Hoot guide to long car journeysJust saying the words 'long car journey' is enough to send a shiver down most peoples' spines, but with the right preparation these trips really don't need to be such a nightmare. The cheap car insurance experts here at Hoot Car Insurance Services have been on hundreds of road trips, and their experience has taught that following a few simple steps before setting off can make all the difference. Some of the team even claim to enjoy long journeys - a statement few of us regular motorists can ever imagine making. A badly-managed trip can be frustrating, overly-tiring and much worse, leading to accidents and injuries, expensive motor insurance claims and even family feuds in some cases - so it's probably best you don't go anywhere until you've read the following Hoot Guide. Here our UK car insurance team offer their advice on planning your route, checking your car for faults and recommended packing techniques for a smoother, safer ride. Plan your route
Unless you're going on a left-turn, right-turn holiday (the whole idea of which is to have no idea where you're headed), making a detailed plan of your route before setting off is vitally important for a trouble-free journey. Route planning technology has come a long way since the days when an up-to-date road atlas was considered 'cutting edge', and the internet offers a wealth of resources for the conscientious traveller. Websites such as Google Maps (http://maps.google.co.uk) and http://www.theaa.com boast excellent journey planning software; which costs nothing to use and is accurate up to the minute you press the 'print' button. Sites like these generally provide you with a bulleted list of directions and a single page road map that has your journey superimposed over the top. Used in conjunction with your road atlas, these print-outs make for a very reliable and reassuringly flexible route to your destination, however far away it is (Google Maps can handle international and even intercontinental voyages with ease). However, there's more to a good journey plan than just road numbers and motorway exits. You're bound to need rest stops, somewhere to eat every few hours and maybe even the odd tourist attraction or beauty spot to take in on the way. Brilliantly, most of the internet route planners will provide this kind of info along with the directions if you request it. For more detailed information on journey planning, along with advice on sat nav systems, see the Hoot Guide to navigation. Check your car
Once you've figured out how to get there, the next thing to ascertain is whether or not your car is going to make it in one piece. You should be carrying out basic checks on your vehicle's roadworthiness before every trip you make, but it's doubly important to do so if the journey is a long one. Don't be put off by the idea of lifting your bonnet - these checks are genuinely a piece of cake and infinitely preferable to a breakdown when you're hundreds of miles away from home. Check your fluids first (water and windscreen washer simply by looking at the reservoir, and engine oil with the dipstick), then your tyre pressure and tread depth. Then examine your lights for cracks or a blown bulb. It shouldn't need saying but if the car fails any of the checks, or if you're aware it's developing any other kind of problem, always get it looked at and repaired before setting out on a long journey. No fault is too minor to warrant attention - and often it's the simplest things that cause a breakdown. Load your car sensibly
Most long car journeys, from a French 'booze-cruise' to a family holiday, require a fair amount of packing. Loading-up your car without due care and attention can lead to all kinds of problems further down the line, and a badly packed boot can potentially be very dangerous for you and your passengers. The first thing to be aware of when loading luggage is how it's going to affect access to emergency equipment like your torch, reflective jacket and spare wheel. Don't box these items in so that retrieving them becomes next to impossible or you'll end up kicking yourself on the hard shoulder (bear in mind that a fully laden car is more likely to break down than usual). Always pack heavier items toward the bottom of your boot and in the seat wells if you're using passenger space, and lighter ones on top. Besides protecting fragile luggage, this will limit the detrimental effect a full boot has on car handling. Lastly, never obstruct your view through the back window by piling luggage high in the boot or on the parcel shelf. Besides the reduced visibility, any unsecured items packed at head-height have a tendency to fly about the cabin in an accident or as the result of sudden braking, distracting you and quite possibly injuring someone. Try cheap car insurance from Hoot
A good motor insurance policy is never more important than when you've got a car-full of family members (or bottles of wine for that matter). At Hoot Car Insurance Services, we specialise in cheap car insurance for people who know that a good standard of cover and unrivalled customer service is much more important than a flashy sales pitch or 'catchy' advertising jingle. We're an online car insurance company because it saves us money, and we don't do advertising for the same reason. Keeping the overheads down means we can afford to offer great rates on motor insurance without scrimping on cover - so you get a terrific deal. To find out just how cheap car insurance from Hoot actually is, all you need to do is click below. 
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