The Ultimate Guide to Road Trips For Newbies.

I recently went on a three day long road trip to the northern end of Queensland, about 24 hours from my sleepy little seaside town. Let me tell you; you don't know long until you've driven from New South Wales to the top end. Preparation is therefore KEY when planning your road trip. There were five things Mum and I did that were lifesavers, especially for the trip home.

Read below to find out what they were!

Make a list of places with clean bathrooms!!

This may not matter much for the guys out there but for us ladies, bathrooms were pretty important! I know this blog is all about adventures but I don't fancy going behind a lantana bush! When road tripping North Australia, going to the bathroom at the right times proved to be pretty important. If you didn't go and decided to hold until the next stop, you can bet your bottom dollar you were holding that for around 2 hours! Either that or use a disgusting loo, but, up to you! A stop off that had nice bathrooms and a nice eating area was the Bowen pub if you're going that way! Also a great stop was Miriam Vale, and if you need to go when you go through, go now! There's no good stops for yonks after this!

Figure out where the nice food is.

For mum, dad, and I, food was important. Like, top of the list important. Everywhere we stopped and had a snack, I documented the town and establishment so that we wouldn't forget. We definitely got very peckish and I may have had pringles at 6am.... Some places in between New South Wales and North Queensland that had nice food and great atmospheres were Home Hill Bakery (get in fast because they're so good everything sells like lightning!), Malborough for their battered savs at the super 7 store, or Childers for some snacks. You should also ask around in case any friends or family have any recommendations for you as well!

Keep entertained!

If you're a fan of music, podcasts, or ebooks, make sure you have them downloaded before you leave! Even better, if you use Spotify and can afford it, splurge on Spotify Premium for the time you'll be away. It'll definitely pass time, and if you're an anxious driver (like yours truly), you'll feel way better with the distraction. If you're doing the North Queensland trip, also keep an eye out for roadside trivia! I noticed on the way back that the Queensland government put trivia questions on signs with their answers about a kilometre later! How good an idea is that? It was so much fun to play and really kept everyone alert as there's not much to look at on the drive.

See if you can answer one of the questions; What food was named after a Queensland governor?

Keep reading to see the answer!

Book accommodation before hand.

If you're reading this blog then I assume you're like me and wanting to live a more spontaneous and adventurous life. All I can say is baby steps. You're already going on a big roadtrip, for the time being, you don't need the added stress of being lost in the dark, in a new city, with nowhere to stay the night. You might want that kind of adventure but we didn't. Mum and I were on a time limit to get to our destination and drove as far as we could each day and found a place to stay that night. Looking back, we would have been a lot happier and less anxious if we had pre-booked. Turns out the town we stopped in was nearly fully booked for the night and we were exhausted, anxious, and ready for sleep. Even if you call ahead 3 hours before and tell them you'll be in town at a certain time period and ask if anything is free, it will save you SO MUCH TROUBLE! I promise. It may have been quiet fun and adventurous if we weren't on a deadline but if you are, definitely book.

Lastly, HAVE FUN!

You're probably on the trip of a life time so look out the windows and take as many stops as you can! You never know what you'll see! I saw a crocodile in the wild just from looking in creeks! We saw the Giant Mango in Bowen and found awesome dumplings in a tiny tiny town off the beaten track! Even though my bum was a bit numb by the end of it and I was tired from the driving anxiety I had so much fun with the 'rents and saw once in a lifetime things! (who sees a live croc?!?! Me!!) I was so excited I called my Nanna straight away! It made my life, if I'm being honest. It was the trip of a lifetime and I'll never forget it.

I hope this has helped a road trip newbie like myself! Getting out of your comfort zone can be daunting and I find it definitely helps if I feel more prepared.

Comment anything I've missed if you're a well seasoned road tripper, or tell me about your road trip tips!

By the way, the answer was the Lamington!