Australia is an incredible country that’s on everyone’s bucket list, but it can be pretty expensive. It’s a large place and if you want to get around a lot of it, that means lots of flights and the cost can soon rack up. If you’re staying in hotels, hostels, or even Airbnb that’s going to cost you a lot as well. One of the best ways to get around that is to take an Australian road trip instead. It’s a lot cheaper than flying everywhere and you get to see so much more of the country as well. If you’re planning an Australian road trip, here are some great tips to make sure it runs smoothly.
3 Rules For An Australian Road Trip
Get The Right Vehicle
Australia is an incredibly varied country and that means you’re going to be crossing a lot of different terrains. If you don’t prepare for it properly, you’re going to struggle to reach certain places and you won’t get the most out of your trip. When you’re looking at a car rental for your trip, you’ve got to take that into account. It’s also important to think about fuel economy if you’re trying to keep the trip cheap. If you go for a big 4×4, you won’t have any trouble on the rough terrain, but you’ll be spending loads of money on petrol. Equally, if you go for a city car, you’re limited on where you can go. The best thing to do is decide where you want to go on your trip and look at the requirements of those places. Then you can strike a balance and find the perfect vehicle.
If you’re thinking about an extended road trip in Australia, buying a secondhand campervan or motorhome is an excellent, cost-effective option. You may have heard of Gumtree before since they are present in lots of countries, but they are a great option for buying a used campervan for an Australian road trip. Gumtree is a site to buy used things from others.
Caz and Craig Makepeace of Y Travel Blog did an 18-month road trip around Australia and created a bucket list of 20 best places in Australia. Obviously, if you’re doing an extended road trip like this, buying a car is a great option and Gumtree is full of great campervans or vehicles. If you plan properly, you could even sell it on Gumtree after your trip, substantially limiting your costs.
Pick The Right Season
As well as a varied terrain, you’ve got to consider the climate in Australia. If you’re not too keen on seriously hot weather, you’re going to want to avoid the desert areas in the summer season. Equally, if you don’t want to deal with a lot of rainy weather, the period between November and March in the South is probably not the best for you. Look at the places you want to go and what the weather is going to be like and plan your trip around that so you don’t end up caught in a climate that you hate.
Ditch The Guides
When you’re taking a trip around a country, you’re going to want to see a lot of the big sights, which is exciting. However, the beauty of a road trip is that you can plan your own route and find a lot of the hidden gems that you’d otherwise miss out on if you were flying from city to city. If you plan too rigidly, you can easily miss out on all of that exploration. The best thing to do is plan a few of your stops but leave plenty of free time in between for free travel when you can find things by chance and have a different experience to the one that you would normally have.
Decide What’s Most Important for You to Experience
Some people really love extreme adventure like skydiving in Australia while others prefer private escapes like being nestled in the rain-forests of South East Queensland. You can’t cover every inch of Australia but if you decide what’s most important to you, it will help you choose your destinations. If visiting the Great Barrier Reef is the highest item on your Australia bucket list, start your planning to include it and look at the distance to your next biggest bucket list item. Things will fall into place a lot more easily if you plan around your favorite things first.
Australia is divided into states and territories. A great resource for choosing the best options in each area is the state tourism board. If the underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef tops your list, check out the Queensland Tourism Board website to discover must-see destinations, delicious food, and memorable activities in that area. If Uluru is higher on your list, Visit the Northern Territory is a great resource to start planning your adventure.
An Australian road trip is one of the best ways to see all of the things the country has to offer, just make sure that you plan accordingly so you get the most out of it.
Amazing! 🙂