Refreshments and Water on a Chauffeur Journey

Water is the one that always matters

Dehydration is the most common and least noticed cause of feeling poor on arrival, particularly after a flight or a long day of meetings. Bottled water is the standard refreshment in chauffeur work because it is genuinely useful rather than decorative, and it is worth taking rather than declining out of politeness.

Cabin air is dry, especially with air conditioning running, and a two-hour journey removes more moisture than most people expect. If you have a preference for still or sparkling, or want something specific available, mention it at booking rather than hoping. A bottle taken at the start of a long run is more use than one offered at the end.

Hot drinks, and why they are complicated

A lidded takeaway cup in a proper holder is manageable. An open cup is not, because a single firm brake application ends badly for a suit and for the upholstery. Chauffeurs will happily stop for coffee on a long run, which is a far better arrangement than trying to carry an open drink from a service station to a moving vehicle.

If a hot drink is important at the start of an early journey, the practical approach is to build a stop into the plan at a point where parking is easy, rather than treating it as an improvisation at the first services with a queue.

• Lidded cups only, and always in a holder
• Plan a coffee stop into an early departure rather than improvising
• Strong-smelling food lingers in an enclosed cabin
• Anything that can stain is better eaten outside the car

Eating in the car

Light snacks are fine and sometimes necessary, particularly for children, for anyone managing blood sugar, or on a journey that spans a meal. The considerations are practical rather than precious: crumbs, smells that persist in an enclosed cabin, and anything oily or brightly coloured near pale upholstery.

For a genuine meal, a stop is better in every respect. Twenty minutes at a decent place on the route is more pleasant than an hour of eating awkwardly from a lap, and it also breaks up a long drive usefully. Twenty minutes spent properly is usually recovered in how everyone feels for the rest of the day.

Comfort stops on a long route

Nobody should be uncomfortable because they did not want to interrupt the journey. Chauffeurs plan stops as a matter of course on long runs and will stop at any reasonable point on request. Where a passenger has a medical reason to stop more frequently, saying so at booking means the route can be planned around suitable places rather than the nearest available lay-by.

On motorway sections the options are limited to service areas, which can be spaced widely on some routes. Mentioning a need in advance means the chauffeur can time the journey to reach a good one rather than the next one. Nobody should sit uncomfortably for an hour out of a reluctance to interrupt the journey.

Plan your chauffeur journey

London Chauffeurs provides itinerary-led private travel for airport transfers, executive travel, private aviation, events and long-distance UK journeys. Availability and pricing are confirmed for the requested itinerary.

Frequently asked questions