Behind kangaroos and the mighty Bunnings snag, the humble road trip might be the most Australian thing known to man. Once you’re out there on the open road it’s great, but often the planning stages can be a little tedious. The question is ‘how should you do it?’
The answer depends on your style. Some people enjoy a spontaneous road trip – just jump in the car and drive, throwing any semblance of a plan to the wind. Others prefer to have everything laid out before they even touch their keys, the routes and destinations locked in and the accommodation booked.
There is no right or wrong answer, but whatever the approach you decide to take, there are a few things you should keep in mind to ensure your road trip runs smoother than a greased-up Usain Bolt.
1. Organise your wheels
Unless you’re planning to slap on your running shoes and go full Forrest Gump, a successful road trip is going to require a vehicle. Fortunately, hiring cars out to awesome people like yourself is what we here at East Coast Car Rentals do best. We have a vehicle to suit just about any road tripper’s needs, with our fleet ranging from compact cars to 12-seater minibuses. And since our cars are all new or near-new, you can be sure that they’re a reliable option.
2. Pack wisely
This is where it’s beneficial to plan exactly where you’ll be going so you know what to bring. Are you going someplace where you might swim? If yes, bring your togs, if no, leave them at home. There’s no use in transferring the contents of your wardrobe to your car and having no room inside to breathe.
Make sure you have room for all the gubbins you might collect along the way too. What happens when you want to buy that enormous, hand-crafted didgeridoo, only to realise that you can’t because your car is packed like a tin of sardines? The resulting tears could fill a thousand seas.
3. Choose your tunes
Is there any greater disappointment than starting a long drive, realising you forgot to prepare any music, and then being stuck listening to whatever guff is on the radio? No, there is not. This might be the most important step. In fact, it is. Make sure your music is organised. Please. Your ears will thank you.
4. Sort your snacks
If you’re like most humans, at some point you’ll need to eat. Yet sometimes on your road trip you’ll find yourself in that state known as ‘hunger’ but be ages away from a place that sells food. It’s times like these when you’ll need to dig into your stash of goodies to tide you over until you can find something more wholesome than Tim Tams and fairy bread.
It is a good idea to have some idea of the maximum amount you want to spend on your trip.
5. Watch your wallet
Keeping an eye on your expenses is a good idea if you don’t want to suffer the embarrassment of your card being declined at a takeaway place. While it’s probably not necessary to go crazy and budget everything out in advance, it is a good idea to have some idea of the maximum amount you want to spend on your trip. Parking, food, fuel, accommodation, activities – when you’re not careful, all these expenses can add up to a significant amount. If you can save on your car hire by grabbing a special, that’s a good way to have more to spend elsewhere!
6. Take your time
Unless you want all your spending money being slurped up by ‘The Man’ in the form of speeding tickets, you should make sure you give yourself plenty of time to make your way between each destination. A road trip shouldn’t be about getting to each and every place as quickly and efficiently (not to mention illegally) as possible – it’s about being chill, relaxing and enjoying the journey. Road trips are the perfect opportunity to stop and smell the roses.
Jun 29, 2017 at 11:04pm PDT
7. Embrace the banter
Depending on the company, spending hours crammed into a small space with other people can either be a nightmare or the best thing since bread that’s been pre-cut into evenly sized segments. It’s likely, however, that the people you’re going on a road trip with are your mates, so dive in and engage in some epic car chat.
Plus, now that they can’t escape, you can take the chance to ask them that awkward question you’ve always wanted the answer to. But be warned – they can easily do the same in return, so if there are some juicy tidbits about you that you’d rather keep to yourself, perhaps it would be better to keep your mouth shut.
You should now be ready to tackle a road trip like a pro. Once you’ve made your plans, contact the team at East Coast Car Rentals. We can get you a set of wheels that’ll take you where you want to go, trouble-free.