new motorhome travel fears

[Craig]

Bloody hell!!! You forgot to mention the bubble wrap

[Craig]

With a good roadside assist scheme you could trim that list down considerably. For a couple of hundred dollars a year if you have a breakdown they will come to you. Even for a flat. Just put the kettle on and wait for them to arrive . Sat phones are reasonably priced these days.

[T1 Terry]

Carrying the spare hoses and fan belts is a must, after many hrs on the side of the road because we had no fan belts or could only get ones that didn't fit right, we have lots of spare fan belts now I'd add a few rolls of self vulcanising tape, great for wiring repairs, split rad hoses and even covering the axe handle after damaging it so you don't get splinters A kit of Q Bond adhesives and fillers is worth it's weight for an emergency fix as well.

[Kelvin12]

Need to look into escape exits if the vehicle should roll over onto its side, god forbid it does or would, but being able to fit through a roof hatch especially or kick out a back window or such. Windscreens are laminated now and hard to break out of if stuck inside the vehicle. I am thinking if the vehicle is laying on its entry door side.

Dirk

[weezanickinoff]

OK now the fun bits!!!!! ...........................
**Your Camera is the most important item for those magnificent sunsets, sunrises, for that elegant and noble eagle taking flight in front of you, or Australia's sublime landscape, for the many & varied wildflowers that seem to never end, beaches that go on and on, trees with trunks patterns or colour that leave you aghast, the look on hubby's face when he catches that fish, the bright and contagious smile of a little indigenous kid, Mum falling on her bum in the waves laughing til it hurts, pictures of your ever changing 'back yards' to show the kids, a selfy of the two of you staring awestruck at the pure and utter beauty of a waterfall in a rainforest, capturing a thunder storm that constantly lights up your world, new friends at happy hour, laughing til their jaws ache, take that picture of your motorhome at that speccy location........Oh heck should I go on?
**Heaps of batteries charged for same, you don't want to miss that sea eagle that glides passed your motorhome!!!!
**A separate portable hard drive so you can store backups and never loose a shot (or put them on the "cloud")
**Reef shoes! you said they were fit? how good is it to explore the reefs and rock pools? with the little colourful crabs, fish, occys that squirt at you and mum squeals with surprise! wading in the shallows catching Blue Swimmer Crabs and boiling them up for tea or sitting on the sand and cracking them open with crab juice dripping off your elbows!!! Now! That's a picture!!!
**Fishing Rods, even if you don't know what you're doing! you'll catch em anyway and just ask, people will always come with plenty of info to help and make a new friend who may just have some better information for something totally different, that blows you away.
**A dish full of water outside your motorhome so you can wash your feet after exploring the sandy beaches and a little bag to collect shells and driftwood and the smooth stones tumbled from eons of wave movement.
**A flask for water & a small backpack with some sangas when you take those jaw dropping walking tracks to marvel at the scenery and stop for lunch just to soak it in, and be quiet to be privileged to see a roo bound by or a wombat nuzzle the dirt or finches in their bright feathers fly by.
**And have some good strong walking shoes. To trek to the oceans edge and be indulged by the whales making their way back to the south or watch the dolphins surf the waves.
**SKYPE so you can talk face to face with your love ones and friends and you pan around where you are to show them just how magnificent this new life is and all for free! Hopefully inspire a loved one.
**Appreciation just for being together and sharing all this and more, just being together Mum & Dad, sitting, talking, exploring, playing, loving, doing whatever takes your fancy, whenever, where ever and however you please.......and know to your core that you deserve it. This is your time.
**Leave all negativity at home, find and see the positive in everything.
** Take it all in, the seed heads on a blade of grass and the way they all sway back and forth in the wind, the different foliage, their colours and texture, the huge black crow surveying the land, the way the beach changes every tide, lay on your back on those starry, starry nights deep in the outback and count the shooting stars, be grateful for the rain that fills your tanks and washes away all the dust and everything is new and clean, be gratified for the look on his/her awestruck face when they discover something beautiful and new or have a new and wondrous view of something old or thought you'd seen before, be in awe of the solid rock buildings the pioneers built or the flimsy yet durable structure of a wattle and daub hut, grateful for the spirit of these pioneers who laid the foundations for such a privileged life we have now.
Read the names of the Anzacs on the Remembrance walls all over the country and thank them & those who did come home, for what they sacrificed for us.
** DON'T LET IT GET AWAY - do it as soon as you can - no excuses, because if you let them, excuses will always be there to strangle the joy from your life and there's no going back.
DRIVE - EXPLORE - LIVE & LOVE

[Kelvin12]

Brilliant reply.... how could anyone top that. If that doesn't make you want to hit the track nothing would......

Dirk

[bagmaker]

Brilliant stuff everyone,
Craig, the vehicle has GVM @ 4490 (i think) which puts it outside the normal RAC, they have a maximum care factor of 4.0 tonnes.
I have read that Ken Tame is pretty good with insurance and Winnebago club has a Roadside assist scheme. Are there other options / recommendations?

T1 Terry, Vulcanising tape is an excellent one, thanks, not heard of Q bond before, it looks good so here is a link for anyone else wanting it
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Q-Bond-SMALL ... 0744032768

Kelvin, the original list included a glass-break hammer for windows, I am hoping this will smash through whatever is facing upwards after a crash. Its food for thought, I will check vent dimensions too.
Geez, this stuff certainly makes you think!!

Ash n Kerry, such lovely words, almost got a glint in my eye!
I have been following your blog for some time and been inspired - like many others - by your writings and photo's. Hope its all going well for you!

Thanks to all

[Craig]

I have been with KT and Winnebago and my preference is for the Winnebago roadside assist. You have to be a club member to access but you will not have a problem with the Sunliner. The additional club benefits make it worth while, like mail forwarding, discounts on accessories etc and in my opinion a better insurance policy.

Craig

[jon_d]

T1 made a very good post 4-5 years ago on another place.

It went like something like this;

Even if you can't turn a screwdriver, or know what the 710 lid is for; make sure you carry the tools and spare parts needed for your machine.

You might not know how to fix it, but the bloke who stops probably does. But, he can't do a thing unless you are carrying the spare part he/you needs.

[shonky]

Hi, all.

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