The bank holiday on Monday, May 4 could trigger turmoil on roads and othe travel across the UK as families rush off to their holiday destinations of choice. The RAC is anticipating a particularly busy start to Saturday morning, but consumer expert Holly Hamilton shared some tips to keeping the journey joyous even in the face of endless traffic.
Joining the Morning Live broadcast remotely on May 1, Holly recommended people start with some mental preparations by admitting they can’t avoid the inevitable: ““The advice really is to be prepared. A little bit of forward planning goes a long way with these busy roads… If you are heading out in the car just kind of accept your fate a little bit, it's going to be busy.”
With this mindset, you can better prepare the atmosphere inside the car for the long journey ahead. She added: “Pack plenty of snacks and a good playlist. That's absolutely key. Then you're happy enough.”
On Holly’s personal playlist is an unlikely candidate: “We're obsessed at the minute with Cars the movie in this house. It's the perfect song, the soundtrack for Cars.”
She challenged viewers: “And if you can do better than that, make me up a playlist and we'll all be happily sitting on the M5.”
Before heading off, Holly urged viewers to double-check the “obvious” things around your car to ensure it’s also physically prepared for the journey. This includes checking your oil, coolant and the tread on your tyres.
Some checks, like making sure your tyres are properly inflated, can also help your car be more fuel efficient which may save you some quid on your trip.
She continued: “The bottom line is, you do not want to be broken down on the side of the road whenever you're supposed to be somewhere a little bit more special than that.”
For people who aren’t planning on going anywhere fancy this weekend, they may need to keep the holiday traffic in mind if they want to leave the house. Holly explained: “It's just worth bearing in mind that the roads will be that little bit busier. So, do leave yourself plenty of time.”
Other forms of travel like trains will also likely be very busy as people try to avoid the road traffic. Network Rail has reported that the majority of Britain’s railway network will be operating as usual but some engineering work has shut down notable stations like Liverpool Lime Street which will be closed on Sunday until noon on Monday.
The RAC is anticipating the busiest early May bank holiday traffic in the last 10 years, with an estimated 19 million leisure trips by car despite the surge in fuel prices since the conflict in the Middle East began.