The summer and especially the months of July and August are traditionally the time when the vast majority of us decide to leave home to move to a holiday destination. Spend a few days in the company of our own in a dream destination is one of the things we usually do and the car is usually the most used means for it. For this reason in this post we want to give some advice to take care of us in the long trips that we are going to carry out in these months of the year.

In vacations, to have more free days we always tend to enjoy in more distant destinations that require long trips by car. Driving for hours is something that will tire us too much, and is that the attention that requires this activity is maximum, because any carelessness can trigger an accident. Maintaining attention for so long carries with it a huge amount of wear that can be avoided through a series of precautions that we can take to avoid driving for hours being torture.

Keeping awake and with the five senses is fundamental when it comes to making a trip on the road. The DGT recommends that we rest every hour and a half or two hours of travel to rest our eyes and rest ourselves from the trip. These stops are necessary to keep us in perfect condition, but we want to give other tips to be even better and make the trip as pleasant as possible and run the least risk.

The importance of sleeping well the previous days

When we are going to make a long trip by car it is necessary that we come rested to be with all our faculties. First of all it is necessary that the days before the trip rest and devote to sleep the necessary hours to be clear on the trip we are going to carry out.

Going rested to drive a car is necessary to avoid being sleepy and be one hundred percent in the whole route, and ready to face any inconvenience. The same thing that happens with the preparation of the vehicle, we must prepare ourselves for the trip and rest is essential to find ourselves well at all times.

Find the comfort of the vehicle at all times and adapt it to us

Placing and accommodating all the components of the vehicle is essential to make the trip as comfortable as possible. It is necessary that seats, mirrors, air … are placed to facilitate the handling of the vehicle.

The comfort in the vehicle will allow us to be focused on the road. That’s why it’s important to avoid driving distractions such as eating, drinking, having to adjust mirrors and others during the trip … That’s why it’s best to do it in advance so that once we’re in the vehicle we simply have to drive.

The importance of hydration, especially in summer

From here, hydration plays an important role when it comes to spending a long time on the road. It is important to stay hydrated on a car trip, because when our body is well hydrated we will make our whole body work better.

In this way what we will achieve will be to be more attentive and awake all along the way. In addition, especially in the hot months that occupy us, and in which the main movements are developed, it is necessary to be well hydrated to avoid that the heat makes a dent in our organism.

Nothing to eat in the car while driving

But if it is food, we must bear in mind that when it comes to driving, it is necessary to feed ourselves with moderation. Of course we should not eat while driving , since it represents a risk, as well as being a penalty punishable by fines and withdrawal of points from the card.

The problem of eating at the wheel is that we can distract ourselves and end up generating an accident without wanting it. Therefore, to eat, we need to stop and while we take the opportunity to rest from the journey, we can feed ourselves peacefully without taking any risk for it.

Make light meals that keep us from sleep

The way we eat while on a road trip will be simple. What we must avoid are foods with high caloric content and with too many fats . Putting aside fried foods, fast food and the like is essential. The reason why this is so is that eating foods high in fat or high in calories are more difficult to digest and will slow digestion , making us feel heavy and in many cases sleepy.

Therefore, the best we can do is make light meals and not too copious, as this way we avoid the feeling of lethargy that we have after eating abundantly and that driving is a risk because it can cause us to sleep.

Stimulant drinks that help us stay awake and attentive

As for the drink, it goes without saying that alcohol should not be in our plans when we are going to hit the road on a trip. The best thing is, as we have already seen, the intake of fresh water. But to help us be more awake and focused we can use stimulating beverages like sodas rich in caffeine, tea or coffee . These drinks will help us to be more awake and attentive to everything that happens around us on the road.

Make stops every so often to rest

As for our physical form it is important that we are well when we get behind the wheel. The mood and fatigue is true that they have a lot to do with the physical form we have each, but it is also important to take a series of precautions. It is necessary that every hour and a half or every two hours we make a stop to rest .

The stop has to be at least 10 minutes and you have to allow us to stretch our legs . Get out of the car, walk, relax and take something will be necessary to keep us awake and avoid the fatigue of driving for hours.

Perform neck and leg stretches

Also keep in mind that by sitting for many hours in the same position and concentrating on the road, the cervical area can be affected. For this reason, and to avoid it, it is highly recommended that before getting behind the wheel, and at each stop we carry out, we perform stretches of this part . Above all, we recommend you perform lateral stretches of the foot neck to eliminate part of the tension that accumulates in this area.

We recommend the same with the legs , since it is necessary that joints such as the ankles or the knees are free of tension. Therefore stretch and walk when we stop is necessary to activate circulation and relax the muscles to return to sit to drive.

It is very important that we have all these points in mind. But if in spite of realizing them we find ourselves with sleep or without all the senses with us, it is better to stop driving and rest or in the case of having another person who can replace us it is much better. Just as it is better to take turns whenever possible, so while one is driving, another can rest and be in top form at all times.