View Full Version : Andy's indispensible guide to tour preparation...
TheStoat
16-04-09, 08:32 AM
What's your preparation regime then? It seems mine goes like this.....
1. No more than 4 hours sleep every night in the week leading up to the tour -- check
2. Sat Nav that clearly accepts meticulously prepared itineraries but in my hands inexplicably adds all the waypoints to My Favourites (?!?) -- check
3. No car for touring in (well, no car with a radiator installed anyway) -- check
4. Nothing packed but a fuzzy memory of where your passport currently resides -- check
DDay -1
5. Wake up at 5.45am in the middle of Lord knows where in London with the keys to someone else's M3 and a vague memory of frankly bizarre nightmares from trying to assemble a bullet cam rig before going to sleep -- check
6. Attempt to drive off with someone else's garage remote thereby probably scuppering the tour -- check
7. Feign interest in work for one more day before cheesing it at the earliest opportunity -- check
"And I'm spent!" /AustinPowers
Ben-san
16-04-09, 09:09 AM
LOL!
Fab news with the M3 - I think you'll have lots of fun!
Mine has been something like this:
1. Mostly packed and ready to hit the road, three days in advance. The only downside being that I was 6,000 miles away from the start point, in Singapore.
2. Departed Singapore at 1200hrs via dodgy cross-border taxi, praying throughout the 30-minute journey that our car would still be sporting all four wheels and its contents where we left it in Johor Bahru.
3. Arrived too early at Kuala Lumpur International with no choice but to check in and stuff myself with the hottest noodles ever, thinking: 'I pity the fool that sits next to me'.
4. 2am in transit in Abu Dhabi proved far too exciting - so much so that I had to be rudely awakened by the last-call announcement for Mr Leow to get to the boarding gate double time.
5. Got home yesterday morning with no sleep since the waking in Singapore and the 20-minute cat nap somewhere in the United Arab Emirates. Spent the rest of the morning stumbling in and out of consciousness as I attempted to unpack and do the laundry.
6. Went cold-turkey on sleep to fight the effects of jetlag.
7. Woke at 5 am this morning to repack.
Love it.
Butters
16-04-09, 09:14 AM
Erm, I've not even thought about packing yet!
Don't worry, it will all come together albeit in a mad panic...
Oh and Sarah seems to have mislaid the Tom Tom since last weekend. Marvelous!
James.
Morning!
Probably bad news from my side: car and myself are pretty sick, not sure if I get the Tuscan back today.. is there another M3 available I could lend maybe? :(
Anyway, I tried to show a rather optimistic attitude and pack the little black dress and a toothbrush and hope to see you tomorrow morning in Folkstone.
To make things worse, my satnav is not interested in accepting the lovely tours so I will try to follow you guys (planned to do that anyway)
Great start - can only get better...
TheStoat
16-04-09, 09:41 AM
Morning!
Probably bad news from my side: car and myself are pretty sick, not sure if I get the Tuscan back today.. is there another M3 available I could lend maybe? :(
Anyway, I tried to show a rather optimistic attitude and pack the little black dress and a toothbrush and hope to see you tomorrow morning in Folkstone.
To make things worse, my satnav is not interested in accepting the lovely tours so I will try to follow you guys (planned to do that anyway)
Great start - can only get better...
You're in luck - the M3 has back seats unlike my Cobra and with just a dress and toothbrush I think your luggage will fit too :)
Best of luck with the car, I really hope it makes it onto the tour :driving:
Butters
16-04-09, 09:48 AM
Carol drink plenty of water and get an early night tonight. Fingers crossed you'll be feeling far better in the morning...
James. :)
jumplead
16-04-09, 09:49 AM
Sounds like i'm one of the more organised then. All clothes and documents out and ready to be packed tonight. Sat Nav files on the Sat Nav, day 1 multihop route assigned. Bev is all packed and ready.
Just need a few relays and fuses for the Tiv and then we are ready.
Why does it feel like i've forgotten something REALLY important?
Carol drink plenty of water and get an early night tonight. Fingers crossed you'll be feeling far better in the morning...
James. :)
I was rather thinking about G&T...
And Andy: I might ruin the weight ratio getting along in the M3 with you so I will have a word with myself (and the car) and persue both to go to France!
TheStoat
16-04-09, 10:00 AM
I was rather thinking about G&T...
And Andy: I might ruin the weight ratio getting along in the M3 with you so I will have a word with myself (and the car) and persue both to go to France!
That's the spirit :) If nothing else works try doing star jumps. Seriously, after the first five you'll get so pissed off with them you'll forget all about any other woes ;)
Hoping to get packed while it's still a vaguely sensible time this evening otherwise we mgith ditch the plan to stay overnight near Ashford and leave early from London tomorrow. Haven't started packing yet but that's not unusual....
My packing normally goes something like this:
1 Laying everything out on bed, work out how many days clothes I'll need etc.
2 Try to fit it in car.
3 Realise you haven't got a snowball's chance in hell of fitting it into the boot even if half of it goes in footwell/behind seats/on passengers lap.
4 Getting rid of all unessentials, work out which things can be worn inside out, and pray for warm weather.
5 Get back to car and squash everything into all the nooks and crannies after doing some more ruthless size reduction - I can fit it in if I wear 2 jumpers and a coat while driving - pray for cold weather.
6 Realise the roof needs to go somewhere as well, end up packing just the clothes i'm wearing, toothbrush and extra can of deoderant.
7 Drive off and remember passport/tickets/everything essential that has been forgotten about while I tried to repack 3 times....
Still you can always buy stuff when you're there if (sorry, when) you realise what you've forgotten.
A few hours to go, have I said WOO HOO yet? :coolgleamA:
Carol,
If your TVR doesn't want to play ball, there are plenty of us with passenger seats available.
You're more than welcome to use mine and I'm sure numerous others too.
:)
Cactussed
16-04-09, 11:40 AM
Update - email received. Many thanks for all the quick replies.
Drew
Well, thats the de-cat completed.
Ever tried shoe-horning a pair of Maine Coons in a cat box half thier size? ;)
Cactussed
16-04-09, 12:33 PM
Well, thats the de-cat completed.
Ever tried shoe-horning a pair of Maine Coons in a cat box half thier size? ;)
Like this?
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=526056&hw=+%2Bcat+%2Bbox&nmt=That%20Cat%20to%20the%20vet%20thread...
Like this?
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=526056&hw=+%2Bcat+%2Bbox&nmt=That%20Cat%20to%20the%20vet%20thread...
LOL, nice work :)
Right lots ta do, like pack stuff.
Maybe there will be a space left in the engine bay for some of my clothes...:(
Cactussed
16-04-09, 12:52 PM
LOL, nice work :)
Right lots ta do, like pack stuff.
Maybe there will be a space left in the engine bay for some of my clothes...:(
Clothes? Where we're going, we don't need, clothes...
Oh hang on, it was roads.
Sorry. As you were... :D
:D
Extra text, just because " :D " is too short a message on its own :)
Carol,
If your TVR doesn't want to play ball, there are plenty of us with passenger seats available.
You're more than welcome to use mine and I'm sure numerous others too.
:)
Dan, you're a star! :) Many thanks for that. But be careful - I already chased away Cactussed... :smash:
I just brought him home (ths Tuscan, not Cactussed), told him lots of stories of other nice cars which are waiting to play with him. We will see how he behaves - as a TVR driver you must be optimistic...(some say: naive...)
TheStoat
16-04-09, 15:46 PM
Yay! The team is complete again :)
Whereabouts are you based in case you need a lift to the tunnel?
What's your contact number?
*cough* What are you wearing?
I knew it was a good idea not to let you go in a two-seater! Are you sure that Mrs. Stout is OK with you showing your "Knight in shining armour" - side??
Anyway, thanks again. I live next to Battersea Park and I have been told that it might help if I wear nothing but the high visibility vest when standing next to the road with a non-functioning Tuscan...
I'll try to leave around 6:30
TheStoat
16-04-09, 16:05 PM
OK, your English is *vastly* superior to my German but Stout means tubby ;) I'm not that slim but it's definitely TheStoat (as in Das Hermelin) :D
I'll give you a call as I get close to London - if the Tuscan is being stubborn we can collect you and take the next shuttle :)
:eek: ouch... my sincere apologies!
I am sure I will learn a lot more in these 5 days :)
Maybe how to :party: ??
Fingers crossed for the Tuscan, but the offer still stands. . .
:party:
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