Category: Travel

From pristine, glistening beaches to lush green forests, including the dusty red outback, Australia truly offers some of the most beautiful and unique landscapes you can hardly come across anywhere else in the world. For this reason, adventurous road trips are among the most popular activities in Australia, especially during the time when holidays aren’t such an attainable goal, and you might want to enjoy your travel experience more, while you’re still able to head out and explore.

If experiencing the gorgeous sceneries and unique adventures is on your radar, here are some of the most iconic road trip routes in Australia you should definitely try this year:

The Great Ocean Road

Often described as an incredibly pleasant and picturesque experience, the Great Ocean Road is arguably the most popular, as well as the most famous drive in Australia. The road stretches nearly 250km through the windswept coastline of the Southern Ocean, providing some of the most beautiful sea sceneries and a number of charming coastal towns to visit along the way, representing the ideal drive to take regardless of the season. When planning a trip down the Great Ocean Road, it’s recommended to choose a route from Torquay to Port Fairy, stopping at destinations like Apollo Bay, Lorne, and the famous 12 Apostles sites, a gorgeous drive that’s suitable for family travel as well.

The Gibb River Road

Ranging over 660km, the Gibb River Road takes you from Derby to Kununurra, and is often touted as being one of the most legendary outback drives. With rugged ridges, hidden gorges, and that incredibly liberating feeling of the open road, this route represents the perfect road trip for the more adventurous at heart. Requiring a 4WD vehicle, the Gibb River Road is a bumpy ride, but it makes for quite a unique experience once you spot a bulging boab tree or the rocky Cockburn Range. However, the drive isn’t entirely deserted, as it also offers the opportunity to explore the Aboriginal culture, take a dip in a glassy waterhole, or even swim in the popular infinity pool at Lake Argyle while overlooking the surging islands.

The Grand Pacific Drive

Although a bit shorter at just 140km, the Grand Pacific Drive is still one of Australia’s most iconic routes, which makes for a brilliant day or weekend-long road trip. Starting in the Royal National Park just outside of Sydney and taking you down to the Shoalhaven region, the only thing this drive truly requires is for you to find a great car and truck rental option in Sydney, and hit the open road. The winding yet pleasant Grand Pacific Drive will take you through some of the region’s most popular holiday spots, such as Kiama and Wollongong, but if you give yourself an extra few days, you might be able to explore all the wonders that the South Coast has to offer, including pristine beaches, great wineries, as well as the well-known Kiama Blowhole.

The Seafood Frontier

If you want to learn about Australia as much as possible during your travels, the Seafood Frontier might be your best option. Following the breathtaking coastline of the Eyre Peninsula, this drive represents a true seafood safari where you could eat your way along the shore, from the incredible oysters in Coffin Bay to the delicious tuna in Port Lincoln. But apart from an incredible cuisine, this road trip will also offer a number of interesting activities you could try out, whether it’s simply walking along the stunning beaches, swimming with charming sea lions, or even going on a cage-diving adventure with great white sharks if you’re brave enough for such an undertaking. Although a bit different from other typical road trips, the Seafood Frontier truly combines the best Australia has to offer.

The Great Alpine Road

Taking you through the Victorian High Country to the Gippsland Lakes region, the Great Alpine Road stretches around 500km, and makes for a slightly different road trip experience. The drive winds through deep valleys, stunning mountain ranges, glistening waterways, as well as fantastic wine regions. Including charming historic towns, this route encompasses the best of Australia, and is a brilliant road trip option no matter the time of year. Whether you wish to try the famous lamingtons in Beechworth, taste incredible local wine in King Valley and Rutherglen, go on a hike through the Mount Buffalo National Park in the summer, or even opt for downhill skiing at Mt Hotham in the winter, the Great Alpine Road always makes for a unique and unforgettable adventure.

 

As a vast country offering some of the most incredible sceneries in the world, Australia is filled with beautiful road trip routes, and you surely won’t make a mistake no matter which one of these iconic drives you opt for.

Today, the safest and most practical way to travel with your family is to organize a road trip. You will get to avoid crowds, practice good hygiene habits, stop whenever you want and enjoy all the comfort of your dear car. However, long drivers are notorious for making kids cranky, so in order to have a successful family trip, here are some ideas that will ensure everyone is having fun.

Safety first

As always, safety of your family comes first, so make sure you have a fully-equipped first aid kit in your car. Double-check your kit and make sure you have everything you need. Remember to stock up on things like band-aids of all sizes, gauze, tape, tweezers for things like thorns, and plenty of medication like Benadryl and Advil. Since the pandemic is still raging, always pack enough wet wipes, hand sanitizer and masks.

Download apps

While you can take the old-school road and write everything on paper, you can also reduce the amount of work and download apps. Notes will come in handy for packing, while traffic apps will provide you with information regarding the road conditions. There are also food apps that let you eat like a local and gas apps that will save you money on fuel.

Check your car

You don’t want to find yourself in a sticky vehicle situation that will get you stranded and behind schedule. So, make sure to schedule an appointment at your local service center to ensure your car is safe and ready for the road. Additionally, for extra comfort of everyone in the car (and outside of it) you can do some tuning on your vehicle. If you want to provide your kids with a quiet ride, yet don’t want to sacrifice that sporty sound you enjoy on solo drives, you might want to install new and better mufflers that allow you to set the optimal sound level according to your desired preference. This way, you can turn heads when you want or stay incognito at other times.

Pack lightly

Kids often require a ton of stuff, but a cluttered car can cause anxiety and moodiness. It’s better to pack on a minimalist side and only opt for bare essentials. If you stick to items designed for travel, you will have a clean and safe car throughout your trip. Another benefit of packing light is that you won’t have to pay exorbitant hotel charges for a short trip. All you’ve to do is place your bags at luggage storage in manchester while you head to explore the city with ease. By doing so, you’ll be able to save enormous costs on accommodation, especially if you don’t want to clutter your car with bags.

Stock up on snacks

Hungry kids are naughty kids, so make sure to pack plenty of snacks to use as a distraction until you find a restaurant or a good spot for picnic. A small cooler filled with healthy snacks will make sure your family is satisfied and healthy, and you will even save money on those overpriced gas station snacks. Most coolers fit perfectly between seats and can even be used as tables or chairs during breaks.

Plan for stops

While mapping your journey, make sure to look for practical stop opportunities on your maps or mapping apps. Pitstops are essential when it comes to safety and comfort, and they can make your road trip so much more interesting. The least you can do is stop at a park or two during your trip to stretch your legs, grab some food and let kids have some outdoor playtime. Make sure to pack a ball, a Frisbee or no-spill soap bubbles in case the parks you come across don’t have any playground equipment.

Don’t forget entertainment

There are so many activities your kids can play in the car alone or with you, and they will come super handy during your trip. Cards, story book puzzles and coloring books are just some of the toy choices you can pack. You can also look up fun car games or just organize car concerts and sing your favorite tunes.

Many parents choose to limit screen time when traveling since family road trips are not everyday occurrences. However, you can always expect boring parts of the road with nowhere to stop and nothing to look at—this is where your kids will get bored. So pack some electronics and play a movie or allow them to play educational games.

If you’re aiming for a relaxing yet fun family vacation, follow these road trip tips and you’ll come back home full of amazing memories and souvenirs. And all that without any tears and tantrums!

Going on a camping trip is an ideal place to spend some quality time connecting with your family. It’s also an opportunity to rekindle the spark of being out in the open and reestablishing your lost connection to nature. From the perspective of a survivalist, it’s a chance for a person to test their capability to make it out there in the wild. All of this, however, is done in controlled circumstances and is mostly fun-oriented. It is fun for the whole family and here are five things you need to bring in order to ensure the success of this trip.

1.      A proper tent

The first requirement for a family camping trip is definitely a proper camping tent. This will ensure that you’re protected from all sorts of weather occurrences. Still, there are two more things worth taking into consideration. First, the size of the tent needs to be big enough for the entire family. Second, the poles should be color-coded so that the setup is easy and it doesn’t take too much of your time. Including your kids in the setup process is another underestimated family camping activity.

2.      Automatic knife

Another thing you need is a reliable camping knife. The best thing to look for is an automatic knife, seeing as how they’re safe, portable and quite efficient. Regardless if you need to cut or pierce something, there is a series of camping tasks that will be on your to-do list. Ideally, you would buy quality OTF automatic knives that can last you a lifetime. Remember, you buy a knife for the first camping trip and have it for every subsequent one. Moreover, there are so many household DIY repairs where an automatic knife could come in handy.

3.      Portable cooler

Depending on when and how you intend to go camping, the quality of the trip itself may be affected by your ability to keep your beverages cool. This is where a portable cooler is a must-have. Keep in mind that this is an inexpensive investment, seeing as how you can find coolers for as little as $30. However, make sure that the one that you’re buying has enough space. Also, look for coolers with positive reviews in order to ensure that you’re getting your money’s worth instead of making an investment that you’re going to regret.

4.      Camping grill

Technically, you could just start a fire and make the food in improvised conditions. A rock can serve as an oven panel and a pot could technically fulfill the purpose of a deep fryer. Still, getting a real camping grill can help you make a world of a difference and prepare proper gourmet meals for your entire family. This way, you could elevate the quality of the camping trip in question by quite a margin. Keep in mind that you have so much to do around the campsite. This means that making just one of the tasks easier might help you enjoy camping a lot more.

5.      Camping chairs

Sitting on the grass, earth, or even a blanket definitely has its merits but by bringing some camping chairs, you will opt for a simpler, safer option. The most important thing worth keeping in mind is the fact that camping chairs are foldable. As such, they’re easy to fit in the trunk and transport for miles and miles. Camping chairs come in various colors, shapes and folding mechanisms. Therefore, some shopping around might be a good idea.

Conclusion

One of the most important things worth keeping in mind is the fact that each of the above-listed purchases needs to be done once. You buy all of this once and have a suitable inventory for each subsequent trip. This alone makes buying quality an even greater priority. You should also look at this as a way to customize your camping trips in an easy and simple manner. Overall, you have a lot of maneuvering space and so many options to choose from.

If traveling to a sunny and warm place is on your to-do list, you should be aware that scorching temperatures and intense sunlight can be detrimental to your health. While extreme temperatures can expose anyone to heat illnesses, health risks are greatest for infants, young children, those with chronic ailments, and older travelers.

Dealing with overexposure to UV radiation is simple and should not hinder us from enjoying the beach during the summer season. Whether touring around in a city or lounging about outside, it is essential to protect yourself and your loved ones from the sun’s piercing effect.

Wherever your travel escapades take you and your family this summer, ensure that these tips are followed to remain safe.

 

1. Drink A lot of Water

Most people enjoy packing their vehicle’s roof rack store with stuff they’ll need to spend time outdoors on sunny days. While outside during the hot sunny weather, always keep in mind that too much sun exposure can have serious consequences. This could range from potentially life-threatening sunstroke to painful sunburns.

To reduce dehydration risk, drink plenty of cold liquids, preferably water, before you feel thirsty.

 

2. Choose the Right Sunscreen

Did you know that the sun’s UV rays can harm your skin in just a 15-minute time frame? Sunscreen is one of the best ways of protecting yourself, so ensure to use sunscreen on all exposed skin.

Sunscreens are best if they can protect you from ultraviolet rays, are broad-spectrum, and have SPF 30+1. Always put on sunscreen 20 minutes before stepping out in the sun. When applying, make sure to get help for areas that are hard to reach like your back. Make sure to reapply regularly; when sweating, on cloudy days, even on days where it’s not so sunny.

Apply an ounce of sunscreen on every part of your body. One ounce is about the size of a golf ball- use more than an ounce if you’re sweating or swimming. A small tube containing three to five ounces of sunscreen might only be enough for one person, this is especially true during those days where the sun is scorching.

Never use any sunblock that you may have bought during the previous year. Sunscreen loses its effectiveness over time, and your exposure to skin damage will increase significantly.

Here are round up tips for using sunscreen effectively:

One of the biggest struggles that parents have when they’re traveling with their kids is the number of items they pack in their luggage and carry-on.

Traveling is especially challenging if you have smaller kids with you since you want to be able to get a hand on them at all times. When you’re carrying your items with you, it’s even more difficult.

Your kids are going to need specific things to travel comfortably, so you’re going to be lugging around a big bag for their needs alone.

As parents, you’d want to make your life a lot easier all the time, especially when you’re somewhere far away from home. Hence, these seven carry-on hacks for your travel with kids should help you have an easier time:

 

Pack only a week’s worth of clothes

One of the reasons it’s so difficult to travel with your kids is because you have to bring a lot of items with you. Most of them will be all the variety of clothes and other baby clothing that you’ll need.

Therefore, the only way to have a manageable number of clothes with you would be to pack only a week’s worth of clothes.

If you want to make it easier for you, you should start by looking for ways to remove the number of clothes you bring with you. You should limit yourself only to a week’s worth of clothes.

You can always pay for laundry service or book a place that has a washing machine and a dryer. Instead of bringing your entire wardrobe with you, reduce your stress by limiting your packing to one week’s clothes.

 

Use packing cubes

When you’re traveling with your kids, you want to access the items that you need at any time. Therefore, you should be more deliberate and organized with how you pack your items, even in your carry-on.

One thing that will help you pack well would be by using packing cubes to help you pack your items.

Packing cubes are especially helpful for keeping and adequately compartmentalizing your other smaller things. You can use packing cubes to separate items based on which items are for which people.

Having one large compartment makes it a lot harder to organize several items that come in different sizes. With the help of packing cubes, you can have smaller compartments for your smaller pieces, and they’ll be easier to access and find because of that.

 

Travel size your toiletries

Travel-sized toiletries are something that you should already be doing in the first place. One tip to be able to have more toiletries is by using solid toiletries instead of liquid ones. There are even shampoo and conditioner bars that both won’t count as a liquid toiletry.

If you don’t have any specific concerns or needs, you might also want to consider not bringing toiletries with you. Instead, you can buy your toiletries at your location.

 

Wear bulky clothing items

One way to reduce your luggage’s weight is by wearing your bulkiest clothing items when you go on a flight.

Once you’re properly seated, you can start removing the bulky clothing if it’s bothering you. Doing this will help you reduce the weight of your luggage. That way, you won’t have to rush through the entire process of boarding a flight hauling a big suitcase.

 

Bring three pairs of shoes at most

Aside from limiting your clothes, it would help if you also restrained yourself by bringing only three pairs of shoes at most. Please limit that to two, if you can. Also, try and wear your bulkiest shoes on the flight.

 

Limit electronics devices

You don’t need to bring all your electronic devices when you’re traveling with your kids. You don’t need those camera lenses as much as you thought you did.

Having a tablet and a portable power bank can provide you with all you and your kid’s needs.

 

Give your kids their bag

If your kids are a little older, you should consider getting them their bags. That way, you’ll have a new place to store the items that your kids would want to access.

You can store their toys, snacks, blanket, and more. Plus, it will get your kids to feel more independent.

 

Over to You

All those horror stories that parents have when they travel with their kids might intimidate you when the time comes for you to do the same. However, the simple act of preparing beforehand will do wonders for reducing your stress on the day of your trip.

These seven carry-on hacks are just a few of the things you can do to ease some of the load that comes with traveling with kids.

As you continue to go with kids, you might find more methods that work best for you. Also, remember to have fun during your travel and to have patience with yourself and your kids.