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Car
Sorting out your vehicle before going on your break needn’t be vorsprung durch technical.
It seems ironic when taking a career break that you have to think of what you need to do with your vehicle while you’re away, as the term vehicle is intimately linked to travel. However it is important to grant this question some thought, prior to your trip to avoid any unnecessary fines and loss on your vehicle.
If you’re only going away for a couple of months, it’s probably best just leaving it outside a friend or relatives house. It’s worth asking them to give it a quick spin to check its ok once in a while, if they do make sure their insured. If the vehicle isn’t parked on private land its important that it is both taxed and insured, also if its parked at different address to the one you’ve register it at, you should inform the insurers of this change. If you’re feeling generous you could also offer the person you leave the car with, the option of using it while your away, if you do remember to notify your insurers, and check what their driving skills are like!
If you’ve decided to take a longer spell out from your career, it may be advisable to look into selling your vehicle before you depart, although it won’t be doing many miles, the value of your motor is still likely to depreciate. It’s estimated that a new car can lose up 40% of its value after the first year! For this reason it often seems the logical option to cut your loses on your vehicle, put the money towards your trip, and buy when you get back, thus reducing the things to be concerned about while your away. There are a number of ways to go about selling your, be it through; a dealer, a local garage, or placing an ad on the web or in a local newspaper. Due to growing market for second-hand cars, it’s advisable to spend a couple of hours, removing the junk from under the seats and giving it a thorough wash, so that you can get the best price for it. The website www.usedcarexpert.co.uk provides useful tips on preparing a car for sale, while www.autotrader.co.uk is one of the more popular websites to advertise second hand cars.
If you’re not too keen on selling your car, then it is possible to put it in a garage, so that it’s more secure. Depending on how cherished your car is then it may be advisable to maintain your insurance during this period. If you opt for this route, then it’s vital that you complete a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification), you can pick one up from your Post Office. If you don’t then it’s possible that you may have to pay a fine up to £1000 and jailed for three months! The upside of filling in a SORN is that you’re not liable to pay road tax, and you can even claim a rebate by filling in a V14 form. For more information on the rules regarding leaving your motor idle, check out the DVLA website at www.dvla.gov.uk
While you’re away on your break you’ll no doubt witness, an array of transport be it; a mutatu in Kenya, a rickshaw in Thailand or 12 million bicycles in Beijing (according to Katie Melua). But before all this remember to give prior thought to you transport before stepping on to that plane.
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