When to go on a trip? This should definitely be the first day of your vacation. Leaving right after work…
Navigating and planning your holiday trip
(photo Moje Auto)
The topic of vacations has been on the blog for a long time. Today, about another, very important stage, planning trips. As a means of transport, I choose my car for a basic reason. When traveling with two people, it is a more economical solution. And on site, I always have a guarantee of greater mobility.
Which way to the destination?
The expansion of the road network has significantly improved the comfort of traveling around our country. In addition, it shortened travel times and improved safety, which is reflected in accident statistics. Today we can practically travel from one end of Poland to the other using modern infrastructure, but this may not always be the case highwayand, above all, expressways. And many local roads have been thoroughly rebuilt.
The effect is that when driving, for example, from the south to the north of the country, we have several alternative routes. Their course tells you GPS navigation (who still uses paper maps?), which divides them into quick and economical, while ensuring constant monitoring of road traffic with the possibility of making detours. Which one to choose?
For me, the most important criteria are distance, travel time and fuel consumption calculation. I then include tolls for highway sections, which vary significantly depending on the concessionaire. In addition, you must remember about possible congestion when passing through the gates. Unfortunately, for now the electronic toll collection system only works on a few fragments.
And one more important note, remember that when driving a passenger car with a caravan or - let's go crazy - a boat, our combination may exceed 3,5 tons. Firstly, do we have the appropriate qualifications to operate it, and secondly, when driving on expressways, we are already subject to tolls in the viaTOLL system. Of course, it is worth planning a place for parking and possibly refueling the car. But I will share my strategies on this topic in my next blog post.
The higher driving school is going abroad. Determining the right route may turn out to be trivial when delving into the regulations in force in individual countries. Required insurance, tolls, speed limits and the amount and method of paying fines are just a few of the most important differences. Therefore, it is best to use a trusted source of information on this subject - for me it is the website www.polakzagranica.msz.gov.pl
(photo: My Car)
Digital travel guide
The question has already been asked who uses paper maps or road atlases today? Yes, they have their charm, although more sentimental, but they have become impractical. Because in the era of miniature electronic devices and the Internet, we have constant access to almost all resources around the world. This time we are interested in digital maps, i.e. navigation.
The simplest solution is our smartphone, and the most accessible software is Google Maps. Thanks to its extensive functions, we can sit comfortably in front of a computer at home and plan the entire route in detail and then transfer the data to the phone. Until recently, portable car navigation systems were a competitive solution.
(photo: My Car)
For me, their strongest point is still the larger screen and... lack of phone functions. I just make sure that while driving me through the streets of an unknown city, an incoming call screen will not suddenly pop up (in some smartphone models you can change priorities). Both solutions have several technical issues in common. Firstly, the way of installation. In the case of phones, we need to purchase: comfortable phone holder, in portable navigation it should be included.
Secondly, the place that is narrowed by the design of the mentioned mounting element. I do not decide on air vents because they have to be partially covered, and in addition, cold (or warm) air negatively affects the electronics of the device. The car's cockpit remains, but the texture of its surface does not always allow the rubber suction cup to be permanently attached. So I choose the windshield, in the lower left corner, because I can't block my view from behind the wheel either.
(photo: My Car)
And the third most important thing. Permanent connection to the voltage source. This means a cable of the appropriate length, routed so that it does not interfere while driving the car. It can be plugged into a USB socket, but I choose the or plug adapter for a classic 12V cigarette lighter.
On-board navigation
Drivers whose cars are equipped with on-board navigation remain in the best situation. This is the most comfortable solution to use, but unfortunately it has a high price and it is not always possible to retrofit a used vehicle with it.
Finally, there is a common denominator of these devices. Let's never trust navigation instructions one hundred percent. It's just electronics with software that may contain erroneous data that leads us proverbially astray. So let's not turn off our own thinking, let's constantly watch the road and go straight to our goal!
