Looking to head off on a sneaky holiday, big trip, or weekend getaway? There are a few considerations before choosing that perfect destination for a camping or caravan vacation.
Your next camping destination might not necessarily be right under your nose. You may have to look for it.
A little thought and planning can make all the difference, and this blog will help to narrow down to the perfect destination to travel to on your adventures.
Choosing the perfect location for your next getaway doesn’t have to be a stressful experience.
1. How Far Will You Travel?
The magical travel time for the perfect getaway is well known in the tourism industry to be around two hours. Accommodation and experience providers aim to be located around 2 hours from major populations – but in a country as large as Australia, travelling for a little longer can be rewarding.
If it’s a weekend getaway, two hours or so is about right. However, if you will be extending your stay at the next destination, a longer journey is definitely doable.
You don’t want to have to race to your destination – plan the distance and journey in proportion to how long you will stay there.
As we travelled around Australia, we found the average distance for a trip was around three hours. That was over a year travelling Australia with around 150 stops. Some trips were shorter, particularly near capital cities, while others stretched up to six or seven hours.
Of course, the terrain you are covering can alter travel times. Are you heading off-road, into the high country, or along some beaches? If the answer is yes to either, travel certainly won’t be as fast as tearing up the Mount Panorama main straight! Make sure to allow for this as well.
Some of the best locations are off-road and remote. Allow enough time to get into them.
2. ‘Me’ Time or Social Time?
There are over 25 million people inhabiting Australia – but even on such a large continent, you can always find some space for yourself. Are you looking to get out to enjoy it alone, or to have some fun with new friends?
Caravan parks and resorts can be very popular, frequented often by plenty of people on short, medium, and longer-term holidays. If you are looking to meet like-minded people, you can slide into a site and straight into a social group.
Are you wanting to go camping or on holiday near lots of people to share adventures, stories and fun?
Alternatively, you might be looking to head off somewhere remote, where there’s just you, some great views, and the odd native animal. Australia has some of the best remote camping and caravanning destinations in the world – and while you may need to travel a little longer to get there, the rewards of silence and stunning views can be incredible.
Or would you prefer something a little more remote, perhaps for some alone time?
3. What Camping Style Works For You?
If you’re heading off in a tent with little else, you might need to camp a little closer to some facilities, like bathrooms and toilets. Same goes for some campers or pop-top caravans without full facilities. Different campsites, national parks, and caravan parks have different facilities available to campers and caravanners; some near, some far away, and some non-existent.
Do you want to be close to facilities like camp kitchens, toilets, pools, and playgrounds? We love a good camp kitchen when available.
If you have a full caravan, portable facilities, or just don’t mind roughing it a bit, your options open up considerably. It also provides more of an opportunity to get back to nature and enjoy the simple things.
Or are you happy creating or taking along your own amenities and resources?
4. Be Smart and Have an Emergency Plan
During our summers, Australia has fought some of the harshest bushfires in history. Many holidaymakers have been caught up in some pretty terrifying situations – and we were no different on our trip.
Whenever you head somewhere, be aware of multiple exit points.
Can you get in and out in an emergency? If you can, where do you need to head to?
Where are the nearest populations and hospitals?
Having a fire or emergency plan when travelling is just as important as when at home.
Accidents can happen. When travelling around Australia, we had a broken and dislocated wrist to tend to, which had has heading to hospital!
During our travels, we were able to access emergency apps to monitor and avoid raging bushfires – but we couldn’t totally avoid our share of emergencies! A bike incident resulted in multiple emergency and hospital visits for one of our sons, luckily on the east coast. However, another son fell in a fire on the Gibb River Road, requiring first aid and a subsequent visit to a remote community hospital for follow-up.
We also had a first-degree burn to manage, in a fairly remote part of Australia.
Whenever we travel, we take note of exit routes, local hospitals, and towns. We also carry with us our first aid kits, water, and communication devices to keep us and our family protected.
It can also come in handy to help others. On our travels, we often came across local and international tourists who weren’t prepared and needed help with First Aid and even water.
It’s not just about knowing your options. Whenever we go anywhere, we take along our backpacks, full of emergency supplies.
5. Leave Your Destination Better for the Next Visit
As we travelled around Australia, we were always amazed at how little others seem to care for some of the great locations we have to offer. It’s not just the international tourists either!
When we depart somewhere, we always try to leave it in better condition than when we found it. Picking up rubbish is pretty simple, and can make a big difference to the local environment. Pay it forward when you can.
As the expression goes: ‘take only photographs and leave only footprints’!
Wherever you go, leave only footprints. If you have the chance, clean up after others leaving a site even better than when you found it.
Australia is massive, and choosing the destination for your next camping or caravan trip can be overwhelming. Hopefully, we have helped you with a process to help find your next getaway!
How do you choose a new location? What do you consider and what resources do you use? We’d love to hear in the comments below.
Hi, we’re the Todoing Family! We’re all about family travel and adventure, currently road tripping our way around Australia in a caravan. We’ve never caravanned before and are sharing our experience as we go. We’re a family of 5 with a big ‘to do’ list. Follow along on our adventures on our website, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube @todoingfamily