When trip planning is as good (nearly) as the trip!

Published: January 27, 2021
Grey nomad plans Big Lap

When the Covid-19 pandemic first struck last year, it threw a giant spanner in the Big Lap works, forcing grey nomads off the road and into a strange state of limbo.

While no true traveller could ever be described as being happy about being stuck in one place indefinitely, there is perhaps one sub-section of the grey nomad fraternity that saw more of a silver lining in the situation than most … the planner!

As an ex-member of the Australian Defence Force, self-confessed ‘extreme planner’ Phil Crockart readily admits to being a ‘bit anal’ when it comes to trip preparation.

“I feel an adventure such as a Big Lap or even half a lap requires a bit of real forethought,” he said. “In fact, everything has to be planned to the finest detail.”

So, rather than sitting around feeling frustrated by border closures and travel restrictions, Phil has happily whiled away the hours plotting future routes on Google Maps, and drawing up Excel documents listing exact dates of where he and wife Pam will be on their next trip, where they will stay, and even their projected daily mileage.

For many travellers, the planning process is hugely pleasurable in itself and helps build a sense of delightful anticipation of the adventures ahead.

The ‘planners’ often take it next level.

All too aware of the volatility of the Covid situation, Phil and Pam have resisted the urge to return to the road on a ‘big one’ too early. Instead, Phil has been nailing down the intricate details of an upcoming three-month trip.

“On March 26 this year we will set out with friends to cover the half lap from Murray Bridge near Adelaide across the Nullarbor to Perth, up to Broome, across to Darwin and then down the Centre to the Flinders Ranges then home to Murray Bridge,” he said. “We have agreed that we will travel for a maximum of four hours (about 300 kilometres) and will rest mainly at free camps, and every three days we will stay at a caravan park in order to wash dirty clothes, charge the battery and buy supplies if needed.”

Phil and Pam travel in a Jayco Swan camper with a sophisticated electrical set-up that enables them to stay out in the bush. They also try to travel with enough food and water to last at least two weeks.

“Our freezer stores enough food to cover that and we top up every week,” said Phil. “We carry 20 litres of water in the camper and a 10-litre cask in the car, and we have 20 litres of fuel in the jerry can … and, when it comes to fuel stops – and everything else – we plan, plan, plan.”

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We use Outlook Calendar, Google maps and Wikicamps.

The best fun is making plans then changing them a few days later.

Working on ours over last long weekend, created 3 different State travel itineraries, then deleted them all last night and started again. Could have modified but our whole mindset changed. We don’t retire until Jan 2022 so planning for it can be enjoyable and frustrating.

I;m the planner in the family, however, I spend more time planning the travel budget around the large non-discretionary bills and various medical appointments. When it comes to the actual travel our only plan is which direction to head and how long we can stay away. Lately we’ve been watching “trip in a Van” videos to get ideas on places to stop.

No more planning. I kick the tyres, fill ‘er up and go. Usually in the opposite direction to everybody else.

We normally get in the car, look at each other and say where do you want to go?

Personally, I recon “max planning” can be an awful way to travel at times.
I think start and end dates, and target destinations, yes, but I need some options, and like to be able do some longer km for the first few days when I’m relatively fresh, they have the flexibility to stay longer in nicer more interesting places or shorter in other spots that for whatever reason arent as attractive etc…I firmly believe everything does not need to be planned to the finest detail…and good luck keeping to a detailed itinerary during a pandemic, because borders can close at any time. If you have some main objectives, but with some maps, and two way radio, you can in fact make plans as you go and include your travelling companions in the decisions. Each to their own….we plan start and end dates, and some plan A objectives, Plan B objectives, and then allow room for spontaneous changes….:)

We are travelling the opposite direction..starting Adelaide then going up the middle..we are not planning too much..know our stops tween here & Darwin then heading west so far but that’s all at the moment four months away…I can’t wait

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