Expert Advice on Winter Travelling
Winter can be a great time to be out and about, especially in a campervan, caravan or motorhome.
With many benefits such as quieter roads, usually deserted tourist and historical or cultural attractions and lower rates at campsites and on ferries.
But it can be miserable if you are not well enough prepared for a mishap or unfortunate event.
Apart from the obvious safety points of staying warm and packing plenty of food and water, the following points may be worth considering
When navigating a campsite in the winter, the ground can be far softer than the summer, and this can provide extra challenges for those endeavoring to cross the grass or maneuver onto pitch.
If the worst does happen and you get stuck, you can find yourself hoping the friendly campsite owner will have a tractor or four-wheel drive to pull you free, but with the right accessory and knowledge this can be hopefully avoided.
These track mats are a great way to get out of a sticky situation, just wedge them under the wheel in whatever direction you want to travel, and they will help you to get better grip and, in most cases will unstick your vehicle.
These can also be a great help in snowy conditions, so worth keeping with you when you are travelling all through the winter.
Many people will only pack a warning triangle and Hi -Vis jacket if required to do so by European law when travelling overseas, but these can be a huge safety essential when traveling on home turf.
Not only are vehicle breakdowns more common in winter due to colder conditions but daytime is lessened and being stranded at the side of the road is a dangerous business especially in the dark.
A warning triangle placed behind the vehicle will dramatically reduce your chance of danger, especially if placed before a bend on a narrow country lane.
Even when walking around the vehicle in a layby or the side of the road a Hi -Vis jacket is a safety essential and lessens the risk of being struck by another vehicle.
These Hi-Vis jackets are available in a number of sizes and are a great item to carry in your campervan, car or motorhome at all times.
A torch is also an essential in your vehicle, these rechargeable torches from Vango can be charged from the 12v cigarette lighter socket in your vehicle and a hand crank can be used to charge if no power is available.
Your vehicles battery is also placed under far greater strain in the winter where lights are more frequently required, and the cold weather puts the battery under greater strain, a jump starter is a brilliant accessory to carry with you, they are also a useful item as can be used to charge a phone too via the USB socket.
This one from Outwell despite its tiny size can jump start a car, run cigarette lighter socket accessories and charge USB devices. It also has a light and strobe red warning light in case of emergency.
Whilst these accessories can’t guarantee that your journey will go without issues, they may help if a bad situation arises.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the sales team.