10 Tips for long car journeys

adminonMay 12, 2022February 11, 2022Leave a Comment

Whether it’s a trip to the mediterranean from germany or a long drive along the world’s most beautiful roads in your vacation destination, long trips in a rental car can put the nerves of all vacationers to the test. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We have ten useful tips for you that will make even the longest car trip a lot of fun becomes!

Planning is half the battle

It’s hard to believe, but the question of whether your next road trip will be a solid or fiasco becomes, decides well before the start of the trip. Because as with so many things in life, planning is everything. Before you put all the sights and especially secret tips in the vacation country on your route, you should consider a few things. If you clarify these questions beforehand, there will be no nasty surprises:

If you have to pay tolls on parts of the route?
How fast can I drive abroad?
Can I pay toll in advance?
Are there any (halay) well developed roads?
How far can I get in one day?
Are there sights along the route?
Where to stop for a rest or an overnight stay?
When searching for offers, also check the ratings of the individual providers!

Choose the right car

Once you have decided on your route, it is essential to the right car choose for the trip. Of course, no one wants to spend too much money, but a trip of hundreds or even thousands of kilometers in a small car packed up to the roof goes quickly to the substance. If you want to spend a few euros more invested in a larger vehicle, end up traveling much more relaxed and getting more out of your vacation. At CHECK24 this is very easy; here you can simply select the class when booking the rental car.

Sleep for hours instead of seconds

banal but very important: get a good night’s sleep before your trip. Ideally, you should start your journey in the morning, when your body is at its fittest, and avoid driving at night. Others prefer to drive at night, because then there is usually less traffic on the highways and you get through faster. In this case, however, it is particularly important that the driver has had a good rest beforehand. But no matter when you finally start, the driver must have had enough sleep beforehand and must not drive overtired under any circumstances. You should take a break as soon as you notice any of the following symptoms that tell you your body has had enough:

Burning eyes and heavy lids
Frequent blinking and yawning
Sudden shivering at a constant temperature
Concentration problems, daydreaming
Increasingly bad mood
Inner restlessness, urge to move around

It’s easier to travel in a team

The better solution is of course driver change. By the way, you should already have take into account when booking your rental car. Because while some providers charge money per additional person driving, there are also many offers, where a second authorized person already included is. CHECK24 even has its own filter for this purpose.

Attention: make sure that only registered drivers actually get behind the wheel. If someone else is driving the car and an accident happens, you could lose your insurance coverage!

The one or the other, the straight break makes, this really use it to relax. Pack a neck pillow (like in the airplane), a sleeping mask and earplugs. This way you can rest a little and the other passengers don’t have to sit by in silence.

Tip: with the so called ostrich pillow you have a mobile resting place on the road!

No K.O.-risk blow from cell phone

Not only the suitcase, but also the car needs to be packed properly. Make sure that your rental car is big enough enough, so that all the luggage in the trunk fits. This way you don’t have to sit cramped between bags and suitcases, and it is also much safer. Because at 50 kilometers per hour, objects and luggage that accelerate forward develop 25 times their own weight! A smartphone flying around (about 130 grams) will hit you with a force of more than three kilos, i.e. more than two full 1.5-liter bottles of water! Ouch! You can imagine what an unsecured 20-kilo suitcase can do.

Heavy luggage belongs therefore all the way down, all other things should also be neatly stowed away, when not in use. For combos the trunk may therefore also loaded up to the top of the rear seats at the most are. They serve as a protection in case of emergency. If you want to stack higher after all, you have to install a luggage net. These are often available as standard accessories for many vehicles. If you are traveling in a minibus, you should also pay attention to the following tension belts for load securing fall back.

cool and dry instead of hot and sticky

While there are plenty of places to stop at german freeway rest stops, this is not the case in every country. menus at rest stops and fast-food temples can also be expensive. A good alternative are snacks from home! But don’t pack just anything, because heavy food is especially hard on the stomach when you’re sitting for a long time. The proper travel provisions is varied, tasty, keeps you fit and above all is great to prepare. Tips for the ideal food on long car trips as well as on any other occasion during your vacation can be found here:

keep children occupied during long drives

Even if nature is one of the reasons for your road trip, consider alternative ways to look outside. by the way, this does not only apply to children. Besides classics like license plate guessing and „i see something you don’t see" adults can pass the time while movie quotes or song lyrics drive away. funny are also so called black stories. Here, a passenger presents the circumstances of a mysterious death and the rest have to guess what happened by asking yes/no questions. If you don’t want to make up the story yourself, you can buy books with ready-made stories in advance or google them on the internet.

For young and old alike, movies, music and video games. In the age of tablets and smartphones can also be enjoyed in the car without any problems. For longer distances, however, you should spare batteries, powerbanks or a USB charging cable pack for the cigarette lighter. If you travel with kids, you can magnetic or card games pack. But also paper and pens provide hours of entertainment, such as painting, cheese box or city, country, river play. Classic books or cuddly toys can also be small life savers.

The way is the goal

No matter how well you have planned your trip and prepared your car, regular breaks are essential. it should not only be about toilet stops, combine the stops rather with something exercise. Go for a walk and do some stretching exercises. This not only loosens up the tense muscles from sitting for so long, it also stimulates the circulation and prevents the onset of fatigue.

Strength lies in rest . And money!

Vacation time is unfortunately also frequent stowage time. By choosing your route and departure time wisely, you can avoid many problems, but heavy traffic, annoying tailgaters and notorious tailgaters can never be completely avoided. But instead of getting worked up about the stupidity of others and the time wasted as a result, you should take it easy on the vacation trip just take it easy. By the way, this also applies to the trip to the family over christmas or especially if you are driving in left-hand traffic for the first time in your vacation destination! Without deadline stress, it doesn’t matter if you arrive twenty minutes later! Instead, enjoy the view, turn up the music on the radio and cruise through the countryside in a relaxed manner.

Let’s get out of here!?

You have finally arrived at the destination of your trip, hotel, beach and sea are at your feet, but you can’t wait to get there where to put the vehicle? To ensure that your arrival does not degenerate into total stress after a well-survived journey, you should find out about parking possibilities beforehand. Is there parking spaces at the hotel and what do they cost? Are there in the surrounding area possible public places to park the car, from which you can walk to the hotel or take the bus. If you simply want to park your car in a side street, you should familiarize yourself with the parking regulations in the respective country beforehand.

Note: CHECK24 does not guarantee that the information provided is up-to-date, complete or correct. the contents of our articles are carefully researched and written. They serve as inspiration, information and represent recommendations of the editorial staff. We are careful not to discriminate against anyone in our texts and always include all people, regardless of their gender identity, in all our formulations.

Who writes here?

Whether it’s a new flight route, bizarre traffic rules abroad or tips for a successful vacation: as online editor in the travel section of CHECK24, I’m responsible for news and blog articles on the topics of rental cars, vacations, flights and hotels. Since I was allowed to travel privately as well as professionally already crisscross through europe and the world, I can report much from personal experience.

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To reduce air pollution in europe, the next emissions standard will likely require filters for brake dust. This is how cars could clean the air.

If markus kolczyk has his way, cars will soon become mobile air filters – similar to the filter columns that improve the ambient air at the neckartor in stuttgart. The head of development for original equipment at the globally active ludwigsburg-based filter manufacturer mann + hummel has worked with his team to build active and passive devices that can be used by cars and trucks to extract dust from the air produced during braking, among other things.

[if you want the most important news from berlin, germany and the world live on your cell phone, we recommend our retreaded app, which you can download here for apple and android devices.]

Tagesspiegel background traffic& smart mobility

e-mobility, transport policy and the mobility of the future: the briefing on transport and smart mobility. For decision makers& experts from business, politics, associations, science and NGOs.

With passive filters, the brake system or even the entire wheel is enclosed in a housing. The brake dust is collected by a filter that has to be replaced at regular intervals in the workshop – similar to an air-conditioning system.

The active filter, on the other hand, uses a blower to suck in and clean the air around the vehicle. Whether the filter separates the brake dust of one’s own car or that of the neighboring car will then no longer play a major role – the bottom line is that pollution from fine dust should be reduced.

Tests in snow, sand and high speed

"We have developed the product to market maturity," says kolczyk in an interview with tagesspiegel background. the engineers have not only tested the filters on the test bench, but also in intensive driving trials in snow, sand, at high speeds and on the grobglockner mountain. The technology has passed all tests.

Now mann + hummel is in talks with all car manufacturers. The passive filters could even be retrofitted to existing vehicles. All manufacturers would know that the forthcoming euro 7 emissions standard (background reported) would also set 99 percent requirements for brake dust. Nevertheless, they would still wait, as long as they do not know exact limit values from brussel.

They wanted the most cost-effective solutions possible. With a view to the past, kolczyk allows himself to quietly criticize the industry: "Compared to exhaust gas, this topic could be approached more proactively and more could be made of it."

In his estimation, euro 7 will make the installation of filters for brake dust mandatory in 2025. Therefore, car manufacturers would have to include the technology in their design plans for new models in 2022. Kolczyk knows from experience that the experts at the EU commission are very well informed about what is technically feasible. Therefore, he expects specifications that are realistic but demanding – not a placebo solution.

Only 15 percent of particulate emissions come from the tailpipe

Kolczyk says that in modern cars with internal combustion engines, only about 15 percent of the total fine dust emissions come from the exhaust. Now the other 85 percent need to be tackled: "We want zero emissions, not just zero tailpipe emissions."mann + hummel is also driving the issue forward in a research project with the german Aerospace center; the DLR also deals with challenges close to the ground.

USA versus germany – who really builds the best cars?

Lincoln Continental vs. Mercedes S-Class combo

Combo Lincoln Continental vs. Mercedes S-Class

Luxury sedan: lincoln continental vs. Mercedes S-class

D uesenberg, cadillac, packard – american luxury sedans once had rank and names. Today they don’t make a stitch against the upper class from germany anymore. Even the lincoln continental, currently probably the most distinguished car they’re putting on the road in detroit, doesn’t stand a chance against the s-class: even with lounge chairs in the rear, the lincoln doesn’t offer anywhere near as much comfort as the mercedes, which even becomes a spa class with special energizing programs.

Whereas the engine range for the americans ends with a V6 gasoline engine, for the swabians it only begins with that and extends all the way up to the fabulous twelve-cylinder and the powerful AMG variants. And where the S-class drives almost autonomously for minutes, in the continental you have to be thankful for the automatic distance control. Clearly: point for germany.

Van: chrysler pacifica vs. Opel zafira

With the voyager, chrysler had the right scent. When german families still had to save up for a bulky VW bus, the americans introduced the large sedan and made the small van acceptable as a bumper car. The voyager is now called the pacifica and has many imitators around the world – for example, the opel zafira.

You can tell that it was developed by the subsidiary of a U.S. corporation. It’s just as practical as the pacifica, just as variable, and offers just as much space. except that it has a few more german virtues like attention to detail, care in the choice of materials and the desire to have a little fun while driving. But chrysler has learned its lesson: the company is building the pacifica as the world’s first van with a plug-in hybrid, ensuring that the americans at least have a draw.

pick-up-truck: ford F-150 vs. VW amarok

the ford F-150 is the best-selling car in the u.s. and has such a stable stance that german manufacturers hardly dare approach it. But they also want to get in on the pick-up business a bit. The VW amarok may be a class below the F-150, but it can hold its own against the Detroit-based perennial. It has the smaller platform, but similar handling qualities.

however, the ford offers more luxury and, if desired, more performance. in the raptor version, the covered wagon even becomes a sports car for today’s cowboy. And although there is no more rustic vehicle concept, the F-150 is a modern car with a ten-speed automatic, more assistance systems and better infotainment. It is the first mass-produced model to be made entirely of aluminum – which saves weight and earns it a point in the international comparison. Stitch for the USA.

sports car: chevrolet corvette vs. Porsche 911

Nowhere is the german-american race as close as between the porsche 911 and the chevrolet corvette. Both cars have a long tradition and have remained true to each other over many generations, and speed and fun are very close in both cases. Whether you prefer to boil your blood with a V8 engine in the front or a six-cylinder boxer in the rear is primarily a question of personal taste – you’ll get hot in both cars.

What the corvette lacks in finesse and high tech, it makes up for in price. In the end it might be the love for the traditional lines and the higher confidence at full throttle and in fast corners that makes the pendulum swing to the porsche. This side of the ferrari, there is no other car that depreciates as little as a porsche. Narrow victory for germany.

SUV: cadillac escalade vs. Audi Q7

If there is one original american car, it is the SUV. off-roaders were also developed in england, japan and germany, but no one converted the workhorses into lifestyle trucks as early and as consistently as the americans did. the epitome of the vehicle genre is the cadillac escalade, which delights gangster rappers as much as real estate agents. In the U.S., its ample space, glamorous appearance and powerful V8 engine are well received.

In the rest of the world, however, the big mac has a hard time for horsepower gourmets – especially when competing with rivals like the audi Q7. It offers a similar amount of space, but is clearly the more modern car. It starts with assistance systems and infotainment and ends with the wide range of engines with special variants for savers and sportsmen. No chance for the cadillac escalade – point for germany.

electric car: chevrolet bolt vs. BMW i3

germany is a developing country when it comes to electric drives. Even though they are slowly waking up in wolfsburg, stuttgart and ingolstadt and BMW jumped on the trend early with its i-models, the roles are reversed here. This is not only due to the electrifying success of tesla. Just look at the i3 "technological lighthouse" and the chevrolet bolt.

Neither its expensive carbon construction nor its eco-interior with palm fibers and olive wood take the bavarian further than the american. Even the 7,000-euro battery upgrade doesn’t help: the bolt, which will soon be available here as the opel ampera-e, has the larger battery and has a range of 520 kilometers instead of 300. Not only does it cost less, but it’s also the more practical and, for most people, the more beautiful car. Congrats! The point goes to detroit.

volume model: chevrolet malibu vs. VW golf

the chevrolet malibu is the americans’ vw golf: when joe average looks for a standard model in detroit, he sees the american cousin of the opel insignia. It is much bigger than a golf – but in america the roads are wider and the distances longer.

The golf offers a broader and more modern range of powertrains – with diesels and gasoline engines up to the R-model, with plug-in hybrids and electric versions. it has almost all the assistance systems from the luxury class and an infotainment concept with a large touchscreen that makes the displays in the malibu look like a nokia 3110 next to the iphone 7S. Whereas in the malibu you sit in a plastic desert, in the golf you can indulge in lacquer and leather if you like. Even when driving, the smaller car is more fun. Bigger is better? sorry dear friends, you don’t make this sting either. Overall victory for germany.