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Many vehicle owners choose to self-drive cars for family trips to save costs. Photo: Hoàng Tuấn. |
On the occasion of Tet, many families quickly prepare and plan for long-distance trips after a long period of work. However, unlike previous years, many users have chosen to travel to tourist destinations by car instead of booking plane tickets in order to save costs.
Cheaper by nearly ten million VND
Mr. Thanh Dat (HCMC) is preparing the necessary items to bring on his family’s long trip on the Kia Seltos. This is also the first time Mr. Dat and his wife and children travel by car for a Tet vacation.
Mr. Dat said that this trip has 2 destinations: Tuy Hoa (Phu Yen) for a holiday and Hue city to visit relatives. Therefore, the family needs to plan carefully to ensure the best “fun”.
“This is the first year my family has traveled by car, previously if we needed to travel, we just booked plane tickets and it was done. However, plane tickets during Tet are quite expensive, and our car is currently unused, so I decided to drive to save money,” Mr. Dat shared.
Before the trip, Mr. Dat took the car to a maintenance facility for repairs and care, and bought some necessary items for the car. The cost of fuel and car wash was also carefully calculated to save the most. According to the car owner, the costs of fuel, maintenance, and preparation for this road trip are much cheaper than the total airfare for the entire family of 4 members.
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The demand for travel by car is increasing strongly near Tet. Photo: Phuong Lam. |
“Round-trip airfare for one person from Ho Chi Minh City to Hue also ranges from 5-6 million VND, so the whole family will have to spend over 20 million VND not including additional expenses. However, if we travel by car, including the maintenance expenses before the trip, fueling, or stopping along the way, it will cost less than 10 million VND,” Mr. Dat added.
Mr. Ba Loi (Da Nang) is also preparing for a long journey from Da Nang to Bao Loc (Lam Dong) with his family in a Ford Everest. Mr. Loi and his wife and son will depart on the evening of February 6, equivalent to the 27th of the lunar calendar, in order to make it in time for the New Year’s Eve celebration with their family in their hometown.
According to the car owner, choosing to depart on the 27th of the lunar calendar will avoid many congested routes. The time spent resting at tourist destinations will also be extended to help the driver avoid getting too tired during the trip.
This trip is expected to cost about 4-5 million VND, including the cost of fuel, maintenance, oil change before the trip, and expenses for eating and resting at the stopovers. According to Mr. Loi, this is one of the fastest ways to gather with relatives without worrying too much about the cost of plane tickets.
“Every year, my family spends 15-17 million VND on airfare and transportation expenses during Tet, so this year instead of spending time hunting for tickets, I decided to bring the whole family to visit our grandparents to save costs,” Mr. Loi added.
Not everyone can drive long distances
Sharing with Tri Thuc – Znews, Mr. Nguyen Thai Bao (HCMC), a long-haul driver, affirmed that traveling continuously for several hours between provinces is not an easy task. According to Mr. Bao, vehicle owners need to have experience in traveling through many different road segments to ensure safety during long-distance trips, especially on curved and rugged sections of the road.
“I have been driving for many years and have encountered many difficult roads, especially when traveling through the Central region. In the Nghe An – Ha Tinh area, there are many sharp curves, complicated hills and mountains for new drivers,” added Mr. Bao.
Mr. Bao emphasized that driving for many hours continuously also requires good health and high concentration. Therefore, to avoid risks, vehicle owners should make detailed plans, pay attention to rest stops, and not drive for too long compared to their physical condition.
“To drive for a trip, the driver must be constantly alert, so if a new driver does not have much experience in long-distance driving, it is best to arrange many rest stops to avoid fatigue. It seems easy, but driving continuously is very tiring,” Mr. Bao added.
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Long-haul driving requires high concentration and the experience of controlling the steering wheel on various roads. Photo: Tra Van. |
Before the wave of car travel began to blossom, many car rental service shops also launched daily rental packages to meet customers’ needs. Unlike before, Tet rental packages are no longer 10-15 days long but only about 5-10 days, focusing on large SUVs suitable for families.
However, according to the reporter’s survey, some vehicle models such as Ford Everest or Hyundai Santa Fe will have rental prices ranging from 2-2.2 million VND per day during the peak period. Compact SUVs like Hyundai Tucson or Mazda CX-5 also have rental prices of up to 1.5-1.8 million VND per day.
The cost of renting a car during the Lunar New Year holiday is expected to increase, so users should calculate and arrange the rental time to avoid exceeding their budget or being fined for late return of the car after the holiday.
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