Driving at night
Why we try and avoid it.
Photo courtesy Ryan Leeper [Pexels]
We drive at night only when absolutely necessary, Why?
The reason we visit new places is to experience and explore, this you cannot do at night. All you see is road and headlights. Not a great experience and you can miss so much. There is often some great scenery to look at as well as other interesting sights.
Finding places to stay
When traveling you inevitable have to stop and find a place to sleep. As we mainly wild camp finding a place to stay can be tricky at night. Things look very different in the dark and you could end up staying in a less than desirable place. When stopping at an aire it is desirable to get there early to make sure there is a place still available. We have often stayed in an aire and hear motorhomes arrive in the night only to find it full and have to move on. These people then have to find an alternative place to stopover not pleasant when you are tired and have been on the road driving for a long time. If going to a campsite at night you may find that the ofiice is closed and many campsites lock there gates at night preventing access. We try and get to our overnight place before 4 o’clock so we can relax and enjoy the evening.
Navigating
Navigating the street of Europe can be tricky at the best of times but made more so in the dark. Trying to read road signs and look for exit points in the dark can be difficult in the daytime and sometimes hazardous in the dark. At night you are only seeing whats in your headlight view and you cant see what further up ahead or in your peripheral view.
Our tip is : Only drive at night if you really have to. After all you should be on holidays taking in the sights, sounds and ambiance, not rushing from place to place.
