Tag Archive for: road trips

What Drives A Man’s Love For His Car?

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What is it about men and their cars? 

 

You see them on a Sunday morning, spending hours cleaning, waxing, and probably caressing their vehicles on the driveway. 

 

You see them salivating over car ads online, planning their next purchase (even if it’s only an imaginary pipe dream of a purchase), looking at luxury sports cars akin to the Ferrari 488 showcased on Wavertree Car Centre’s classified pages. 

 

You see them deliberating over each and every motor at the showroom, desperately trying to reason with themselves that yes, they can afford the latest and greatest car, even if it means taking on a second or even third job to justify the purchase. 

 

But why? What drives a man’s love for his car?

 

Is it a status-symbol thing? Driving down the road in the Lexus-LX, windows rolled down so passersby can see the driver at the wheel; it’s almost as if the guy behind the wheel is shouting ‘look at me.’ The bigger and more expensive the car, the better. A man’s car can signify that he has made it in the world. It can give the guy a sense of coolness that he might not achieve in other aspects of his life. A car can grant him kudos from his peers, and quite possibly, it can elevate his self-esteem, even if it does become more inflated than his newly-purchased tyres.

 

Is it a tech thing? Not only do guys love their cars, but many of them are tech-heads as well. And because today’s cars are stocked with the latest technologies, getting behind the wheel of a gadget-laden car must be akin to every guy’s wet dream. From the latest in sound system technology to more practical features, such as dashcams and digital assistants, it’s little wonder that men spend a lot of time behind the wheel. There is a lot to play and fiddle with! 

 

Is it a freedom thing? Life is stressful, right? Perhaps then, a guy loves nothing more than getting behind the wheel of his car to escape those aspects of his life that are getting him down. With nothing but the open road ahead of him, he has the freedom to escape life’s trials and tribulations. He is in control of the drive, with nobody telling him what to do or where to go. And if his car does elevate his self-esteem, and if it is laden with the latest and greatest in-car accessories, then he will instantly feel better about his life within the safe confines of his motor. He is free to be himself as he takes the freedom of the open road, without the pressures or criticisms of others. 

 

Are these the factors that drive a man’s love for his car? Maybe, and perhaps you can relate to what we have suggested. Or maybe there are other reasons why you spend a lot of time with your car, be that behind the wheel or caressing it on a Sunday morning with a loving wax and polish. We don’t know how you feel about your motor, but we do know this. Men do love their cars, and if you can shed any further light on why, please feel free to share in the comments section below. 

How To Kill An Hour 2019

Planning A Roadtrip? Check These Things Before You Go

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Taking a trip can be really exciting, but if you are out and about, midway into a journey and your car breaks down, things can take a turn for the worst, the fun can be lost, and you can spend a lot of time and money sorting things out. In order to minimise the chances of this happening it is essential to check your car is road trip ready before you even set out.

Check the basics

Before you plan to take a more extended trip, you should always check your air, oil and water. These three tasks can quickly be learned, and you should ensure that for the oil and water checks you have parked on a flat hard standing rather than on a slope as this could give a false reading. Your handbook should tell you what tyre pressures you should be running, and most garages have access to airlines for about twenty pence.

Get your car serviced

Make sure you have been keeping up with servicing on your car, and if you are planning an unusually long journey consider booking a service anyway. This gives you peace of mind that your vehicle has been checked by a professional and if you are unsure about things like oil and water they can check this for you. Failure to serve a car regularly can mean a minor issue is not spotted and over time it deteriorates into a costly job that could have been avoided.

Tyres: Fittings, repair and maintenance

As well as checking the air in your tyres you should also be keeping an eye on the overall quality. Treads have a legal minimum limit, after which the tyre becomes dangerous and could fail to react when braking, or steering sharply. It also means that the rubber has worn away and this can leave the tyre more at risk of punctures or worse, a blowout, which can leave the car uncontrollable and cause an accident. Tyres should be regularly checked for nails, stones and other debris in the treads, and it is vital you have a spare tyre on board, the spare wheel is often only suitable to get you back to proper help, but some vehicles carry a full road legal spare. Even if you’re road-tripping to Scotland and need an emergency repair or replacement, you can get good quality servicing and repairs at places such as C.H. Render.

How to save money

The best way to save money when it comes to cars and road trips is to have breakdown cover should the worst happen. It can be really expensive to get your vehicle towed or repaired at the side of the road if you are not a member of a breakdown service. Check the level of cover and compare it with the journey you are going to make.

The bottom line is that being prepared for road trips is a case of being proactive, not reactive. If you carry out a range of checks and ensure that your vehicle is maintained all year round, you are less likely to have problems when heading out for a longer trip. Being reactive is not only disruptive it can also be hard on the wallet so keeping on top of basic maintenance makes a lot of sense.

 

How to Kill an Hour (or five) as a Passenger

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Have you got a big summer holiday planned? Many of us will be spending our summers in this country, driving to a coastal destination to enjoy time on the beach with our friends and family. Even if you are travelling abroad, you might be either doing so by car or hiring a car at the airport. Summer holidays often include a lot of driving. 

This can have many advantages, the main one usually being that you have your car (or a car) for the duration of your trip. If you’ve bought a great car from Jagtechnic, why should you have to rely on public transport while you are on holiday? But, long drives can be boring, especially if you are a passenger. So, what can you do to pass the time on a long car journey?

 

Create a PlayList

Now, the music tends to be the driver’s domain, so it would be good if you could both come up with an agreed playlist. Spend some time setting it up before your trip, so you’ve got lots of fantastic tunes to listen to alone the way. 

 

Swat Up on Road Trip Games

There’s very little more old fashioned than a road trip game. In the days of portable DVD players and tablets, they’ve somewhat gone out of use. But, they can still be a fantastic way to pass the time. If you’ve got kids in the car, stick to the family classics like eye spy or red car. But, if it’s an adults-only road trip, a few adult road trip games could be great fun and have you laughing all the way. 

 

Take a Nap

If the driver doesn’t mind, try to get your head down for a short nap. Take a travel pillow and wear comfy clothes and you’ll soon nod off. If possible, take turns driving so that you both get a rest, but remember to make sure you are both insured to drive before you leave. 

 

Be The Navigator

Traditionally the passenger has always been the map man. The navigator, that’s armed with a map book and plans all of the stops and routes along the way. But, now we tend just to spend our time shouting at a sat nav. If you want something to do, buy a map book and get stuck in, turning the sat nav off first to avoid arguments. 

 

Look After the Driver

As the passenger, it should be your responsibility to take care of your driver. Sometimes, this will mean checking the map or finding a stop along the way. But, it can also mean opening a drinks bottle or sweet and even scratching an ear. Think of yourself less as passenger and more as drivers assistant. 

 

Take in the Sights

In our busy day to day lives, we so rarely get the chance to really look at the world around us. Use this time to take in the sights, to see what you can spot, and to pick out places that you’d like to come back to for a proper look. 

Road Trip How To Kill An Hour

6 Things To Consider Before Taking A Road Trip

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Road Trip How To Kill An Hour
With the warmer weather slowly creeping closer, it’s time to starting thinking about what kind of vacation you’re going to take this year. if you’re looking for adventure and want to see a variety of different places in one go, why not consider going on a road trip? Whether it’s as a couple, as a family or with a group of friends – road trips can be incredibly affordable and a whole lot of fun. If you are considering it and you don’t know where to start when it comes to planning, here are 6 things you may want to consider beforehand:

 

– What Is Your Overall Budget?

First of all, you need to think about your overall budget for the trip. Whilst it helps to think about how much you are going to spend in total, the best way to be as accurate as you possibly can is to plan out every single aspect of the trip individually. Think about how much your gas is going to cost, how much each night in a hotel will cost and how much you’re going to spend on food, drink and activities. Once you’ve totalled all of these up you’ll have a much better picture of how much the trip is going to cost you.

 

– Who Will Be Going With You?

Now you need to think about who will be going with you. Whilst road trips are incredible no matter how many people go, you need to consider all of the logistics surrounding it. How many hotel rooms will you need to book? Do you need to take more than one car? Can you fit everything in the trunk? How long can everyone spend in the car together?

 

– What Route Will You Be Taking?

Once you have a good idea of your budget and who is going with you, you can start to think about what route you want to take. Whether you get inspiration off the internet or you plan your own customized route, you need to be sure it is something that’s going to be doable in the time frame you have. For tips and tricks on designing the perfect road trip route, you can view this guide here.

 

– Do You Need Overnight Stops?

When planning your route you need to think about any overnight stays you may have. Whether it’s a motel en route or a hotel at one of your chosen destinations, planning all of these in advance will save you a lot of money when it comes to last-minute fees.

 

– What Do You Need To Take With You? Will It All Fit?

With a solid plan in place, you can start to think about everything you’re going to take with you. Depending on who is going and where you’re going to be stopping, you will need to ensure you have enough clothes, toiletries and supplies to last you. If you don’t think you are going to fit it all in your car, you may want to consider using one of these car trailers.

 

– Do You Need To Hire A Car?

Although you may have a car of your own, some people prefer to hire a bigger car for their trip. Whether it’s for comfort, space or quality, hiring a car may be the best possible option.

 

Are you planning a road trip soon? What do you need to prepare in advance? What will you take with you? Let us know in the comments section below.