Archive for the ‘Guest Blog Posts’ Category

Motorhome Buying vs. Hiring

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

Whether you’re buying or hiring a motorhome, there are both advantages and disadvantages of each. Each interested consumer can choose which option is best for himself.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Buying

You may enjoy driving and owning a motorhome because you travel a lot and stay at many different hotels. When you own a motorhome, you have the freedom to put as much mileage on it as you desire without being penalized with extra mileage charges. You also have an asset that you can’t obtain when you hire. In good economic times, this asset can stay current with its financial value in terms of appreciation and inflation rates. When you own, you can also add whatever types of accessories you want to the motorhome because it’s all yours.

You can even change its colour by painting it if you wish, which you can’t do with a motorhome for hire. One big disadvantage is that it’s going to cost you much more money upfront to purchase the motorhome than it would to simply hire one. And then you will also probably have continuing monthly payments that you have to make on time or else the financial institution that made you the loan can repossess the motorhome, even if you own it. This can put much added stress and financial pressure on the owner of a motorhome and is definitely a disadvantage.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Hiring

When you hire, you save much more money than if you owned a motorhome, because you’re charged based on both the type of motorhome and the distance you’ll be traveling in it. People who hire usually are only driving to one specific location at a time, so they have far less money to put down in terms of securing the rights to actually use and drive the motorhome. But when you hire, you can’t fix up the motorhome the way you want by adding any new accessories that are permanent because it doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to the hiring company.

Another disadvantage of hiring is that you’re charged sometimes a daily rate instead of a mileage rate, and this can add up by being quite substantial depending on the specific hiring company and type of motorhome you choose. An advantage of hiring is that you’re not financially responsible for the maintenance and repair of the motorhome. The hiring company is. This can save you a lot of money if you do a lot of hiring over the course of several years. Owners of motorhomes have to pay for all the servicing costs that the mechanic charges in order to keep their motorhome in top running condition. But by hiring, you can almost always get a much wider selection of motorhomes to choose from to take your trips at prices far lower than if you bought and owned an upscale, high end model as well.

Tips for Long Journeys with Kids

Friday, March 25th, 2011

Road trips with the family come with a new set of challenges but these can be managed if you plan well.

Frequent Breaks

Adults may endure long journeys without breaks but children will not. Plan into your route places to stop where you can all stretch your legs, use the toilet, have a drink or snack and some fun time. Take some bubbles to blow and get the kids running about but not in the car park! Older children might want to play the arcade games but do encourage all to have some fresh air as it helps to relieve car sickness.

Avoiding Motion Sickness

Young children are more susceptible to car sickness. It is caused by your eye and inner ear sending conflicting messages to your brain: one says you’re still and the other says you’re moving. Firstly, explain about car sickness to your children and teach them to tell you when they feel unwell as it’s always better to act on the warning signs. Until you are able to stop, ask them to look into the distance and focus on something far away. Open the windows and offer a dry cracker to settle the stomach. Stop as soon as you can and get out of your vehicle for a while ’til the nausea subsides.

Be Prepared

In case of sickness, leave a leak proof bag in the pocket on the back of the front seats and make sure everyone knows where to find it. Some say mints help with car sickness so it’s worth having a packet in the glove box. A small first aid kit is always good as you will be surprised how many bumps and scrapes can still happen when you’re on the move or at the stops. Stay on top of any mess with wet wipes and kitchen roll.

Snacks for the Journey

Be selective about what you bring as some are messier than others. Choose water bottles with sports tops that don’t spill instead of cartons of fruit juice with straws that squirt and spill. Fruit and cereal bars are fine choices as high sugar options can leaving you feeling like you have caged monkeys in the back instead of children. Make sure you have a place that everyone knows is for rubbish and empty it regularly.

Fun on the Way

Have a special bag for each child with their own travel goodies such as sticker/activity books, small toys, handheld games, magnetic jigsaw, etc. Post-it notes are great for drawing on and sticking around the car and masking tape is also more fun than you would expect for the same reasons. Both leave no sticky marks so you don’t have to worry if you’ve arranged cheap car hire.
Have some wrapped toys/snacks for prizes in games such as I-spy, the alphabet game (spot letters of the alphabet on car number plates or road signs), car colour games (most red cars, most different colours, spot colours in order of rainbow, etc.) Games looking out of the window can help with motion sickness so start a game if you think the kids have been looking down too long at books or handheld games.

And if all else fails the portable DVD player is a very popular option these days but try not to start the journey with it or you’ll have a vehicle full of people not talking to each other.

Tips for Staying Alert While Driving

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

Long distance driving comes with a different set of problems than short distance driving – we`re talking about taking a six hour journey versus driving two the supermarket. While taking a long distance trip, one of the biggest problems drivers face is staying alert and awake while driving. Driving along a smooth motorway at a steady speed has a nasty habit of lulling people to sleep. Feeling sleepy at the wheel is almost as dangerous as drunk driving, so if you feel yourself nodding off, take it seriously. Here are some tips for staying alert while driving that should help you.

Before you leave, make sure that you have had a good night’s sleep. Try to drive during the time of day when you feel most alert. Some people are more awake during the morning while others are better in the afternoon – everybody’s internal clock works differently.

The next tip really depends on the individual. Every two hours, or whenever you feel sleepy, you should stop the car and either take a quick nap or a brisk walk. Some people feel refreshed after a ten minute nap while others may become even more tired after waking and should stick to a refreshing walk. You need to know which tactic will work better in your case.

If you can bring along another person for the ride, then do it. Another person can split the driving with you and chat with you to keep you awake. If you’re alone, put on some loud, fun music – people are more likely to fall asleep when it’s quiet than when it`s loud.

Never drink alcohol. Not only is it illegal to drink and drive, but for some people alcohol makes them sleepy. Do drink coffee, tea or another caffeine drink if you need a temporary fix, but keep in mind that this is only a short term solution. If you’re really tired, it’s better if you take a nap than keep gulping down the Red Bull.

Some medications can make you extremely drowsy. For example, Benadryl, although taken for allergies, is so strong that some people use it as a sleeping pill. Types of medicine that tend to make people drowsy include antihistamines and some cold and cough medicine. Some prescription drugs may make you sleepy too. Always check the label before taking medicine and then driving. If the label says “Do not operate heavy machinery,” this means that you shouldn’t drive a car because you may become drowsy.

Even more dangerous than driving drowsy is driving when you don’t even know that you’re drowsy. Some people simply aren’t aware that they are sleepy until their head has hit a pillow. Learn to recognize what it feels to be like when you’re drowsy, so you can identify those times and do something to get more alert.

This post was provided by Car Rental Express. If you need inexpensive car rentals then visit their website today.