Key Features to Consider For Your Family's Holiday Car

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If you are planning on getting away as a family sometime soon then you will need to consider the best type of car for your holiday. Of course, this will depend on where you are traveling to. If you go abroad, you will need to look into the different cars available. You may even need to adapt to driving on a different side of the road.

If you stay in your own country, you might think about taking your car with you. You may find that the car you currently have doesn’t meet the requirements you need it to. Maybe you’re thinking about replacing or adding another model to your selection. Perhaps a Nissan from Harratts would be better suited to your holidaying needs. Perhaps you want to rent a car rather than taking your own. Whatever you decide there is no escaping the need for a car on holiday.

Cars can be vital on a holiday and even more so on a family holiday. If you have the kids with you, it is probable that you are going to be enjoying quite an active holiday. You might be going out and doing things. You may need to drive long distances, make runs to the beach and ferry lots of stuff around.

You need a car that is going to do exactly what you need it to and help make your holiday experience a good one. You need to consider all the factors that are relevant in a holiday car and what elements make up the best ones for you and your family.

You should do research. Not enough people take this step and can end up regretting it later. Make sure you do your homework and look into the area you are staying and the rental places nearby. Have a look at the type of cars that these places do and see how they fit with the kind of car that you need for your holiday. Also, research feedback from other people who have been in your position. See what they said about the experience. What kind of car did they use? Where did they go on holiday? Would they recommend the vehicle?

Preparation in advance will put you in a much better position to make a decision about the type of car to pick. There are also some things that you should be looking for in your perfect family holiday car. And there are also some things that you can do yourself to help make whatever car you choose even more family oriented.

Big Boot

The most important element of a family friendly holiday car is going to be the size of the boot. As there will be several of you, it means that you may have a lot of stuff. You will have cases, bags and rucksacks, and it is surprising how much space these things can all take up.

If you have several kids then space is going to be even more of an issue. Besides your clothes packing, you may also need to fit baby stuff, emergency kits for your kids and beach stuff. Whilst a smaller car may cost you less there is a good bet that it will be uncomfortable. This is sure to bring down the mood and enjoyment of the holiday experience. There is nothing worse than being stuck in a cramped and stuffy car. It is even worse if you have to deal with long drives.

Large boot space will allow you to fit everything you need into the car as well as you and your family. It also reduces the chances of having to pack things into the front and back seats of the car, leaving even less space.

Take Children’s Seats

If you have a baby or an infant coming on the holiday then you will need a baby seat to sit the baby in. Car hire companies where you are holidaying will provide baby seats, but they are expensive. You will also have the issue of having to pay through the nose for any damage or loss that occurs whilst you have a seat.

By bringing your own with you save money and stress. Your baby is also more comfortable as it will be familiar with the seat. But make sure you check out the regulations before doing so as you can't take certain seats on planes.

Do You Need More Than One Driver?

An important question to ask yourself is whether you need more than one driver? Are you happy driving everywhere yourself for the whole trip or would you like to add your partner as a driver too? It is unlikely that you will want just one driver as it can be unfair and tiring for the person doing all the driving.

But it is important to consider the fact that nowadays most car hire packages do not include adding a driver as part of their cost. If you want to add someone else then unfortunately you are going to have to pay for the privilege.

You need to decide whether you feel it is worth your while doing this or whether you’d rather just stick with one driver.

Fuel Efficiency

Some rental cars will come with a full tank of fuel already which is part of the cost. But some may not and even if they do you may find that you need to top up again during the holiday.

Because of this you should try to pick a car that is as fuel efficient as possible. The cost of fuel can be expensive, especially if you have to top up more than once. You don’t want a car that is going to be a gas guzzler. Bear in mind that with your family and all your stuff the car will have extra weight that will mean a strain on the fuel already. Try to pick the most efficient model that gives you the most miles to the gallon.

Bring Your Own Sat Nav

Like the baby seat option, you could do a lot worse than bringing your own sat nav with you. Sat nav charges are expensive, and they increase the risk of your car being targeted. If you take your own you can remove it whenever you need. It will also save you money and be less stressful. Many sat nav machines work differently, and you don’t want to spend ages trying to figure out how the new one works. Bring your own to save time.

If you don’t want to bring your own because you’re worried about it getting lost or stolen then pick up a cheap one. Going online there are thousands of resources available where you could pick up a cheap sat nav.