Australia road trips in campervans and caravans: Seven things you need to know

"This boom is definitely the biggest we've ever seen," says CIAA's Keelan Howard. "It had been trending up for a long time before the pandemic but now, with lockdowns and border closures, it's become a great alternative for those who might have gone overseas before.

"You can have control over your environment, confidence and safety and people are now discovering this way of travel and asking why they've not looked at it before."

Broadcaster Robbie Buck is one perfect case in point. The former Triple J, Radio National and top-rating ABC Sydney breakfast show personality has decided to take this year off from his career, last year buying a second-hand VW Transporter with roof-top solar panels to enable him to go off grid.

His plans, when borders allow, travelling up the east coast and around Tasmania, with intentions to drive up to the Northern Territory around Western Australia.

"I've been having a fabulous time," says Buck, 49. "It's exactly the right balance between adventure and comfort. The best thing about it is that you can get to so many more places than a caravan could and I take an electric mountain bike on the back or park and go off for hikes.

"My wife and son have met me along the way to stay with me, and my dog will jump in as well. I suppose the worst thing is packing up every time you move on, which you don't have with a caravan. But that's minor compared to the advantages."

The parks where so many vanners end up have been another of the big winners of the stampede to answer the call of the open road.

There are more than 300 parks around Australia owned by the G'day Group, with its G'day Parks and Discovery Holiday Parks, and they're all now being experienced by a whole new demographic of visitors thanks to the vanning vogue.

"We've always had a lot of Grey Nomads, but we're now seeing a big resurgence of interest from families and customers who wouldn't normally have gone to wide-open spaces and see parts of the country they hadn't seen before," says G'day chief executive Grant Wilckens, also the CIAA chair.

"They're doing it cheaply by sleeping in swags under the stars, or with fully-equipped luxury rigs. Of course, they'll go back overseas and to cruising when they can, but I think once they've made the investment in a caravan or campervan or trailer, they'll still use them for the rest of the year."

Millennials too have jumped into the fray with the popularity of the #VanLifePeople movement, gap year students are travelling around their own country rather than Europe.

Even baby boomers have found, with the ease now of working from home, they can work anywhere they can find a Wi-Fi signal, says Nick Baker of Reflections Holiday Parks. They've all contributed to the 30 per cent jump in the number of people buying vans.

"And we're getting so many stories about how it's great to get kids off their devices so they can go swimming in a dam or the ocean, or on their bikes along trails or walking with the family," Baker says. "For families, it's a great way to reconnect in a safe, outdoor, COVID-free environment."

Of course, all of this is well and good but where on earth does a budding vanner start? Relax, Traveller, with the guidance of Vantastic, has done some of the hard work for you with the following lessons for becoming part of the van club.

LESSON ONE: IF YOU WANT TO VAN YOU'LL NEED A PLAN

The array of vans, the amenities they offer and their prices is vast. Would you prefer a van with a toilet? A bed inside or one that can be pulled out or popped up? A kitchen? An awning for sitting outside under? Air conditioning?

Bear in mind, however, that manufacturers simply can't keep up with the demand for new vans, even though the number a year produced in Australia has jumped from 23,000 to 40,000, according to Wilckens.

A new one ordered now may well take over a year to arrive, and prices are rising because of the strength of demand, supply constraints and the higher costs of materials.

Renovating a second-hand van is always an option, but prices for those have skyrocketed too. Robbie Buck's van sold new for $130,000 in 2013, and he bought it in 2020 for $54,000. "They'll now hold their value, or even increase, but I'm never selling mine," he says. "I love it too much."

Any renovation process, advises Ulman, has to start with safety. "There are several boxes you need to tick before the van goes anywhere," she says.

"Things such as the axle, the chassis, the wiring and the plumbing need to be in great condition and working order. Cracks, rust, watermarks and other signs of wear and tear and damage are a good indicator of where your restoration project needs to begin."

She also recommends you have the right car for your load, and set-up, and make sure to have a few practice drives before you set off on your big one.

Watching newbies drive into a park and try to manoeuvre into their spot for the first time can be a source of much hilarity among regulars, who'll nevertheless rush to offer help or advice, says Baker.

LESSON TWO: WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Planning an itinerary can be a big part of the fun. Kate Ulman, before setting off with her partner Brendon and their three daughters, Indigo, 10, Jarrah, seven, and Pepper, three, considered the route carefully.

"We researched and read about places we had never been to," she says. "We asked people about their own experiences and sought out their opinions, we studied maps, charts and images and read lots of blogs. We discussed it with our girls and listened to what they thought. It was exciting and overwhelming and educational all at the same time."

She then tackled the practical necessities like making sure her home, near Daylesford in Victoria, was going to be properly looked after, along with the garden and pets, organising insurance and thinking about any schooling necessary for her girls, like home-schooling or distance education. All health and dentist appointments were taken, prescriptions gathered and packing was organised.

"Bren assured me that the less I pack, the better off we would be," she says. "In a van with limited space, the smaller the amount of stuff you have, the easier it is to get to. Less is more. With limited space it's best to think about what you really need, what you'll realistically use and what you just can't do without."

LESSON THREE: FEEL FREE TO FREE WHEEL

The world is your oyster – or is it? Once you have your route, there are myriad other choices to make. The first one is whether to plan your itinerary minutely, so you'll know where you're going to be on any given day, or be much more spontaneous.

Pre-pandemic, many vanners would book up their holiday parks or campsites a year ahead. Now, with the uncertainties over state borders and an excess of caution, many more people are booking accommodation less far ahead, travelling shorter distances and staying longer in each place, according to the CIAA.

"We're finding they're driving 400 kilometres when, before, it would have been 800 kilometres," says Keelan Howard. "They also might choose to stay a couple of weeks somewhere like Noosa when it might have been a shorter stay before, and they're booking closer to the date of travel."

LESSON FOUR: WHEN AND WHERE TO SWITCH TO SNOOZE CONTROL

Generally, vanners are spoilt for choice between camping sites in national parks, holiday parks, roadside rest stops, township car parks, hotels, motels and rough camping but this depends very much on taste and budget.

Buck loves sleeping in his van and, when his family joins him, wife Annie, 48, son Oscar, 16, and their whippet Billy, Oscar usually sleeps outside in the hiking tent. "It has a double bed and, while it's a bit squishy with the dog jumping in too, it works," Buck says. "I'll also take the tent when I go hiking and camp along the way."

Meanwhile, many of the park groups have pumped massive sums into their properties, improving amenities and providing ensuites, as well as setting up downhill mountain bike runs and hiking trails, says Baker.

"You see people coming for the first time and see them surprised by the quality of the accommodation," he says. "On the other hand, we have one person who's been coming to our Wyangala Waters site, near Cowra, NSW, for the last 67 years."

LESSON FIVE: HOW TO MAKE A MEAL OF IT

It's important to keep healthy on the road, so it's a great idea to eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as possible. Kate Ulman loved cooking outside as much as possible, on a small camp stove, and it's also great to cook in park barbecues or on campfires where, and when, they're permitted.

"Most of the meals we made and ate on our road trip were simple, with not a lot of preparation involved – the kind of meals you can make between a swim at the beach and a bonfire with friends," she says.

"Simple meals, such as wraps, barbecued meats and seafood, salads, beans and rice, stir-fries and pizza were perfect for feeding the whole family.

"One-pot meals are ideal for feeding large groups, and you can change the ingredients you add to stews and casseroles and serve them with rice or bread to mop up the sauce ... Always try to buy the best, freshest and most local produce you can find – your tastebuds will thank you for it."

LESSON SIX: WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

It can be challenging but also incredibly rewarding. Buck loves the times his son Oscar can come and join him, and Oscar loves them too.

Similarly, Ulman and her girls formed much stronger bonds as a result. She was always careful to involve them in the planning, have plenty of activities, like books, toys, crafts, ipads, tablets and drinks ready for travel times, and factor in lots of stops.

"One of the main motivations for our road trip was the opportunity to spend some big chunks of time together as a family," she says. "We wanted to leave the distractions of work, school and our social lives behind for a while and to devote time to each other… In a way, we wanted to reprogram ourselves as a family and start afresh.

"But we also wanted to have an adventure together, or lots of adventures, and to share good times in interesting places with the people we loved most in the world. And while travelling with kids is never exactly easy, it was mostly pretty wonderful."

LESSON SEVEN: THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD HOME

After a period away on the move, it can be tricky settling back down into "normal" life. Buck loves coming home for a couple of weeks in between trips – he's just about to head back out – while for some people a longer trip might work better.

Ulman made a list with her family of all the wonderful things they missed while they were away, like sleeping in your own bed and showering without thongs, to make the homecoming happier.

She also put together a list of things they could do when they arrived home, like bushwalks, swimming and dancing. And then there's always the next trip to plan.

YES YOU VAN: FIVE AMAZING ROUTES TO TACKLE

UP THE EAST COAST TO NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND

"It's my favourite beachside location and it's a bit like Byron Bay must have been 40 years ago," says Robbie Buck. "I took my 83-year-old mother there and she slept in the van while I camped. She loved it."

ACROSS TO PERTH (EVENTUALLY) AND RIGHT UP TO BROOME

It's wild, it's woolly but the coastline is just stunning, with the chance to swim with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef, dance with dolphins, explore Broome and then the Kimberley.

ALL THE WAY SOUTH TO NORTH FROM ADELAIDE TO DARWIN

Stop off in the picturesque Clare Valley, the rugged Flinders, the underground mining town of Coober Pedy, up to Alice Springs and Uluru, pausing to admire the sculptural boulders of Tennant Creek before reaching Darwin.

STRAIGHT ACROSS VICTORIA'S SPECTACULAR GREAT OCEAN ROAD

This fabulous 240 kilometre World Heritage-listed road trip traces the south-eastern coast of Australia, through rainforests, past glorious beaches and those eight Apostles still standing from the original 12.

ALONG TASMANIA'S GREAT EASTERN DRIVE

Head out from Hobart, through stunning national parks and along the spectacular coastline, taking in Wineglass Bay and Freycinet, until finishing in the Bay of Fires. "It was just gorgeous!" Buck says.

VAN SPEAK: 10 TERMS TO KNOW

BOONDOCKING

Camping in a remote location off the grid

CASSETTE

A toilet suitable for a recreational vehicle with a small holding tank

DUMP STATION

The location where grey water tanks and toilets are emptied

HITCH

The fastening unit joining the van to the tow vehicle

HOOKUPS

Electrical, water and sewer connections at a campground

OUTFIT

The combination of a van and vehicle

POP-TOP

A van with a roof that can be raised to create additional headroom

SLIDE OUTS

Walls in a RV that can expand to create additional living space or beds

SNAKING

When the van becomes destabilised and sways from side to side

THREE-WAY FRIDGE

A refrigerator that can operate on gas, AC power or a 12 volt battery

This story is based on the book Vantasic by Kate Ulman, published by Hardie Grant Explore, RRP $24.99 (www.hardiegrant.com/au). It's the story of her family's road trip, full of practical tips and advice and comprehensive information on turning the dream of a van odyssey into reality. Selected images on these pages are by the author.

See also: Podcast: #vanlife - The travel trend taking over Australia

See also: Going camping for the first time? Five things you need to know