The Head First Only Guide to Car Travel

So, you're the adventurous type who wants to drive to your ski resort. That's good - we've done it too, and we had a great time doing it. You'll have a blast, so long as you follow a few simple rules and keep your wits about you.

The same reminders apply to road trips as they do to plane or rail ones - make sure you have your passport with you, don't forget anything (or anyone) and allow plenty of time to get to where you're going.

You might be fit enough for a skiing holiday, but is your car? If you break down, will you be able to cope? Do you have the insurance and breakdown cover you need? Just make sure you have all the required items for driving in the countries you're travelling through - bulb kits, warning triangles, first aid kits and so on.

Do you have a set of snow chains for your car? You're going skiing. Ski resorts tend to have snow, and you're going to be driving through it. You'd be very foolish to set off without some. Curiously, this doesn't seem to occur to some people, and the HFO have seen the results on many occasions - whether it be the Ford Sierra that slid gently round a hairpin bend into the front of our coach in the Dolomites, the 2CV on its roof at the side of a road in the Three Valleys, or the saloon at the bottom of a ravine on the way to Lake Tahoe. Don't take chances, and drive sensibly.

On a similar note, have an old blanket in the car you can put under the tyres if you need to get traction moving out of a parking space, ditch, or other inconvenient and slippery location you happen to find yourself in. A shovel for digging yourself out of a snowdrift might come in handy, too.

Make sure you've got a basic idea of the rules of the road in the countries you're driving through. Many countries in Europe have different rules for things like who has to give way at road junctions. For instance, in some countries you should give way to the car coming out of a side road on your right. Things like that can catch out the unwary.

If you're sleepy, you shouldn't be driving. Let someone else take over, or stop and have a rest. Tiredness and driving don't mix - and you could wind up dead. Take a break.

Don't let all the warnings above put you off driving to your holiday, though. The great thing about car journeys is that by and large, you've nobody else's schedule to stick to. You're in control - you can stop when you want, perhaps take time out to go shopping on the way if you feel like it, and you get a much better view of the scenery than you do at thirty thousand feet. So long as you have several people to share the driving, it's fun to do.

And of course, it's easier to bring back a few bottles of wine when all you have to do is pop them in the boot of your car...

Remember that resorts are full of folks on holiday, and it's a fair bet that a proportion of them won't be paying attention to traffic. Drive carefully.

Most resorts have dedicated parking areas. Some are kept well away from the resort itself and you'll transfer to your accommodation by shuttle bus, or even a sledge. Make sure you can carry your stuff if you need to do this. You may want to leave someone with the car to look after what's left if you need to take more than one trip.

Another simple tip: make a note of where you parked. You've got to find the thing in a week or so, and if you're going to be digging it out of a snowdrift, at least make sure it's your car you dig out.

But, most importantly of all at this point: Have a great holiday!