Motorway Panic!

[charlii]

Ok, OH is leaving on 9th of March for his new job in Canada. I should be thinking of how much im going to miss him etc but he casually dropped into the conversation that he needs me to drive him to Manchester airport to catch a plane where he will go to Heathrow then straight through to Canada. Talk about sheer panic!!!!!! "Well cant you take the train?" i asked him......"Not really, cos i will have all my luggage for 3 months and some tools" he replied....selfish if you ask me lol!

Now i live in Lincolnshire and last time i took him to Humberside airport which is really only up the road, i ended up in Doncaster!

"Well, you have the sat nav" was his helpful response to seeing the look of pure horror on my face. I am totally terrified of driving anywhere out of my comfort zone and detest driving on motorways and avoid them at all costs, but MANCHESTER!!!!

What am i going to do??????

[lynnecw]

Get him to drive to the airport, then you only have to drive home.

[Hidden]

Lol Lynne you took the words right out of my mouth

VG x

[charlii]

Didn't i mention that? He IS driving there...its the getting home bit im worried about! If anyone lives in Manchester and you see a deranged looking woman driving round and round in a circle in a dilver picasso on that date then please stop and offer me a cup of tea please lol xx

[charlii]

obviously thats a silver picasso not a dilver one! lol xx

[Hidden]

Hmm can't really help here as I have had to give up driving due to meds , pain and arthritis, so my OH would have to get a train .. AHA have you a friend who could come with you and navigate, calm you down, or is insured to drive you home??

VG x

[charlii]

nope, nope and nope....am doomed! xx

[honey67]

Charlii, last summer my OH had an accident while we were on holiday in Cornwall (broke his ribs) which meant that I had to drive home with a car full of camping equipment, roof box and kids 4hrs to Southampton, how terrified was I?!!! I hadn't driven any distance in years. BUT, I did it, once I got going I was fine and really pleased with myself! When you've got to do something and there is no choice, you CAN do it!!

xxx

[Mdaisy]

Are there any services near you like Park & Ride?

This way you can drive to the car park and your other half can get a coach transfer to the airport

This would limit the driving for you and if reasonable cost may be an easier option.

Can you Google to see if there is anything like this near you maybe?

Emma

[shazzap12]

Oh Charlii, reading your post made me laugh as you sound just like me. Even with a sat nav, I cannot drive somewhere I have not been before. I am absolutely terrible at instructions, and have really bad anxiety attacks. My hubby taught me to drive, he is brilliant because he is so patient and if he needs me to take him somewhere, he gives me plenty of notice and we generally try the route before hand. If it is a distance longer than half hour drive, he make other arrangements

[charlii]

Just found out last night that due to his flight times we will have to set off at 6.45 pm on the saturday evening....i suppose thats not as bad as it could have been, at least there wont be rush hour traffic and its a weekend......still doesnt stop me getting lost tho!

Anyone in Manchester who could offer me a bed for the night please lol! xx

[mistymeana]

I feel your pain charlii. Reminds me of the summer after my ex left. I told the kids they could choose where we went on holiday as long as it was self-catering and within driving distance to keep costs down. Was stealing myself for them saying Cornwall as they'd been chatting about it and I wasn't really looking forward to driving there from Norfolk as I'd only ever driven as far as Cambridge and had found that scary. Their decision? FRANCE!!! After a month of hyperventilation I decided I had to agree as I'd thrown the choice out to them as a type of personal challenge in the first place and booked somewhere no too far away from Calais. Was anxious the whole time in the run up to the holiday but decided "feel the fear and do it anyway" was going to be my mantra as we had to get on with life as a threesome. Anyway we made it and the sense of pride and achievement I had was worth all the worry. We had a brilliant holiday and it helped me conquer my fear of motorway driving etc. Still would prefer not to have to do it but at least now it doesn't stop me being independent and going away. I'm sure you'll be fine when it comes to it and will feel equally empowered once you arrive home. If I were you, I'd get a route plan from the RAC or AA websites (both free) and print one out so you don't feel you're just relying on technology. They list services so you can plan regular stops and break the journey into small hops which might seem less daunting and make you feel more in control. As it's you, I'll lend you my mantra. Remember - feel the fear and do it anyway xxx

[Cat53]

Book a taxi!