We recently celebrated 100 days on the road and couldn’t be happier about it. To mark the occasion, we’ve put together a list of the top eight things we love about travelling Australia.
Waking up in new places
You know when you’re on holiday, and you wake up feeling giddy and exhilarated because you can’t remember where you are but you know it’s somewhere good? Well, that happens to us multiple times a week, especially when we’re covering long distances.
Without a doubt, it’s an awesome way to start the day because it’s a regular affirmation that we’re out here, taking a chance and doing something we absolutely love. Plus, we know every day in a new place holds the infinite possibility for adventure, and that’s pretty cool, too.
The spontaneity
Spontaneity is such a wonderful thing. This trip not only allows more opportunity to be spontaneous but often throws opportunities in our faces. In a very literal sense, we will occasionally arrive at crossroads planning to go left and end up turning right for no other reason than we can.
Sometimes our Troopy feels like a little kombucha: fermenting, growing and propagating unlimited possibilities at every turn. It’s truly wonderful to have our freedom unimpeded by regular work hours and the “busy-ness” of home life.
Unlimited quality time
Back home, our shared time was impinged upon by the responsibilities and commitments that came with 9-5 work. Although we enjoyed our jobs well enough, diverging to our respective workplaces for between eight and ten hours a day, five times a week was just not as fun as being together.
Living on the road has changed all that. We wake together, cook together, eat together, explore together, clean the car together, read together … you get the picture. It’s unspeakably wonderful to have unlimited time, energy and freedom to invest in each other. Plus, we’ve learned to navigate each other’s emotions and moods much better than we did before.
Having less stuff
This is a big one. When living under a fixed roof, it was so easy to accumulate without knowing, just because there was space. Nowadays, with two adults and a dog living in one car, there’s no room for accidental accumulation. New additions are weighed up carefully, and we try to maintain a one-in, one-out policy.
As a bonus, we’re also losing items on a less regular basis. We treasure the things we use daily (maybe because we have no expendable income to rely on) and we really, reallllllllly try to put them straight back in their spots without delay.
The travelling community
There are some bloody great people out there travelling in Australia, and we’re meeting more and more of them as we go. It’s invigorating to connect with other like-minded humans and we’ve made lifelong friendships we’ll treasure always.
You tend to put yourself out there more when you’re in a new environment. Maybe that’s why so many of our fellow travellers seem to be absolute legends, always willing to share a campfire and a yarn.
Connecting with nature
With places to be and hours to keep, our lives at home were regulated by the turnings of time than the movements of the stars and sun and tides. Out here, in the big wide world, we rarely miss a sunset or a night of star-gazing (except when those damned midges are out in force!).
It’s awesome to wake to the sound of birds separated by nothing but the canvas roof of our pop-top, to plan our days around the tides, to be more conscious and aware of our energy usage because we’re living off solar, and to know the true value of water in harsh and arid landscapes.
Being naked in nature
We’re late bloomers to this pastime, maybe because we both grew up in Sydney where there’s not a lot of opportunities to indulge unless you want to get arrested. But, wow, we really love wandering around outside in the buff when there’s nobody else around!
Without a doubt, it’s one of the most freeing and energising experiences to roam around stitch-free with the wind in our hair and, er, on our other bits. Best of all is when we’re parked up by some water and can take a nude swim (we recommend sunrise or sunset as optimal times to avoid burns on delicate places).
Indulging in our passions
Although every week is different, and our activities vary depending on where we are, and on the weather, we’re happy to say we spend each and every day doing things we enjoy and that we’re passionate about. Not too many people that can say that.
Whoever you are and whatever you’re into, you’d be hard-pressed not to find something you’re keen on in our big, beautiful backyard. Whether it’s bird-watching, writing, fishing, painting, surfing, reading, fossicking, photography, fitness, or anything else, there’s so much opportunity and inspiration out here. Don’t be afraid to come and find it!
So what the hell is CamperMate? We’re basically a bunch of Aussies who love the outdoors – and that’s why we’ve created a place where you can book campsites at over 500 caravan parks and campgrounds Australia-wide, rent campervans and RVs, as well as share your experiences and stories.
Check out our parks in Australia, browse stories from our community of travelling contributors, and start planning your next epic Australian road trip or camping adventure. And remember, download the CamperMate app before you go, to find everything you need when you’re on the road.
