little bit more exciting. If you are driving to an unfamiliar location, then chances are there will be some cool spots along the way for you to stop in and see. This could be a well-known tourist hot spot, or a small, quaint location that you discover. Furthermore, we would also suggest that you drive to any unfamiliar locations during the day. This will definitely be safer and put your mind more at ease as you will be able to clearly see where you are going, which will take away much of the stress.

When taking your next trip to an unfamiliar location, be sure to implement our top tips as this will help make your journey far more enjoyable and stress-free!