To say we are big fans of a road trip is an understatement! Whether going on an adventure with friends or family to explore sites, or with a loved one to a romantic getaway, here are some tips to make your next road trip your best one!
Give your car a complete clean - inside and out
Look, we get it. Your car is your life and when you spend so much time in it, it feels like you practically live out of it (holler at me fellow Hessa Street commuters!). But we’re not judging anyone right now. What we’re doing is saying this: use the excuse of a long road trip to really clean your car. Chuck all the rubbish out, give it a good vacuum and wipe down and of course, get the outside washed. It’s Dubai - there’s plenty of car wash options around! Not only will you end up with a spotless car, you may even discover long lost treasures (that scarf you’ve been looking for and maybe even money!)
Sub tip: make a plan to be more mindful about car cleanliness in future. Future you will be grateful!
Get your tyres checked
We recommend doing this a few days before you set out, purely to give you time if you need to get replacements. Hopefully the most you’ll need to do is pop down to the local service station and inflate your tyres. Remember to keep the pressure a bit lower in Summer to account for the desert heat. Oh and don’t forget to check up on your spare tyre!
Sub tip: if you have the time and it coincides with a scheduled service, we recommend taking care of that before setting off on your road trip. It always pays to ensure your car is in top shape before embarking on a long journey.
Get your tunes ready
Whether you hog the aux cable or like to go wireless with Bluetooth, we can all agree that music is absolutely essential on any road trip (or any trip in the car!). Depending on who you’re travelling with, you may be interested in audiobooks and podcasts. And if you’re ever stuck on what to play next, this is where Shazza has your back with Shazza Streams - beautifully curated playlists consisting of the hottest tunes across all sorts of genres.
Prepare for emergencies - car and medical
You never know what sort of road lies ahead (the UAE has pretty good roads but you know what we mean!). We recommend packing a solid medical emergency kit (you can pick them up from your local pharmacy) and having them easily accessible should the need arise. Similarly, your car should come with tools to help with replacing tyres as well as an emergency warning triangle.
Pack a picnic
Ok so we know we talked about keeping your car clean but sometimes you just gotta eat in your car while on the road. Pack lots of snacks and plenty of water to keep you and the gang out of hangry mode. And make sure to have plenty of disposable bags to chuck your rubbish in for when you get to your next stop (gotta keep the car clean!). If you’re travelling with kids, then all the more reason to have all the right snacks within reach.
Bonus tip
We know the UAE has glorious weather in the cooler months but if you’re venturing inland or up north, it’s worth checking the weather beforehand. There’s sometimes freak weather that brings with it unusually large amounts of rain, fog and sometimes snow! Whatever the weather, it pays to be prepared.
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