The Best Tips for a Family Road Trip

Whether you’re travelling the Great Ocean Road or journeying through Sydney’s Northern Beaches, an Australian road trip is a one-of-a-kind experience. When it comes to travelling with family, it’s important to consider different things you may need on your trip depending on your group’s size, ages, and dynamics. We’ve listed the best tips to ensure you’re prepared for a fun and safe family road trip in Australia.

Choosing the Right Rental Car

One of the most important things to do when planning a road trip is to choose the right rental car. Every family is unique, and at Dollar, we have the right car to suit any family. We’ve listed the factors to consider when booking your hire car with Dollar.

• Size of family

From a five-passenger hybrid to an SUV that seats eight passengers, consider how many people will travel with you prior to booking your rental vehicle. 

• Space

Aside from passengers, consider how much space you’ll need for luggage and extra items, such as prams. Our vehicles have space for both small and large luggage pieces, varying with the size of the car. 

• Optional extras

When hiring a rental vehicle with Dollar, you’ll have the option to add extras to your booking. We offer infant child seats for 0-1-year-olds, child seats for 1-4-year-olds and booster seats for 4-7-year-olds so that every member of the family can travel safely. You can also add on a Dollar GPS unit for extra peace of mind during your journey.

Essential Packing

Preparing for a family holiday can be chaotic, and between all the packing, preparing, and organising, it’s common to forget some of the important things. We’ve made a list of the essentials to bring along on your road trip to keep you prepared for any situation.

• Snacks and Food

A long road trip can leave you feeling hungry and peckish throughout the drive, and restaurants can often be few and far between when travelling through remote and rural parts of Australia. To minimise stopovers and hungry passengers, pack your car with snacks including fresh fruit, vegetables, and light lunch meals like sandwiches to keep everyone happy and well-fed.

• Water

Ensuring you bring a large amount of water on your travels is necessary when embarking on a long road trip. Keeping everyone hydrated is important, especially when travelling through Australia in the warmer months. Bring full drink bottles for everyone and spare water containers for when you need to refill. It can also be a good idea to take note of where publicly accessible bathrooms are along your route.

• First Aid Kit

Keeping a basic first aid kit on hand or in your rental vehicle while travelling is an excellent idea, especially when travelling with a large group. Stock up on band-aids, medication you or your family may require, instant cold packs and antiseptic wipes to make sure you’re prepared for any emergencies.

• Maps or GPS

When travelling through a new area, it’s important to know where you are and where you’re going. Print out a map or add a GPS unit to your car to keep you on track, especially if you’re travelling in remote areas with little phone signal.

• Sunscreen and Insect Repellent

Visiting Australia in the summer? Come prepared with sunscreen - useful even when in the car - and insect repellent for nighttime use. Remember to keep your sunscreen in an esky to ensure its longevity for the trip!

• Appropriate Clothing for Australia’s Climate

Along with sunscreen and insect repellent, ensure you’ve packed clothing appropriate for whichever season you’re visiting. Certain parts of the country can get much warmer or cooler than others, researching your destination beforehand and packing as required will ensure a comfortable journey.

Entertainment

Aside from the absolute essentials, bringing along entertainment and games for children to enjoy during the car ride can make your journey much more pleasant. The last thing you want to hear from the backseat is ‘Are we there yet?’, so pack your family’s favourite toys, games, and books for the ride. As well as physical games, a road trip is also an excellent opportunity to play guessing games like I Spy and counting competitions - such as who can count the most cars of a certain colour? Consider creating a road trip bingo-style game before you leave for your holiday by printing out bingo grids and giving them to each passenger. Include native animals like kangaroos, farm animals like cows and sheep, native plants, different car brands and speed signs. Bring along a disposable camera and let family members capture images of the landscape and each other to keep them entertained throughout the drive. Research whether you’ll be passing any of Australia’s ‘big’ attractions, like The Big Banana or The Big Pineapple, for a quick stopover and family photo. Keep the joyful energy going by curating a playlist of everyone’s favourite songs that they can sing along to or download audiobooks to keep everyone entertained.

From packing the essentials to choosing which games to play in the car, you’re in for a fun family road trip when travelling with Dollar.