If you have never done a campervan trip to Tasmania, first of all please understand this could be the trip of a lifetime. Tasmania is a fabulous place to visit and the fact that it is away from home yet entirely and proudly Australian, and right on the doorstep, makes Tassie a perfect choice.
Don’t Buy a Campervan
Bear in mind, you can get yourself a great one over there, so you won’t have to drive to the port on the mainland and spend at least nine hours on the boat. You won’t have half your break swallowed up in travelling to Geelong and then making the voyage to Devonport on the north coast of the island, and far away from the capital, Hobart. Realistically, it makes more sense to fly to Hobart or Launceston and pick up a van at the airport.
Plan Your Trip Carefully
Playing it by ear is one of the great, liberating things about using a campervan, but first of all, make sure you will have the perfect van waiting for you when you arrive. A top operator such as LeisureRent will have a desk at the airport, and they know Tasmania inside out, so in addition to making sure you’ve got the kind of van you need – a good make in great condition – they will be happy to give you a few tips. Local knowledge is a valuable thing, and if you give them an idea of what you have in mind, they can help you achieve your goals.
Planning can also include booking things in advance. Anything from tickets for a play or a gig can be booked way ahead of time, and as long as your travel timetable is realistic, so you will be in that city on that date, it’s just like booking something in your own neck of the woods.
Restaurants, too, can be booked in advance, so if you’ve heard good things about a particular one, it may well be a good idea to get your name down asap.
Campsites and suchlike need to be taken into consideration. Again, part of the glory of this kind of holiday is the freedom to make spontaneous decisions, but consider the time of year, school holidays and so on, and how many other people may have the same idea as you.
Be Flexible
The opposite of rigid planning is flexibility, and it can save a lot of heartache if you build a little wriggle room into your itinerary. The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, as the poet Robert Burns once wrote. That can include good things as well as bad: if one of your party falls in love with a spot you find yourself in and wants to stay there for a while, you may need to rethink things, so try to avoid too much regimentation.
Watch Your Budget
We all have to be realistic about this, too. Work out how much you may need to spend on petrol, for instance, and make sure there’s some slack in a credit card for unexpected expenses.
Stock Up Before You Leave
Sure, you can buy stuff on your way, but often we end up duplicating things and wasting money, so make sure you take the clothes you need, and any favourite foods and drinks that you might not be able to find in some random town along the way. You know your special dietary requirements and think about your medications too.
Have a Good Time
After all this preparation, don’t forget, it’s not a military operation. It’s an extended good time, so cut yourself some slack and let Tasmania work its magic on you.
