It's great to take your own car whenheading for a holiday in Europe, for many reasons, but one great reason is thatyou can take along so much more than you could fit into your little luggage bagon the plane.

Except that the same rules apply to yourcar which apply to the plane: an airplane has a luggage limit to reduce weightand your car should really have one too. A car carrying excess weight has towork harder to get up hills and so on, which means that your car's engine usesmore fuel.

Not only will a lighter car save you fuelcosts, but it's also better for your vehicles engine. If your vehicle does haveto work harder than it can, it may lead to an unnecessary breakdown. Having will mean that you and your car will be sorted out quickly, but whyrisk the hassle?

Here are a few packing tips from specialists GreenFlag:

Backseat driving

Make sure the driver can see clearly outthe back window. It's best to pack everything in the boot, but if it won't fit,then make sure not to pack anything higher than the tops of the car seats.Also, anything above this could end up flying forward in the event of a suddenstop and knock someone on the head.

Rackingthe roof

Roof racks are great for carrying largeritems, but stick within the limits ? your car manual will have details of theseweights. Roof racks are not ideal for heavy loads, but instead work best forlight but awkward or bulky objects. Make sure everything is secure!

Stickingout

Nothing can stick out from your car, andmake extra sure everything is tied down properly. As your car moves forward,the wind will try to lift your luggage off, so tie down the front with extrasstraps and keep checking the ties at every stop. Also, keep in mind the addedheight ? you don't want to arrive at your destination only to find that yourbelongings have blown away, or have been scraped off under that low bridge 30miles back!

Givingit the boot

Secure items in the boot too ? the rock ?nroll should come from the car's sound system, not the boot. Pack the largeheavy items first, and then the smaller lighter ones. Push heavy items againstthe back of the rear car seats, this will stabilise the car's centre of gravityand also minimise the chances of them flying around in an accident situation.

Tyretips

The chances of a puncture on a long journeyare high, so pack the boot in a way which will make unpacking for the sparetyre easier. Also, minimise the chance of a puncture by adjusting the tyrepressure for the weight of the car's new load of luggage. Green Flag alsooffers great advice when , should you need to do it yourself.

Also remember that stopping distances aregreater when the vehicle is heavily loaded, so allow plenty of space betweenyou and the vehicle in front. In addition it is necessary to drive with extracaution when carrying a heavy load, because the vehicles handling andperformance also will be affected by the added weight.