Driving through the UK will offer you views of the rolling hills on England, the hustle and bustle of city life, and a chance to explore historic sites. By planning ahead, you can make the most of it and truly have an experience of a lifetime.
The nice thing about planning a road trip in the UK is that you can actually map our your route as a loop, with your end location bringing you right back to your starting location. This is perfect for renting a car, as it is always easiest to return a rental car to the same place where you picked it up.
While being spontaneous is an essential part of road trips, it is wise to think ahead about where you’ll be staying. Try to book your accommodations ahead of time in specific locations where you definitely know you want to end up.
That way, the in between route can still be spontaneous, but you can be relaxed knowing that you’ll always have a place to stay at night. That being said, you can have some flexibility in there. If there’s a place you’ve reached and you really want to explore more, of course feel free to spontaneously stay there!
These days, there’s also really no need to rent a GPS. You can use your phone as a GPS. No data? No worries. Whenever you have internet connection, simply preload a route on your Google Maps app and start the guidance before leaving wifi. It will continue to provide you with the route even once you leave wifi.
When traveling between mainland UK, Ireland, and Northern Ireland, you’ll have the ability to cross them via ferry services. There are many ports, and best of all, you’ll have the ability to take the car right on board and park. While on the ferry, you can take some time off from driving and stretch your legs and relax as you head to your next destination.
As is the case with any road trip, make sure you familiarize yourself with the rules of the roads. Try to see if you’ll be passing any tolls and be prepared for them. Otherwise, try to plan to avoid them so you don’t have to deal with an extra surcharge.
It’s always a good idea to keep plenty of snacks on hand, especially when you’re on a long and winding road without anywhere to grab some food. Also, make sure you always have water and stay hydrated! It’s really easy to forget to drink enough water on a road trip, so make sure you keep yourself hydrated.
You can also break up the drive with picnics, as there are plenty of green patches where you can enjoy a lovely picnic along your journey.
Of course, as on any journey, make sure you have your camera handy at all times, as you never know when you’re going to see something wonderful you’re going to want to capture in a photo.