Over my years of travel I have loved going on road trips. I used to own a car when I lived in Australia, and in England and I would always fill it up and head out on an adventure. As a long term overland backpacker these days I rely on public transport a lot more but nothing beats having your own car. If you are going on a road trip, here are my best tips, I’ve put them into a top 5 for you and may share more again in future.

On a road trip

1.Sleep in your car
Instead of just driving from hostel to hostel and staying in tents – you have your own home right here so sleep in it. I turned my passenger seat into a full on bed back in 2010 in Australia and I lived and slept in it! All you need is a pillow and a blow up mattress. Sadly I slept alone most of the time.

On a road trip in Australia

2.Don’t Break the Speed Limit
I have been careless a few times on my travels and gone over the speed limit, getting fines. I hated that and I ended up having to pay huge fines. Stick to the limits for yours and others safety. It ain’t cool to break the law and potential harm other people’s lives.

3.Use Coupons for Autoparts
You’ll need spare parts for your car at all times, including tyres and light bulbs. A good idea is to get a Groupon Auto Parts voucher to save you money. As a side tip, try and go easy on petrol, don’t burn too much, you can be efficient on a higher gear and with less acceleration.

4.Share the ride
You save money on petrol, you have more fun and you don’t get lonely if you share the ride. Look out for websites like Bla Bla Car and even Gumtree to secure a shared ride and the time of your life. You’ll also make new friends to give you ideas and inspiration on your road trip.

5.Pimp up your vehicle
I even had a fridge and a laptop port on my last car that I took on a crazy road trip. Use your initiative to pimp up the car. Add speakers, get a mini fridge/esky box, have an adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter and generally just make your car feel and look good. You’ll have a whale of a time.

Safe road tripping guys!