13 tips How to travel by own car
Why do we choose traveling by car?
It’s the most convenient way for us because:
- We get independence from any conditions. For example, planes are often delayed. It was enough for us to go to Warsaw by bus once to give up on this kind of transportation forever.
- You can take more baggage in the car and you won’t worry where to leave it while walking around the city.
- In the late or early time of the day you don’t have to worry about getting to some destination A.
- You can stop any time and rest as long as you need.
- You can listen to your music, and not to chatter and strange sounds.
- There are many more positive examples, such as spending the night in your car if you can’t do that in the hotel.
- And we often stop if we see a good shot outside.
- We can change our route when we wish.
- And we can get to a place, where no other transport will take us. We were even driving off-road in the mountains on the island of Brac.
- We are used to rely on ourselves and therefore trips on our own car are our best choice. We also fly the planes of course, but then we rent a car already on site.
It’s hard to find drawbacks – perhaps searching for a parking lot can sometimes take a while. We are going to list below how to prepare for the trip and how to behave on the roads outside your country.
So basic tips for travelers by their own cars:
1) Buying a NEW CAR. Once we went by the Lviv-Warsaw route. We barely managed to get out of the city as our old mazda 1995 unexpectedly broke down (rear shock absorber support went off), we would have never got to point B by it. We had to wait the next day to get it repaired and left again after that, happily we spent a night in our city at home. This little incident changed our minds towards buying a new car because we no longer trusted our old one. And we were tired of always having to expect something else, since the old car always requires replacement of some parts. Therefore, we didn’t even choose between buying a used car and a car from a showroom. We are certain about it. So, we bought a new volkswagen released in the year of its purchase. And all we do for two years only is feeding the car with gasoline and changing oil annually. We wouldn’t advise to go for a long trip by the old car, because there will be no guarantees of a calm life without repair in a different country.
2) Before you set off, you should buy or update all the NECESSARY THINGS that have to be in the car: a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, a waistcoat, an accident sign, a jack, and a spare wheel. You should also take a liquid for glass, a cloth, wet and dry wipes.
3) FUEL. During the trip, in case of crossing different countries, you should look on the Internet for the price of fuel before entering a new country. Compare where it’s cheaper and have a full tank filled. For example, leaving from Albania (where the cost of fuel was about 1.19 euros) to Montenegro (fuel costs 1.34 euros) or Greece (1.54 euros), we of course compared the price in advance and tanked up in Albania.
4) GPS-navigator. We bought in appstore a map of Europe with SYGIC app on iphone. Satisfied. We do not use paper maps at all.
5) TOLL ROADS. In most cases, you have to pay a fare for highways. But no one makes you use only highways. You can sometimes drive on a common road that will go in parallel with the motorway. For example, in Greece, when driving from Athens to Thessaloniki, we saved about 40-50 euros only because we went on a common road, which usually was near the highway. We drove on our own, met no one on our way, coverage was good, only the speed was limited. But we didn’t hurry, because in some cases it’s worth finding out the price of the road and think before you go, which is the best way to drive. You can take advantage of the well-known app Michelin.
There are cases when you must pay tax for the road before you enter certain country – the so-called vignette (in Bulgaria) or rovignette (in Romania). The price of such tax is small: 3-5 euros for 7 days. You will receive a sticker on the windshield or simply a check that you have to keep. Look for the information on taxes for roads and highways on the Internet before the trip, so that you didn’t have any trouble when leaving the country.
6) UKRAINIAN DRIVER’S LICENSE. Many drivers still have the old version of license, where only the last and the first name in Latin are indicated. This license may be not recognized in some countries. Especially when renting a car or a scooter outside Ukraine. We have no idea how the road patrol officers react in different countries, because no one has ever stopped us so far. During our trip throughout the Balkans, in all 12 countries, we have never used a driver’s license. If you wish, you should update it to a new version, but in most cases you can travel with the old one.
7) CAR INSURANCE. Everyone knows that when you go abroad by your car, you should have a Green Card – it’s the same civil liability, which is effective on the territory of other countries by the international standard. You should ask the insurer, and, possibly, write down what you should do in case of an accident on your or someone else’s fault. To feel confident in an unpleasant situation, especially since not all speak English.
8) TRAFFIC RULES. There’s a sign when you enter a country that shows the speed limit in/outside a settlement and on highways. You should also learn if you need to turn on the headlights in daylight (it’s disallowed in Greece, but required in other countries). With regard to the rules observance – everyone should do it, since it’s not only your own safety but that of other people!
9) DISTANCE. An optimal distance in a day for us is maximum 200-300 km. We don’t drive more, just because there’s something nice on your way for sure, where we stop for a photo shoot. What’s more, in a long trip you have to strike a balance for yourself and not to chase after something, because the key point is to see the world, and not to travel through it.
10) SAFETY. You feel safe in your own car with a bunch of things. However, you should keep to certain unspoken rules not to attract the attention of evil people. For example, always close the locks while you sit inside the car. As a rule, bags with important things are at the back seat, but when you stop at traffic lights or elsewhere someone may open the back door and grab your stuff. When you leave the car always take things out of the cabin, so that nothing could attract attention and cause a desire to steal them, even some little things can engraft an idea in the mind to break the glass. Try to take everything and put into the trunk. Don’t leave anything even for 5 minutes. You should also park your car in public places.
11) PARKING. It may be difficult to park the car in a new city with other rules and payment methods. In Poland, in the downtown parking lots are only for the locals, who have a label on the windshield. We once parked in such territory, and a good man warned us that it’s private. In Bulgaria the downtown is 99% with paid parking lots, which you have to pay via a cell. We didn’t want to buy a local sim-card, so had to look for parking lots with real employees to pay in cash. In Serbia, the center is divided into three parking zones with their own different rules, and payment is also via your cell or a special card. In Greece we never paid for parking, even in the downtown. It differs in each country, so you should also read some information before entering.
12) AUTO SERVICE. We were lucky to choose volkswagen. We have come across this company’s services in every country, in every place. Even when we had to replace oil, the service was two steps from the house. In Montenegro, we had to replace the winter tires to the summer ones. We went to several tire fitting services, asked about the way it is, found the option that satisfied us. We used the primitive English for understanding.
13) NIGHT IN THE CAR. Our car is rather spacious, so we occasionally spend the night in it if necessary. We have warm sleeping bags and pillows. As for the parking place for the night: you can find a large gas filling station in the city. It’s the best option, because right next door is as a place to have a snack and a WC. But we rarely sleep in the car in the city; we usually use this method in secluded places such as Porto Katsiki beach, or the Mount Olympus. But you must be careful with it and watch for signs of whether camping is prohibited or not. For example, in Meteora we spent the night in the car, but it’s not allowed to stop there, you must go down to special areas. We just hid behind a hill, and the patrol car simply didn’t notice us when driving at night 🙂 We take ear plugs not to hear a street noise; you can also wear a sleeping mask to make a dark night, if lanterns shine.
It’s very comfortable to travel by car! We hope that our tips will come in handy and make your trip comfortable and safe!
With love, RH.
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