Enjoying road trips: Part 2: Preparation:

In Part 1 of this Road Trips series, we saw questions to ask in preparation of a roadtrip. Depending on the answers we’ve got from our many questions before, we can now prepare ourselves for the best road trip ever. 

-Pack in advance: Have a list and tick it off as each item enters the travel bag. You do not want to be running around like a headless chicken on the morning of your trip, remembering that that warm jumper perfect for Kabale was not washed after the last trip. Plan what clothes to carry based on weather and purpose of the trip. Select clothes that need minimal care and possibly that can be used multiple times. For example a white linen shirt might not be a wise choice because it will need to be pressed when it comes out of the luggage and washed after just one wear. Have enough underwear. I prefer to shop my toiletries before I travel, just in case I get to the destination when shops are closed or do not carry the brands I prefer to use.

-Buy or pack snacks and drinks: Hunger and thirst can make a road trip very unpleasant so it is advisable to have some dry snacks and drinks to help with this. Sweet drinks will curb hunger but will make one thirsty so always have some water handy. If you trust your stomach you can go for roadside chicken, goat or gonja. The advantage to packing your own snacks is that you can determine what you want to eat, especially if you have certain nutritional preferences, and not have to be tempted to pick up the nearest unhealthy snack available at the time hunger strikes. If you prepare your own snacks, ensure they are things that can keep fresh till you eat them. You do not want to be making yourself sick with your healthy snacks. 

-Pack an emergency kit: Because you never know. My emergency kit has a strip of painkillers, some antacids, metronidazole, some band-aids, tissue and wet wipes.

-Reading material, or something to keep busy: Few things help the miles fly by like getting lost in some fantasy futuristic world or conquests of ages past. If you are able to read on a moving vehicle, reading material is one of the things you want to pack for your trip. You can get rid of the bulk of books by investing in an e-reader such as a Kindle®.

-Charge devices: The night before you travel, or in the hours leading up to the trip, ensure that all devices you might need are fully charged. For most people this is their mobile phone. You do not want to arrive at your destination and be unable to contact your host or worse still get car or other trouble in the middle of nowhere and be unable to call for help. If it’s a pad or laptop you will need to use during your trip, charge these too prior to traveling. You could also invest in a good power bank or car charger though the latter will probably only help if you’re using private means.

-Plan to be on time: Do not schedule back-to-back programmes ahead of your travel time. They are highly likely to run late, making you late for your trip. This could lead to you getting the worst sit on the bus or taxi, delaying your travel group (making their trip unpleasant in turn) or missing your ride altogether. It’s also very uncomfortable starting your trip with a racing heart and sweaty after having had to run to the meeting point or run after a departing vehicle.

-Prepare the vehicle: If you are using private means, check that the car is roadworthy. A faulty car could at best strand you in the middle of nowhere for hours and at worst could kill you. Check the tyres and top up their pressure if needed. If service is almost due, get it done before you travel rather than after.  Fuel the car, full tank preferably. If along the way it looks like you’re leaving the more built up areas behind, top up on fuel. Fuel stations get fewer and farther apart, and if you’re unprepared you run a risk of having to buy unlabelled bottled fuel of unknown origin and content that might cause more harm than good.

-Have extra cash, or guaranteed access to cash: This is debatable. Moving with large sums of cash on one’s person is a security risk but so is moving with limited cash. The distribution of mobile money services allows one to access money almost anywhere but it helps to have some cash for emergencies such as paying people who have helped pull your car out of the mud.

What other preparations do you think are necessary in preparation for a road trip? Please let me know in the comments below.
In Part 3 we will see how to make the best of the actual road trip.