Working on the road? Take five minutes out to onboard your hire car

What triggers me? The first day driving a HIRE CAR 🚗!

You pickup the car from the airport. Most likely, you need to be somewhere, so there are perceived time pressures. You get the keys, locate the car and jump in.

That’s when the “fun” begins.

I’ve created my own ‘Hire Car Onboarding Checklist’ to document lessons learnt from my experiences this week in the UK. Take a breath + 5mins out to:

• Check + adjust mirrors

• Adjust seat

• Figure out how to turn headlights on/off

• Find out how to open the fuel cap; locate the arrow near the fuel gauge to confirm refuelling side

• If driving a stick shift (manual), figure out how to get the car to reverse. In Cardiff this week, I was caught out doing a u-turn (embarrassing!). After 10mins of failed reversing attempts, I hopped onto YouTube searching, 'How to reverse a Skodia'. Meanwhile, my cortisol is going through the roof)

• Get your navigation in order

• Hook up Bluetooth to iPhone to listen to podcasts on the road (optional)

Am I missing anything? By the way, it’s really important to get comfortable in a vehicle you’re not comfortable in - listen in to Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast, Revisionist History, "Blame Game" where he debriefs the big Toyota recall disaster. Fascinating listen.