Road trips are a great way to journey to and from a destination. Maybe it’s just a cousin’s wedding in the country, a few hours away, or maybe you’re traveling from Brisbane to Melbourne in a long-haul trip over the course of a week or two. Either way, you’re in for a good time, and as long as you know how to survive one of these trips you shouldn’t have any troubles along the way.
Knowing what to do and what not to do is half the battle when it comes to properly preparing for this journey. So, to help you out along the way we’ve put together this guide to surviving an Australian road trip.
Pack the Essentials
First of all, packing the essentials is a key part of not only making it through the trip, but having a good time in the process. Only packing snack foods like chips and soft drink is a surefire way to feel undernourished and sick before the first day is over, so make sure to bring some sandwiches and water, or stop for a proper lunch at a town along the way.
Driving is exhausting, so if possible bring a second person who also has a license and drives well enough for you to trust them with your car. Taking it in turns driving is the best way to get far without having to overwork one driver. Not only that, but having an extra person gives you someone to talk to, and someone to hang out with, making them an essential for your peace of mind.
Have Your Car Checked
This is such an important essential that it has its own subheading to ensure it’s not glossed over or lost in the many other essentials needed for a good road trip. Having your car serviced before you embark on a road trip is not only a good idea, it’s crucial to your personal safety and that of your passenger.
These days, you don’t even need to drive to a garage and leave your car there all day, because it’s easy to find a mobile mechanic in Brisbane that will come to you and service your car for you. The peace of mind that all your systems are working fine is worth the cost, and it’ll be cheaper to get a service done before you leave than it will be to have your broken-down car towed from northern New South Wales back to Brisbane.
Pack the Non-Essentials
Of course, after packing what you need to stay healthy and feel nourished, there should also be snack foods and soft drink as optional extras. Road trips are hard work, but they’re also filled with fun and rewarding experiences. Energy drinks aren’t good for you, but they can certainly wake you up quickly if you need that burst of energy first thing in the morning, making them perfect for a road trip with one or more early starts.
Foods like chips, that you can snack on idly whilst driving, are good to bridge the gap between meals, and a bag of chocolates can always be something to look forward to when it’s finally time to swap drivers. Alternatively, there are a range of healthier options for snacking that can not only curb that craving, but keep you slim at the same time.
These are the best ways to ensure you have a safe, happy road trip. Bring good company, good food, bad food, something to drink, a plan of how to get to your destination, and a working car. These things will get you there in good spirits and in no time at all.