How to hop through the bank holiday weekend

For many of us, the long Easter weekend is a welcome break from work, a chance to spend time with family and indulge guilt-free in a chocolate egg (or two). But there are still plenty of people who don’t get to enjoy the time off – with packages to transport, work to carry out, customers to visit and more.  

Small businesses especially have to keep things ticking over and often use the bank holiday as an opportunity to get ahead of their competition. However, it’s not always easy. The four-day weekend means busier roads, traffic jams, long-haul shifts and tighter delivery times. In fact, the RAC predict they’ll be 21 million leisure journeys once the schools break up. Luckily, there are a few ways to hop like a happy bunny right through the busy holiday with smooth and safe driving. 

It pays to prepare. Think about the best times to travel – very early in the morning and late at night might be your best bet. However, you could still risk running into go-getting families hoping to breeze down to the coast or countryside by setting off at 6am. So make sure it’s the right choice for the route you need to take. 

There’s nothing worse than slowly rolling towards a set of temporary traffic lights or a pre-planned diversion. So choose your path wisely. Avoid busy town and city centres if you can, use an app to plot the fastest route and steer clear of closures. Most of all, don’t forget to add in fuel stops along the way. Luckily fuelGenie has a few features which lend a helpful planning hand (more on that later).  

Easter travel chaos is almost inevitable. The roads are chock-full of cars (and caravans) packed with picnics, camping gear and bikes for a bank holiday adventure. Plus it’s usually the time that routine maintenance, motorway updates and route closures are scheduled. It’s designed to limit disruptions but obviously doesn’t factor in the many drivers still working away, trying to tick off tasks. 

Best way to avoid driving drama? Check before you travel. See if there are long delays on roads you usually use or if there’s expected heavy traffic near holiday hotspots. If you see red routes on your satnav, pick another option. Figure out whether it’s best to stay off key transit routes altogether or pay for tolls. 

Breaking into your chocolate eggs is fun. Breaking down on a 60mph road is not. And the likelihood of motoring meltdowns is dramatically increased with the number of cars out and about. Direct Line says there could be 42,447 breakdowns between Thursday 28th March and Monday 1st April. That’s a whopping one every minute. 

Before you set off, do a few quick checks. Pump up your tyres to the right PSI and keep an eye out for dramatically low pressure which might mean a slow puncture that you’ll need to fix right away. Refill your fluids – oil, coolant, brake and transmission – to prevent warning lights popping up. And make sure you have enough wiper wash to avoid a smeary, dusty and dangerous windscreen. 

Want even more options at your fingertips (or pedals)? fuelGenie+ gives you 2,200 petrol stations to choose from including A-roads and key transit routes. Upgrading your membership for just 50p a month per card could help you crack straight through that Easter congestion.  

Plus if you have a large vehicle or van and travel through the night, you’ll also benefit from better access and 24/7 site facilities at Shell garages. You could even get money off your midnight deli snack by scanning ShellGo+ at the till.