There’s nothing quite like hitting the road with your friends, exploring new destinations and finding out how much you love travelling in a car – the music can be loud and the fun can’t be stopped.

When you are ready to get out into the Australian wilderness and travel the country in a car, East Coast Car Rentals are the team to see. For example, if you’re looking at car hire in Melbourne, a fantastic road trip could be south-east along the Southern Gippsland Highway and then north to Sale where you can base your getaway to Golden and Paradise Beaches. Everyone needs a little bit of Paradise in their lives.

There are a few things to keep in mind when you are getting together with some mates for a classic Aussie road trip though, and we thought the list below might help you to have the best possible time in one of our cars:

1) Get the right people together

There’s nothing worse than sitting in a car for hours on end with a group of people that don’t get on well. You don’t have to know them all to death, but it might pay to have people whose company you know you enjoy along for the ride.

Getting around the Gippsland region of Victoria is perfect for a roadie.

Conversations need to flow, you can’t be too precious about space and being inclusive of everyone is super important. Getting a group of old school friends together can act as a sort of reunion, while taking an overseas visitor to see the Australian sights (and there are many) might be the start of a lifelong friendship.

Getting around the Gippsland region of Victoria is perfect for a roadie. Ninety Mile Beach can be explored – although don’t drive on it in your hire car! You can see all sorts of brilliant Australian animals and camping areas are abundant.

2) The playlist needs to rock!

Once you have the people sorted, you will need to throw together a sweet playlist that will keep you all entertained through those long driving hours. There doesn’t need to be a limit to how many songs you have included, but an easy way to make sure everyone’s tastes are satisfied is by having each person choose one song to add at a time.

If someone doesn’t like Justin Bieber, then they can fill their allotted slots with AC/DC or Aussie favourites the Hilltop Hoods – it won’t matter because everyone will be represented!

It will help to include music that doesn’t make people sleepy though, or at least not too many of those tracks. If there is a slower ballad from a crooner such as Michael Buble, follow it up with a Katy Perry or Lady Gaga hit. Statista reports that the global music revenue every year is more than AU$6 billion. With such a major industry, it’s no wonder there are so many different genres in your road trip playlist.

A photo posted by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) on

Mar 20, 2016 at 9:06pm PDT

3) Plan the journey (but not too much)

You’ll really want to plan out where you’re heading on your road trip, but don’t make it too strict. Keeping the options open for a few days here or there will really allow you and your mates to get out into the real Australia and find some pretty amazing spots.

If you drive past Mount Kosciuszko and fancy a bit of a climb (a big bit, it’s Australia’s tallest peak) then leave room to do so. If you find some amazing wave breaks and want to spend some time in the surf then don’t plan too far ahead so that you can’t enjoy yourself. Sure, there will be areas that you just want to have a pit stop in before moving on, but you’ll likely know within a few hours whether or not you’re truly captivated by a region.

Freedom is the key here.

Car hire in Sydney will also open up the New South Wales sights to you, including the magical Byron Bay to the north of the state. Here you’ll stumble across surreal surf beaches, natural rainforest walks and the odd dolphin when out on a kayak. If you’re in the area over the next couple of days then you might also want to check out the Byron Bay Bluesfest, which runs from 24-28 March.

4) Don’t forget the fuel

Something that you will want to plan ahead for in your hire car from East Coast Car Rentals are refuelling stops. Not only are these breaks healthy for the driver, but it’s a good opportunity to get some fresh air, stretch your legs and, of course, ensure you won’t be running out of fuel before your next gas station – a major key.

Have you found some inspiration to plan your next road trip? We thought so. Get in touch with your nearest East Coast Car Rentals office now and see where a hire car could take you around our beautiful country.

Filling up regularly can make your road trip much less stressful.