Tips for Travelling Australia in a Camper Van // Van Life

I travelled in a campervan from Sydney to Brisbane over 2 weeks with Travellers Autobarn, Here are some tips I accumulated from this time that can make your journey much easier.

1. McDonalds carparks will be your best friend. LOL

We loved to park here overnight because the McDonalds is open 24hours, so you have the use of a toilet at night. Also as 2 female travellers, we felt safer to be in a lit carpark with some people around.

2. Search for taverns in the towns you visit because they stay open till midnight and you're able to find somewhere to charge up your electronics. Most of the places we went to didn't have wifi though which was a bit annoying, so make sure you have a good data plan sim card.

3. All the beaches we visited along the coast have toilets and showers which were quite decent. They do shut overnight but if you can hold your pee till the morning they usually open at sunrise.

This is a good place to take a shower for free, but bare in mind it will most likely be cold!

4. Parking at the beach is a nice spot for a lovely view in the morning and usually very quiet because the carpark empties out by nightfall. However, you could feel a bit unsafe there due to no lights etc. But we did sleep at the beach a few times and didn't feel uncomfortable. Aim for free parking spaces so you don't have to worry about a parking warden coming along asking where your ticket is.

5. Get some food from Coles to make easy meals and don't forget snacks for the journey!
It was great having the option to cook from our van, this helped us save lots of money on eating out. Pro tip: Keep your receipt from Coles because they always have a money off fuel voucher at the bottom. 

6. Pre-plan your trip and research what there is to see and do at each stop. This will save you the hassle of arriving at a destination and thinking, what now? It also means you can use your time efficiently if you're on a tight schedule.

7.  Bring some extra blankets for the van. Better to be warm and cosy rather than cold while trying to sleep! We found at night it could get a bit cold in the van but our body heat and the blankets soon warmed us up.

8. Baby wipes will be your saviour while on the road. You might not have a chance to have a proper shower every day and you might not fancy the idea of a freezing cold one! So keep a big packet of baby wipes on hand so you can freshen up between showers.

9. Buy some battery powered fairy lights. They gave such a nice homey vibe to the inside of the van and also gave off a decent amount of light without being too harsh and bright.

10. Sign up for a free session at a gym in the town you're stopping in so you can have the use of their hot showers! 

Thanks for reading this weeks blog post! I hope this can help you if you're planning to rent a campervan and travel Australia. I had a fantastic time and would definitely recommend it!

Thanks to Travellers Autobarn for our comfortable and cosy van for our road trip.
https://www.travellers-autobarn.com.au/