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Summer, the official road trip season, is over. But the big holiday season не за горами (is just around the corner) meaning more поездки (road trips). Which is a great reason to learn words and phrases for the road.

Of course, if you happen to go on a road trip in the US with Russian speaking friends or relatives, you will hear a great deal of Rusglish phrases. So I’m including Rusglish versions wherever appropriate (just hover over the highlighted words).

So here are step-by-step instructions for having a successful поездка:

Step 1 – Взять машину в прокат (To rent a car) – maybe you are горожанин (a city dweller) who has no need for a car and doesn’t own one. Maybe your car, like mine, на ладан дышит (is on its last leg). Or maybe you just want to drive something different для разнообразия (for a change).

Step 2 – Распечатать маршрут поездки (To print directions for the trip) – ok, so maybe I am old-fashioned like that. After all, I still use дорожные карты (road maps) and дорожный атлас (road atlas) in addition to Google Maps. You might prefer навигационная система (a GPS) instead.

The most important information to know is как далеко ехать (how far to drive) and как долго ехать (how long to drive) before you get there. Also, which съезды со скоростной автострады (highway exits) are the best for buying coffee and снэки (snacks). If you are in no hurry, you might find out about близлежащие достопримечательности (nearby attractions) worth visiting.

Step 3 – Запастись провизией (To stock up on foodstuff) – Russians look down on забегаловки (fast food eateries) and еда на ходу (on the go food). They also are aware of the terrible dangers of eating всухомятку, meaning eating cold and dry food like sandwiches. But there’s little choice while on the road. So make lots of бутерброды (sandwiches) and a thermos with горячий чай или кофе (hot tea or coffee).

Step 4 – Организовать развлечения (Organize in-trip entertainment) – this step is essential if travelling с детьми (with children). Otherwise, you might сойти с ума (go crazy) with their непрекращающиеся (incessant) questions А мы уже там? (Are we there yet?) and Ну сколько же ещё ехать? (How much longer to go?) and complaints Мне скучно! (I am bored!).

By the way, if you do travel with children, some of the most important phrases you can learn are Тебе надо в туалет? (Do you need to use the bathroom?) and Потерпи пару минут (Hang in there for a couple of minutes).

Step 5 – Заправиться бензином (To fill up with gas) – needless to say, полный бак бензина (a full tank of gas) is a must before getting on the road. Thus before hitting the road, stop by заправка (a gas station). By the way, here’s a question about your refueling habits:

В дороге я заправляюсь когда

а) указатель уровня топлива показывает пол-бака
б) указатель уровня топлива показывает четверть бака
с) зажигается сигнал низкого уровня топлива
д) я вижу дешёвый бензин

уровень топлива – fuel level
указатель – here: gage
бак – here: fuel tank
дешёвый – cheap
бензин – gasoline

Step 5 – Надеяться на лучшее (To hope for the best) – the sheer act of going on a trip подразумевает (implies) a certain level of оптимизм (optimism). We hope that пробки (traffic jams), if they must happen, will be for the cars going the other way. We hope that even if there are дорожные работы (road work), the signs for объезд (detour) will be easy to follow. We hope, although we should know better, that кофе будет вкусный (coffee will be good-tasting) and the children in the car будут хорошо себя вести всю дорогу (will behave well the entire way). More importantly, мы искренне надеемся (we sincerely hope) that we will get there and back safely, без аварий и поломок (without accidents or breakdowns).

If you are going on a road trip any time soon, follow these simple steps, don’t forget не садись за руль выпивши (don’t drink and drive), check that you пристегнуть ремни безопасности (buckle up) and have удачная поездка (a good trip).