So you’ve decided to go! You’ve picked your route and located activities or historical sites etc. that you intend to visit along the way; so what comes next? Hours and hours of time spent in motion, either behind the wheel or as a passenger, that’s what. So plan for ‘Transit Time’. And if you’re somebody that can’t live without your phone then be prepared for a wake-up call. The majority of your day will be spent out of range of a signal.

Driving in a clockwise direction from Melbourne up to Darwin, The only signal I could rely on was in bigger towns and cities, so I made sure to have enough music and audio books downloaded. I should add that I was an Optus customer which put me in the ‘next best’ hit and miss signal basket. Telstra customers were far better looked after with certain smaller towns only Telstra towns and occasional Roadside ‘Revive’ stops equipped with Telstra satellite dishes. For the rest of us, unless you’re a Starlink customer, you have to plan your feeds by larger locations.

My favourite pastime is travel quizzes, something that the driver can engage in, best administered by a kindly passenger prepared to read the questions whilst running her fingers through the hair on the back of your neck.

‘Remember that road trips are as much about the time spent in transit as they are about the destinations’

The majority of your day will be spent out of signal range.

2 Wheel Drive, 4 Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive? Can your vehicle be fitted with a Bull Bar (essential if driving from sunset through to sunrise)?

Once you know where you want to travel, a lot of your vehicle decision making will come down to ‘common sense’ and cost; fuel efficiency over dependability. Will you find spares for your Alpha Romeo in a land where Toyota is king (check out service centres before leaving).

All road houses carry unleaded 91 and most 98 with many holding 95 as well and all carry diesel; whereas EV plug in stations all over Australia are still a task in hand.

Depending on your itinerary, take into account whether you think you may need to access B Grade unsealed highways. Often 2 wheel drive cars are fine here, however when these surfaces get worn and rutted, suspension and clearance are key and what sort of tyres you’re driving on and if possible, always be sure to carry a full size good quality spare, even if you already carry a space saver.

Fo somebody with an ADHD brain, space always exists between the clutter of ineffective packaging. Tightly rolling your clothes can often take up less space as can flat packing them. I pack my sock inside my spare footwear, which helps by keeping them both together and protecting creasing the shoe leather. I always keep a small backpack supplied with enough clothes and toiletries for a week slotted somewhere on top of my packing for easy access. Think of every item for storage as a potential storage container in its own right. Other effective storage solutions include using modular storage bins, roof racks and baskets, and under-seat compartments. Organising your gear efficiently will maximise space and accessibility, making your travels more enjoyable and less stressful.

Engaging with the travel community can be done through social media, travel forums, and local meetups. However, once you’re on the road, if you intend to stop over in caravan parks, their isn’t a more confirmed source of recent experience at your disposal than from the ‘Grey Nomad’ and family caravanning fraternity. If you’re a confirmed youth hostel guest then you won’t need me to tell you what a great source of information these are. Backpacking round Australia in the mid nineties, I found myself constantly bumping into familiar faces from one previous stopover or another.

Just recently I joined ‘Stitch’, an Australian initiative and global meeting forum for the over 50’s. Designed to help you make friends, host or patronise get togethers, engage in events wherever you are in Australia.

Best practices for travel planning include setting a budget, creating a flexible itinerary, booking accommodations in advance and booking events in advance (I tried to book a ‘diving with Whale Sharks’ experience in Exmouth six weeks before I was due to commence my road-trip only to find myself on a ‘cancellation list’ because all available tours in the town were already fully booked).

And ensuring your vehicle is road-ready for the ‘unexpected’ terrain ahead; I’m somebody that plans more heavily for this category. I always carry extra water; a full sized quality spare tyre; solar panels that can charge a lithium battery power station in case of a prolonged break down and a ‘Garmin Mini’ emergency location beacon. The Garmin allows me to bluetooth my phone to the unit to send limited texts from anywhere in the world as well as its emergency button signed up to Garmin emergency services and my next of kin. Otherwise there’s always the Starlink system.