Starting national work next week with nights out 
. Any tips or hints regarding where to stop, what to take etc. etc. as this is all completely new to me. All help greatly appreciated
Cheers
Rufus
Sleeping bag (or better, a household double-duvet folded in half) pillow, a weeks change of clothes, washbag, toilet paper, a means of boiling water, coffee, sugar, a mug, a water â â â â of some kind (a 2 litre mineral water bottle will do for starters) something to read, a torch, an alarm clock.
Them`s the basics. Later on, a telly, video, satellite TV system, 24v microwave etc etc etc.
I`m sure others will add to this. All the best.
Vince
Vince:
Sleeping bag (or better, a household double-duvet folded in half) pillow, a weeks change of clothes, washbag, toilet paper, a means of boiling water, coffee, sugar, a mug, a water â â â â of some kind (a 2 litre mineral water bottle will do for starters) something to read, a torch, an alarm clock.
Blimey, sounds like an old cub scout camping tripâŚLOL
Wet Wipes, Kitchen Towel, Road Atlas/Maps,Pot Noodle type of readymeal(emergency rations only!)Small tin containing Elastoplasts, germoline, asprins and a small bandage. Truckers Gloves, around ÂŁ1 pr. from a garden centre or Wilkinsons Hardware, etc. Woolly hat and thermal undergarments are essential for the next few months as well. 
On the professional drivers forum, scroll down & click onto âroadside cafesâ, print it out and take it with you.Also a link on there for some others.
On the old forums was a list of âOvernight Parkingâ places. Again, print it out & take it with you,as you may end up in one of the places listed.
Bon Voyage!
AndyM:
Blimey, sounds like an old cub scout camping tripâŚLOL
Well ,essentially Andy, that`s what it is. 
In fact, it was my teenage love of camping, youth hostelling and night orienteering- then at age 17, driving- that sent me down this path.
I just couldn`t see myself stuck in some office, shuffling paperâŚ
Vince
Other options for âemergency foodâ are tinned creamed rice or baked beans. Either are almost palatable eaten cold. 
Just donât forget the can opener and a spoon.
Ravioli aint to bad cold either
Try n avoid parking on the motorway services, they are expensive and the food aint too great either. If you run out of other options, at a Moto, go to the fuel block and ask for a âtruck drivers discounted meal voucherâ. That gets you a meal, from a limited menu, for ÂŁ3.99. One thing in their favour, showers are free, if not too busy or knackered.
I personally, am not too keen on the Night Owl Truckstops, for the same reasons. Some disagree with me , but each to their own.
The truckdrivers guide is (IMHO) a very good investment, its got pretty good coverage of the whole of the UK. I also have my UK Atlas handy, and make a note of useful info on it (x for a drop, o for a truckstop, v for a van/cafe and / for a speed camera), when Iâme stopped later on of course 
. That way, next time I am on any road Iâve been on b4, Iâll know where I can take a break etc, just from a quick glance at the map. 
Krankee:
Other options for âemergency foodâ are tinned creamed rice or baked beans. Either are almost palatable eaten cold.Just donât forget the can opener and a spoon.
What dya mean, almost??.. Cold baked beans are great⌠especially with salad⌠and that can be kept in a box as emergency rations, okay, not so good in the winterâŚ
and Ambrosia Creamed Rice pud, cold and straight from the tin⌠Mmmmmm, Yum YumâŚ
And donât forget to get yourself a TRUCKERS ATLAS OF GREAT BRITAIN ! Alright youâll need a bank-loan for it and it will be in ten times as many pieces as it was when you bought it in 6 months time but itâs excellent! Thereâs nothing like travelling 15 mile along an A-road happy as Larry to then be faced with a 13ft bridge sign a mile before the bridge and have to turn round and find another route 
Ambrosia Creamed Rice is excellent cold, not keen on cold beans but agreed they still go down well
Iâve got a thing for Satsumas and Muller Crunch Corner yogurts at the moment (albeit not together) and the empty Asda carrier bag you end up with after retrieving said goodies makes a good bin to put all your rubbish in!
If you get a kettle and drink tea make sure you open the window before throwing the teabag out with the spoon. Iâm getting really cheesed off with doing this now⌠
Makes a hell of a mess.
And finally, MAKE SURE THE NIGHT HEATER WORKS (or indeed the wagon is fitted with one) BEFORE YOU TAKE THE WAGON OUT!!! You WILL deeply regret forgetting to check that at bedtime. You wouldnât believe how quickly the temperature inside the cab drops and you will be a blethering wreck in the morning if you do manage to get any sleep at all (can always leave the engine on all night if you donât have a problem with the guilt, although not recommended if parked within 75yds of any other night-outting wagon!).
Brgds
Speedy
Speedy:
the empty Asda carrier bag you end up with after retrieving said goodies makes a good bin to put all your rubbish in!If you get a kettle and drink tea make sure you open the window before throwing the teabag out with the spoon.
Or you could put the tea bag in the Asda carrier bag 
Ahh yeah Neil, but that requires squeezing just about every drop of tea out of the bag and when itâs red hot itâs not easy. If you donât then the tea runs out of the teabag to the bottom of your carrier bag and invariably comes out of one of the air holes in the bottom and messes up your cab floor (or carpet in my case 
). However, attempting to throw the teabag out of a closed window had the same kinda effect !
Brgds
Speedy
I see, youâll have to excuse me but my knowledge of the tea making process is zero, so Iâll bow to your superior knowledge.
If you want to cook in your cab, you can get small gas ranges for 15 to 20 quid. There are ones with a mini cooker feel to them, which are more stable than the little camping stoves. Canned food is a good backup. keeps forever.
a black and white telly will set you back 40 quid, and a colour one 250 quid. an amplified ariel is a must, at 10-20 quid.
Maps: Aldi has a mini pda thingy for 350 quid with GPS and map functions, or the county maps from philips or the AA at 10 quid each.
Get boxes and bags to keep things in.
Those tables from truckstops which suction cup to your windsreen are a godsend.
I got me a little black & white telly from Woolworths, and it was only 10 quid, saves me having to resort to reading, although I agree with allikat, that an amplified aerial is a definite must, unless you like 3 hours of
âaerial balletâ, tryin every which way to get a good picture.
I tend to find that motorway services are not too bad, although my experience is limited, I donât mind paying 11 odd quid to park for the nite as I get a 6 quid meal voucher, and my gaffer reimburses all my expensesâŚWOO HOOâŚfree brekkie
Thanks everyone for all your good advice, I start officially on Monday so should be interesting 
. Its got to be better than multidrop though eh!
Rufus
dazblood:
I tend to find that motorway services are not too bad, although my experience is limited, I donât mind paying 11 odd quid to park for the nite as I get a 6 quid meal voucher, and my gaffer reimburses all my expensesâŚWOO HOOâŚfree brekkie
A ÂŁ6 meal voucher is all well and good, but only if the food is edible. On MWSAâs generally, I donât think it is, but they will do, in an emergency IMHO .
Most T/Sâs charge about ÂŁ7 for parking, although that is clearly variable. They generally give you a discount on your meal, of ÂŁ3 - 5 .