Top travel tips for newbies

Travelling  provides for great memories and experiences. Travelling facilitates broadening your horizons, cultural experiences, boosts confidence, and can reduce stress and the removal from the daily grind. It often reminds us not to take things for granted and challenges us to be more tolerant and appreciative of what we have in our own backyard. It has the power to bond you closer as a family and provide the opportunity to have experiences of the momentous type.

Yes, it is not all rosy all of the time but without sounding contrite it is pretty close if this is what type of life you are looking for.

Travelling is not for everyone. Especially long term travel.

There is limited space, constant travel, lack of privacy, but they are far outweighed in my mind of all the benefits and wonderfulness of the experiences. The memories created will last a lifetime and as an added bonus it is such an educational tool for the kids too. Every town we stopped at so far has something to be remembered by, be that a famous attraction/ landmark or just the experience or people.

• You seriously don’t need everything including the kitchen sink. We too have been guilty of over packing. For our first trips travelling with the girls when they were younger we did over pack but were aware we probably went a little overboard on the towels and clothes. Turns out we did on most other things too and a lot of stuff has come along just for the trip! Really what was I thinking, I mean we were going places where there were shops for goodness sake!
• Try before you buy. Take the time to have a look around and don’t be afraid to look at your accommodation before you pay. If it is not what you had expected or isn’t as described then move on.
• Be spontaneous some of the best experiences are the spur of the moment ones.
• Be open to new experiences and ideas.
• Cook your own. It may take a little time to get organised but it is more cost effective and often can be more delicious. It can be quite expensive to eat out all the time.
• Have snacks & plenty of water. Sometimes there are long car journeys or travel between places, even with the best of planning it is unavoidable, so having snacks and plenty of water can be helpful as you never know what might occur or even when you may find the next appropriate stop.
• Don’t be afraid to make new friends. They can share the parts of the trip and can also share some tips. We met so many lovely people along the way and the kids made new friends.
• Invest in roadside assist if travelling within Australia. The amount of people that we spoke to that had and actually used it was amazing. It certainly gives you piece of mind and ease of knowing that it will easily pay for itself if you need to use it. I would have to say that if you can’t afford this then wait to go till you can. Alternatively, invest in good travel insurance when travelling outside of Australia.
• Ask questions of fellow travellers experiences when chatting. You’ll find they are generally willing to share tips and tops spots which can make the difference on the accommodation or the town or both and the experiences you get. (Some will share or give you unsolicited advice lol).
• Buy the Camps Australia books, Wiki app, etc. This provides cheaper accommodation options such as free stays.The free stay is a fantastic concept and there are some great ones out there.
• Research National Parks and don’t be afraid to stay in them. They are cost effective and some have splendid views. National Parks don’t offer the capacity for animals even if they are ones that stay in the van and/or car.
• Be prepared for roughing it. A battery or solar powered light is worth its weight in gold. We would also recommend buying little single burner gas stove that holds the cartridge gas as it is then it is a small portable item.
• Take the time to go off the beaten track sometimes as there are lots of hidden treasures.
• Read reviews. Google and Trip Advisor are a great place to start to get reviews from others who have been there and done that.