Planning for a Road Trip: Top Tips and Tricks

Going on a road trip is still one of the most fun ways to spend the holiday. Whether you are going on a road trip with the entire family or starting a solo adventure to new destinations, the adventure will be a memorable one for sure. The fact that there are many beautiful B roads and great spots to visit along the way make going on a road trip even more exciting.

Just like other trips, a road trip can be more enjoyable when you plan for it the right way. There are a lot to plan and prepare before you can go on a road trip and have a blast. To help you get through the planning and preparation stages, here are the top tips and tricks to keep in mind.

Budget and Time

The two things you want to start with when planning a road trip are budget and time. You need to know how much you can afford to spend on the trip and how much time you have to complete it from start to finish. Setting a budget is the easy part here. You can simply allocate a budget and plan the trip to stay within that limit.

Time is a bit trickier to handle. In order to schedule the trip properly, you have to remember that you need to consider the time required to drive home. You also want to leave some room for unexpected things such as the car breaking down. With these two elements figured out, planning the rest of the road trip is much easier to do.

Pick a Route

When planning a road trip, choosing a destination isn’t the only thing you need to do to get started. You also have to determine the route you want to take, since it affects the amount of time needed to reach the destination. Going on B roads rather than the M4 means spending up to twice the time to reach certain destinations.

Fortunately, you have the internet on your side. Route planning tools – including Google Maps’ new features designed for planning this kind of trip – are handy. You can choose a more scenic route or the fastest one or combine the two for a truly memorable road trip. You can even define the kind of stops and attractions you want to visit, and the route planning tool will help you plan for the trip better.

The Car

Just because you are going on a road trip, doesn’t mean you have to drive your own car (or motorcycle, if you are a biker). In fact, you can save a lot of time by using a rental car rather than driving your own from the beginning. You can start from one point and return the car at the destination without having to go back through the same route, saving you a lot of time in the process.

That said, driving your own car makes the whole trip more comfortable and memorable; you tie the moments you experience along the way to the car you are driving, so driving your own means you can look back at those funny moments at any time.

If you do want to drive your own car, there are some important things to prepare. First, you want to make sure that the car is in good shape. You also want to get a good car insurance and, more important, a breakdown cover policy. The latter – with its Onward Travel coverage and additional services – protects you from unwanted hassles throughout the road trip.

More Protection

The breakdown cover policy can also be used when you are traveling to Europe. There are insurance plans and add-ons that will offer the same roadside assistance and other added services even when you are in the EU. Make sure you get the right policy and that it is in force before actually driving and having your adventure.

You also need to protect yourself and those traveling with you. Prepare an emergency bag filled with essential items to make dealing with emergencies a breeze. Make sure you also get a good travel insurance and that your health plan also offers sufficient protection when you are in the road trip’s destination.

Prepare Yourself

Last but certainly not least, you need to prepare yourself for the trip. Driving in a long journey isn’t an easy task, so make sure you are physically and mentally ready for the adventure. It is also a good idea to make sure that your papers are in order.

To complete the set, do more research on road trips, the route you will be taking, and other details about the trip. The more informed you are, the more enjoyable the trip will be. With these preparations made properly, you can have a truly magnificent adventure. After the first road trip, you’ll be hooked and eager to go on future ones as soon as possible.

What Borrowing Options are Available if you have a Poor Credit Rating?

There are many of us that have a poor credit rating due to a number of reasons. It could be because we get behind in making payments, our income is not very high or we have lots of debt. When people are in this situation, of having a poor credit record and they need to borrow money then they have very few options available to them. There are some though and it is worth understanding more about them so that you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to use them, if you are in this situation yourself.

Payday loan

payday loan companies tend to do no credit check and so whether you have a good or bad credit record makes no difference with regards to whether you are likely to be accepted. There are very few restrictions apart from being over 18, having a bank account, having an income and living in the country that the lender is based in. This means that this can be a handy option, particularly as it is quick to arrange so works for when you need money in an emergency. However, they can be expensive because of the risk that they take on with their customers. You also normally have to repay everything that you borrow in one go, which can be difficult for some people to manage. They do not lend as much money as some loans, so you can normally only borrow up to a thousand pounds with them.

Payday loans do get a lot of negative press about being difficult to manage and expensive. Like with all loans, it is therefore really important to make sure that you compare different lenders to see which is the cheapest. You should also make sure that you are confident that you can manage the repayment. Find out how much the loan will cost as well and you can decide whether you think that it is expensive or not.

Logbook loan

A logbook loan will use your car as collateral. This means that if you miss repayments, the lender could take your car and sell it in order to recoup their losses. Obviously you will need a vehicle and if it already has a loan against it, then the lender will need to calculate whether they will be prepared to lend you more money against it. They will need to see the vehicle so that they can calculate the value and make you an offer with regards to how much money they are prepared to lend you.

There is a risk with these loans that you could lose your car if you cannot afford the repayments. Make sure that you protect yourself against this by finding out how much the repayments will be and calculating whether you will be able to afford them. If you think that it will be difficult then set yourself a budget and stick to it. Imagine how difficult it will be if your car is gone, it could even be that you will not be able to get to work anymore. It is worth considering what could happen so that you can decide on whether you feel that the risk is worth taking. Only you know how important your car is and whether you could cope without it.

Borrowing from friends and family

This option can often be seen as an easier one because it is likely to be cheaper and you will be under less pressure to repay quickly. However, it can also bring problems with it. Obviously you need to know someone who has the money to be able to afford to lend you what you want as well as being willing to do it. Some people are not up for lending to others and that opinion should be respected as they may feel that it could lead to problems.

If you do borrow from friends and family it is worth having a formal agreement as to what you are going to do about repaying them. They may expect you to repay as soon as you can and you may hope to pay in small instalments to make it easier. This might mean that you argue about it afterwards as they may want more money from you than you can afford. They may also suddenly need the money themselves and it can be very awkward if you are not in a position to be able to give it to them when they need it.

It can not only cause pressure in the relationship between the two of you but possibly also with other people as well. There may be jealousy from others that you have been leant money and they have not. They may see it as you being treated as a favourite and they might want to borrow money form the same person but cannot do it now because you have. It can be a really tricky situation and so is well worth approaching it with caution.

How to Improve your Chances of Being Accepted for a Loan

If you are considering getting a loan for something, then there will be a chance that your application will be turned down. Lenders have all sorts of criteria that have to be fulfilled before they will lend to someone and it is important to be aware of what there are likely to be and whether you fit them.

Check your credit record

It is really important to make sure that you check your credit record. This will show details of regular payments that you make and debts that you have. It will also show details of any debt repayments or bills that you have not paid on time. This should be an accurate record and so if you find that any of it is incorrect then you need to report it and get it changed. This is what lenders will look at to decide whether they want to lend to you and if any of it is incorrect then it could mean that you are unfairly refused a loan. Therefore check it very carefully and also check those of anyone else contributing to your household income, particularly if you are taking the loan out in joint names with them.

The types of things to look out for are missed payments that you know you did not miss, items outstanding payments that you know you have paid for, old items that you no longer have and things like that. Also make sure that everything you do pay is on there such as utility bills and rent as having a record that you do pay things on time is very important.

If you find mistakes contact the company that you are using to check your credit record. However, you also need to look at your credit record on other sites and tell them as well if there is a mistake as a correction on one may not automatically lead to it being corrected on others. There are only a few sites that hold these details so it should not be too tricky to contact them and it could make a huge difference to your chances of getting a loan.

Do not apply for too many

Your credit record also shows applications for loans and whether they have been accepted or turned down. Having lots of applications close together will give the impression that you really need money and will not reflect well on you. Having lots of applications that have been turned down will also have the same effect. Therefore make sure that you apply for one at a time and if you have a few turned down stop applying and try to consider whether it is worth continuing or not. Think about why you might be being turned down or even contact the lenders and ask them. Then you might be able to make some changes so that you are more likely to get accepted next time you apply.

It can be frustrating if you really want some money and you have to wiat to see if you are turned down form one company before applying to another or even to stop applying to increases your chances of getting a loan. It can be worth thinking about whether you really need the loan or if there are other options that you have instead of borrowing. As sadly once you start getting turned down, it is unlikely that you will find a lender that will lend money to you.

Keep your debt down

It is worth making sure that you keep the amount of debt that you have to a minimal level. This is because lenders will feel that you are more risky if you have lots of other debt. Also, if you can demonstrate that you can repay the debt that you have, you will look less risky to a potential lender. It can be helpful for you as well because if you have less debt then you will not have so many repayments to commit to and it means that you are more likely to be able to afford the new debt that you are taking on.

It can be difficult trying to pay off debts when you are hoping for another loan. However, if you budget carefully and try to compare prices on everything that you buy, you may be able to spend less money and be able to afford to pay a bit extra off some of the repayments that you are making. Also if you can think of ways to get a bit more money coming in, then you will be able to afford to pay a bit of your debt and may even not need to take out the additional loan that you have.

Check the requirements before applying

It is well worth making sure that you check the requirements of any loan before you buy it. This is because you will find that they may differ and if they have requirements that you do not fit then there is no point in applying. Not only will you be wasting your time if you apply for something that you do not qualify for, but it will also show on your credit record that you were turned down for a loan, which will work against you when applying or others.