Spontanious Road Trip

I have been on a few road trips in my time. In fact over the years I have covered most of Europe, and pretty soon plan on heading over to America.

But if you have decided to just dump everything around you and go on a road trip, first I will tell you what you DON’T need!

You don’t need to quit your job, just convince your boss to give you a couple of weeks holiday last minute!

You don’t need a new car, the last two road trips I have done spanned over 4,500 miles each.  Each time me and my friend bought a car off ebay which cost less than £400 ($600).

You don’t need a lot of money, you can sleep in the car, take a tent or find cheap hostels!

You will need some things however. Depending where you plan on going you will probably need some, or all, of the following.

• Phrase Book
• Road map
• A few large bottles of water
• A few bits and bobs food wise, which can be eaten anywhere.
• Portable Stove – Gives you a bit more choice when eating on the road.
• Sleeping bag (Even if you did not take a tent)
• Torch
• A copious supply of cigarettes and alcohol
• Deck of Cards

Once you have got these basics in the car you can head out on to the open road.  You do not really need a plan, just get in the car and drive.  It definitely helps if you leave your country, or at least state if you are American.

If you are travelling with a few people the easiest thing to do is keep a fuel pot. Everyone keeps putting an even amount of money in to the pot, and whenever it runs out you all put some more in.

Keep a pack of cards handy, even if you do not play poker, there are plenty of travellers out there who love to play a friendly game of cards!

Be aware of local laws, taking a tent and camping off road can be a great, free way to travel in a lot of countries.  In others however, camping outside of a designated camping zone can result in a fine.

Remember that the joy of spontaneous road trips is the unplanned events.  Whatever you do don’t get stressed out because of set backs, they will occur.  All you can do is laugh at your own misfortune and move on!

I hope these tips help you when you try to figure out how to have a spur of the moment road trip!