Having only been driving a couple of years (3 I believe), and having never driven anywhere other than England and Wales, I was slightly apprehensive about driving to Cologne, in Germany; roughly a 7 hr drive from the Calais ferry port and of course on the 'wrong' side of the road!
But I need not have worried; the other side of the road was fine, the roundabouts were easy to get to grips with; and even the drivers temperament's were tolerable. I think with the right passengers (My hitch-hiker come navigator, Harley was helpful and amazing, and my long time friend Dominique was cool, unflappable and thoroughly positive).
My three little tips from experience would be:
1. Don't bother to scrub the car as it will get filthy; give it a quick wash, making sure windows and number plates are clear, and make sure you have a spray cleaner & window cleaner with cloths, because these areas obviously need to be clean
2. Check legalities for road tripping abroad; countries do vary, and you will need extra insurance and breakdown cover, and of course travel insurance and passports (sounds silly but all 3 of us almost forgot our passports simply because we weren't flying) - make sure you have documents for each.
3. Although a clean car is not essential, it's a great idea to have a clear car before you pack it. Try and keep all bags etc in the boot; in the front you will need legal essentials such as fire extinguisher and hi-vis vests, and you may want things like water, wet wipes, snacks, blankets, paracetamol and a map (even if you have a satnav). My personal musts are gaviscon as I get a bad stomach; cranberry tablets to prevent bladder infection if I have to hold my pee in for too long; acidophilus (probiotics) to help my stomach cope with change in water and/or food, and lots of good reggae cds :)
Enjoy your Road trips! My next one will be right across France and Northen Spain :)
Feel free to ask any questions xx
