Driving long distance.... any advice?

[ponder]

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[upup]

Don't do Botswana at night, donkey's sleep in the road.

 

[ngoni615]

My wife and I did a 2500km round trip not too long ago.
We planned for 4.5 hours, 6 hours max per day. It worked great. No rush, and if we somehow made a longer stop, everything was still fine.

Pack snacks. Protein bars work great. If you're in the middle of nowhere and hungry, a protein bar can keep you satisfied for 3 hours.

Edit:
Don't pack your snack box / cooler box to the brim. You will probably stop at farm stalls with nice stuff to buy.

sweet. Seeing many places and buying stuff along the way is probably the way to go especially at farm stalls. Some sell nice goodies

 

[ngoni615]

Question: how will you be keeping your phone charged? If it's plugged into your car while you're driving, then take two cables (cables can fail and you don't want to lose weight our comms). If it doesn't plug in, then get the big Romoss battery bank (20 000mah) for around R700 ... that'll keep you going the whole trip.

I have a car charger and two original cables for my phone and another battery bank that i usually keep fully charged. It is only 10000mah will that do?

 

[ngoni615]

Namibia is generally a safe place with friendly people across the entire demographic spectrum. As with most places in the world, be aware of your surroundings, I found Swakopmund very safe but cannot say the same for Walvis Bay!

My recent roadtrip to Swakopmund.....

https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/moose-goes-to-swakopmund.1133859/

Man oh man you had a nice time. I am so eager to check out Swakopmund. and some parts of Namibia. Are there nice places in Swakop to spend a day or two checking out? taking pictures and videos?

 

[ToxicBunny]

sweet. Seeing many places and buying stuff along the way is probably the way to go especially at farm stalls. Some sell nice goodies

100% approach your trip this way. Nam is your destination and look forward to it but don't rush the trip there, you have 2000+kms of SA to get through, experience it and enjoy it.

I'd honest suggest a 4 day road trip and a leisurely drive rather than trying to cram it into 3 days. Then you can stop and enjoy the places on the way properly.

 

[ngoni615]

100% approach your trip this way. Nam is your destination and look forward to it but don't rush the trip there, you have 2000+kms of SA to get through, experience it and enjoy it.

I'd honest suggest a 4 day road trip and a leisurely drive rather than trying to cram it into 3 days. Then you can stop and enjoy the places on the way properly.

That is so true bro. I will be taking time off work for this... I will probably try and take close to a month off work. A lot of people have mentioned it is indeed a long drive especially for one person so i should try and make it a 4 day trip to rest and also enjoy the scenery. I have received a lot of helpful information about the best time to drive. I have never driven over 600km before... The longest distance i have ever driven was from durban to Jozi so this will be a very interesting experience one i have been saving some money for, for a long time. Meaning if i make it a 4 day trip. I can try to drive for around 500km or say 3 hours and rest for the day right?

 

[GIGZ]

Damn going via Upington seems to be slower than via pta and botswana. 2451 versus 2291km

Remember: Shorter Distance ≠ Faster Trip, in the same way that Longer Distance ≠ Longer Trip

 

[GIGZ]

Rather get a proper 10 liter fuel container. Yeah it might help, especially in Namibia.
And to calculate total probable fuel costs: take the round trip kilometers divide by 10 and times by current fuel price.
I would say if you keep rekord of kilometers travelled and liters filled between fuel stops you should have a good idea about how far a tank would last.

Fuelio is quite good for this

 

[ToxicBunny]

That is so true bro. I will be taking time off work for this... I will probably try and take close to a month off work. A lot of people have mentioned it is indeed a long drive especially for one person so i should try and make it a 4 day trip to rest and also enjoy the scenery. I have received a lot of helpful information about the best time to drive. I have never driven over 600km before... The longest distance i have ever driven was from durban to Jozi so this will be a very interesting experience one i have been saving some money for, for a long time. Meaning if i make it a 4 day trip. I can try to drive for around 500km or say 3 hours and rest for the day right?

Completely that.. You can do 4 hours of driving and still have a half day to do things and relax and even enjoy the place you end up staying over at...

Pay just as much attention to your night stop overs as your destination, choose places that speak to you and are even places you may want to go back to for a longer holiday.

 

[Gtx Gaming]

Switch on auto cruise with lane keeping assist and sit back and relax

 

[Foxhound5366]

I have a car charger and two original cables for my phone and another battery bank that i usually keep fully charged. It is only 10000mah will that do?

Your cellphone battery is going to be around 4000mah, so you'll safely get two full charges if that's all you're charging with it. You should be good

Trust me, don't leave the planning for the road. Book your accommodation now in advance, and do it in three days.

I find that driving 800km in a day is on the outside of my comfort limits ... even doing that three days in a row will be super tough for you, but you can keep your brain stimulated by stopping for proper lunch and coffee breaks along the way and exploring the new areas. Do NOT try and do it in two days, you will lose attention and die.

 

[pinball wizard]

If you gonna service the car do it at least a week or two beforehand so any possible niggles can be caught well in advance...

Always.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

It is much more fun to drive.

Fun sure, but more expensive, fuel and wear and tear wise.

Wouldn't even be a question for me, flying is just better on so many counts.

 

[Craig_]

I suggest borrowing a 2-4 year old child to accompany you. It will really make the trip a nightmare.

I have two kids, now aged 8 and 9. And they are the only reason we haven't done this trip yet. With a 2 to 4 year old I'd rather just stay home.

 

[Craig_]

Fun sure, but more expensive, fuel and wear and tear wise.

Wouldn't even be a question for me, flying is just better on so many counts.

I'd also rather drive, I love road trips. You see places you'd never see otherwise.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Fun sure, but more expensive, fuel and wear and tear wise.

Wouldn't even be a question for me, flying is just better on so many counts.

And you will miss out on so many experiences if you intention is to experience the country and your destination.

Just for reference eg2505 my little friend, flying to swakopmund from durbs is technically a 2 day affair either way and will cost R7000 return. So its not a massive time saver and may only be slightly cheaper.

 

[RedViking]

I go straight from Durban to Grahamstown taking the Matat / Ugie route. Only stop for coffee in between and breakfast/lunch.

So a trip like that I will probably sleep over half way.

But the again, I love driving.

 

[ToxicBunny]

I go straight from Durban to Grahamstown taking the Matat / Ugie route. Only stop for coffee in between and breakfast/lunch.

So a trip like that I will probably sleep over half way.

But the again, I love driving.

I did Durban to Plett a year and a bit ago (before the Vid rolled in) with a few stops for coffee/lunch/etc along the way... 1100kms in about 14 hours or so. Its about as far as I would push a drive in a single stint, and I would not repeat it the following day.

 

[flamevector]

I do a trip from Jozi to Port Alfred often enough roughly 1100KM. I do that in one days stretch leave early roughly 4am get there around 4-5PM. Make sure you stop often enough I do on average 3 - 4 stops one way usually Kroonstad, Bloem, Aliwal and Queenstown. when you stop fill your car have a good break sitdown some where else other than your car to chow and grab hot foods even if it is a toasty IMHO. Highway Hypnosis is a real thing but enjoy the trip I would love to do the Nambia trip keep this thread updated as you travel.