Tag along tours

steve,

great reply. because we have only done the caravan park thing and only in victoria, we figured that going into these areas alone would be beyond us. we ars really keen to do these areas as we see them as must do's hence the tag along idea. having never done this type of travelling before we are not sure how to prepare and do all the homework for such areas. the driving course is a must do. also, im only presuming though, that having someone there you dont know is better than no one if trouble strikes?. your words are food for thought though. it would be great to find an experienced traveller to these areas who is more than happy and patient enough to take us through. we are still four to five months from leaving vic so alot more to study up on.

thanks steve

dave

Dave,
You have a bit to do before you head off. GRR has plenty of stopping places with varing degrees of facilities so in many ways not much different to what you are currently doing. If you are going a bit more remote you need to be self sufficent to a degree as you may need to stop by the side of the track. If you are early there may be a lot of water around and you need to allow for that. You need to remember that it was everyones first time once. Don't let that phase you. Ron and Viv Moon do guides for the Kimberley and Cape York. They are good books and they have definitely been doing the travelling for a long while. When we started we were given some really good advice.

1) Know as much as possible about where you are going. Read a bit then ask specific questions here and of anyone else you can find. Don't ask salesman if you need things as you will always need them!

2) Never ever have a must arrive destination if it can be avoided. If the going gets slow you drive too long or too fast. You then break things, possibly yourself and family. We stop at the first likely place after 330. This rule is rarely broken and we always regret it when we do.

3) Aim to be ready 2-3 months before leaving. Then take the family on a test trip. If in Vic the border track would be good (I assume you are ok on sand). You can then camp where there are no facilities and find out how it goes. It is only one night so it wont upset anyone too much if it doesn't work out. You then have an opertunity to correct stuff before you actually leave. If you want to hear complaints just be on a strech of 5 days wit no facilities and something simple is wrong.

As for assistance. Make sure you know what to do. The number of stuffed recoveries I have seen is pretty worring. As for other help. If you have a serious issue it is unlikely that the tour leader on a tag along will be able to fix it or have the correct spares if required. If you stuff a bearing why would he be carring one to suit your vehicle? In some ways the safety thing is very over rated. They may be able to tow you or help in some way but then agin they may not. Make sure your car is in top condition, newish tyres etc. You need to have a bit of cash spare if you need to get rescued even if you are on a tag along.



Steve

steve,

this is really sound advice. yes we do have alot to do and i hope the trip is as good as the organising. the fear factor is present but i think this is normal.

thanks for the indepth replies. to go to this much trouble for a family you dont know is incredible.

cheers dave

steve,

thanks for the advice. the fact that this area is totally unknown and have no idea what to expect, the fear sneaks in. thats mostly because i will have my family with me. hence the idea of the tag along. i just thought with others around it would not be so daunting??

cheers dave

Also, 2-3 weeks is really pushing it to travel around the cape or Kimberly from Vic. If you could double your numbers you wouldn't regret it.

alex,

thanks for more good info. the two to three weeks was just a guess at the time needed at each of these places. we have not put a time limit on our trip around oz so we can spend more time at these places if wanted to.

we hope to have a great time. we figured that if this trip takes two years, so be it. i will have about 25 years of work left in me to pay for it all and more importantly the kids will learn so much and will have great memories for ever.

cheers dave

traveller2,

the itinerary is something im really not sure how to do. a 1 or 2 month trip would be far more easier i am guessing. 12 to 24 months is a long time and not even sure where to start as far as destinations and time spent at each. another reason for the tag along. at least we would have to be in certain places at certain times.???. as you can see, we have long way to go before we pull out of the driveway.

thanks
dave

I didn't realise that you were on a 1 or 2 year odessey, but the itinerary thing will still be a good idea so as to make the most of time in each place and also be in each section of the country at the right time.
No good being up the top end in the wet (although having visited in the dry several times over the years we want to go back in the wet) and no good being in the centre in midsummer.
Might have to travel in a figure eight rather than go round so you spend the winters in the north and the summers down south.

Hey Dave

Just to add on first aid, If you or your wife doesn't have one yet, a senior first aid course is a great idea, not that hard to get and not to expensive.

Cheers Steve.

And carry six wide crepe bandages for snake bite - seriously.

landy,

you have done things the way we thought we might, re courses, tag alongs then solo efforts.

more great advice too.

thanks dave

moose,

good idea. i just told my wife of this idea. she was a tad hestitant. a bit of convincing and she will be up to it. this may just turn out to be the hardest part of the planning. lol.

thanks
dave

tim,

the drowning car etc etc are the very things that make me nervous. i was feeling ok up till now.lol. im sure the courses will gear us up properly.

cheers
dave

Hi Dave

I've often toyed with the idea of doing an extended trip (1 year) although I've concluded that in some ways it would be better to base yourself at home and do 2/3 month trips, honing in on specific areas, before returning home to recharge.

This way it breaks it up, gives you the chance to return to family and friends, and provides the opportunity to fine tune being in the right places at the right time of the year.

The epic journey always sounds appealing, but don't forget that a year on the road is a long time and whilst many people do it indefinitely there is always a risk that such a long journey becomes a tad monotonous, especially with children. A bit like the old adage that too much of a good thing……

Good luck anyway and I’m interested to hear how you go.