10 Things You Should Always Keep In Your Car In Winter

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When I was in my late teens, I had a job that involved a daily commute of a two hour round trip.

I remember that my mum used to hate that I was driving so much during peak hours of travel and would worry about me getting to work everyday, especially when it was winter and the nights were dark.

There are of the basic things to keep on top of when you have a daily commute, like making sure that you have a spare tyre, jump leads and more than enough fuel for each journey as well as ensuring that your vehicle is regularly appraised by a mechanic for safety checks. See Cars.Com for more tips and details with regard to this.

As a woman travelling a distance alone, I was also conscious that I needed to not only make sure that my car was safe to drive, but also to make sure that I felt safe.  If your car breaks down on a dark road (which happens to me on a few occasions), you want to be able to feel as safe and secure as you can.

The first time that I broke down in my car and I was alone, I remember being unprepared, freezing and more than a little scared.  It was winter, 6.30pm at night and other than my mobile phone, I had nothing useful in my car at all.

After a two hour wait for roadside assistance in sub zero temperatures, I swore never again.  I created a kit of things that I would need if my car broke down to assist me.

• A spare charger for my phone which could be plugged into my car for charging en route
• A flashlight.
• De-icer and an ice scraper
• A warm jumper or coat, thick socks and a spare pair of boots.
• Road map.
• Loose change for payphone in case your phone does not work.
• A couple of snack/nutrition bars.
• The details of your insurance company details and a reliable garage on a piece of paper (don't rely solely on your mobile).
• First aid kit.
• An umbrella.

I used to keep a box of these things tucked away in the boot of my car, with the essentials kept in the glove box.

What do you keep in your car?

How To Have A Child Friendly Road Trip

When I think about road trips, I always look back to when I was a little girl.  

My mum, my dad and I used to travel down by car every year to Argeles in France.  I think we went for around four years and there were always meticulous plans in place to ensure a smooth trip and that I didn't get too bored and say "Are we there yet?" every five minutes.  

First of all, before making the around 17+ hour trip to Argeles, my dad would take the car to www.kwik-fit.com to get a full service done.  There is nothing worse than breaking down when you are travelling a long way to a foreign country.  Especially when you have a young child on board, in this case, me!

My mum used to stock the car with snacks and games that I could play in the back seat.   The trip was always broken down into segments so that it was easier for me and there was always something to look forward to or a destination to get to instead of driving for ten hours straight with a tired and grumpy five year old.

We used to set out early in the morning, around 5am with me sleeping in the back seat for the first few hours and then we would stop for breakfast.  The trip to Dover was around 5 hours so stopping mid point at a service station for some food and a quick look at the shops worked really well and I was energised and excited after breakfast to get to the ferry.

Apart from one year my mum tells me when I fell asleep just before we got to Dover and I slept through the ferry journey, only waking an hour after we docked and asking "When we are we getting to the boat?"

For the France part of our journey the games and snacks came out.  After around five hours, my limit of tolerance apparently, we used to break our journey for the night, always stopping at the same hotel.  I remember being obsessed with the little mushrooms on the hors d'oeuvres trolley and my mum tells me while writing this that I refused to eat anything else!

The beautiful Argeles

After another early start with me once again asleep in the back seat, the 5-6 hour trip down to Argeles didn't seem so bad with the excitement of getting to our destination closer and closer.  

We used to stay in a large static caravan on a local site near to the beach.  I still remember the beautiful beach and the hot sand, running towards the sea to cool off.  I even met a French girl one year who was staying in the caravan next to us.  We became penpals and were friends for many years, even staying at their home one year for a weekend.

Road trips with a young child don't have to be a nightmare.  It is all about planning ahead as much as you possibly can, making it fun and taking advantage of early starts where some of the hours can disappear in sleep. 

I wouldn't change those memories for the world.

*Collaborative post #carsafetychecklist