A new survey has revealed a worrying picture of festive frustration as millions prepare to hit the road over the Christmas period. Will that be you this year? Friday 20th December is set to be the busyiest day on the roads this Christmas – are you planning on travelling that day?

Over 65% of people in the UK find packing the car up at Christmas is causing them stress, with a quarter (26%) saying they would rather cancel Christmas than face packing the car. Most British drivers say packing the car up at Christmas is even more stressful than wrapping presents! How do you feel about it?

The study, commissioned by Nissan, interviewed over 1,000 UK drivers* about their plans for visiting family and friends during the Christmas period.

With 36% of survey respondents now travelling to visit 10 people or more over the holidays, the sheer volume of suitcases, food and presents that need to fit into the car causes anxiety for most.

A lack of boot space was found to be the number one packing problem during Christmas travel (68% of respondents) with 20% admitting they now rely on a trailer to provide extra luggage room.

To help remove the stress of loading the car for the festive road-trip, Nissan has partnered with travel and packing expert, Kate Simon, co-author of the renowned book ‘How To Pack for Any Trip’ published by Lonely Planet.

In the same way that families’ Christmas traditions have changed, the best-selling Qashqai has evolved to meet the needs of its drivers and help them make the most of the space in their ‘home on the road’.

Kate Simon commented; “Christmas can be stressful. And often the need to pack up the car to visit family can only makes things worse. When lending advice on how to make the most out of the space in their cars, I often used the Nissan Qashqai as a prime example due to the car’s impressive practicality and special design.

“Packing for the family road-trip, where lifelong memories will be made, should be a fun activity for all to get involved in, so I was thrilled to partner with Nissan and showcase how one of the most popular family cars can help alleviate the stress this Christmas.”

The Qashqai includes innovative features such as Nissan’s Divide-N-Hide Cargo System, which allows for shelves and dividers to be adjusted to create more space. The model’s boot is also a truly flexible load space with a carrying capacity of 430 litres which increases to an impressive 1,598 litres when the 60:40 split rear seats are folded flat. 

Creating an easy to follow six-step guide and drawing on the key features of the Qashqai’s versatile design, Kate Simon is giving consumers the ultimate road-trip packing guide. The guide clearly lays out the process from planning the journey at home to time-saving hacks that make the trip less stressful.

The guide might even help those packing some of the most obscure items – with some respondents admitting to packing fish tanks, ironing boards, inflatable boats and even a piano for their festive road trips!

The Qashqai’s removable boot floor, that can be raised to remove the lip of the trunk, is a key contributor to the car’s easy loading reputation. It’s this level of design that helps make the huge variety of items that come on family road-trips much easier to fit in.

Tips from the step by step guide are:

• Complete trial runs of packing the car (36% of Brits admit to doing trial runs of packing the car to try and reduce Christmas travel stress)
• Know your boot dimensions to avoid blocking that rear-view mirror
• Maximise the space within your luggage by rolling all clothes into tight layers and stuffing shoes with socks and toiletries
• For multiple stop Christmas road trips, consider a shared case for each destination
• Poke around for handy hidden space
• Pack in priority order

^* Research conducted by Explain the Market on behalf of Nissan to conduct a study on over 5,000 drivers across UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain

Are you on the move this Christmas? Does it make you anxious or do you have it all under control?