TIPS FOR YOUR ROAD TRIP IN NEW ZEALAND

TIPS FOR YOUR ROAD TRIP IN NEW ZEALAND

Who knew the South island of New Zealand was filled with beautiful beaches and stunning landscapes? At least I didn’t!

I went to New Zealand in October of 2015 with plans to backpack the Milford Sound with three friends. Little did we know that we would no longer be backpacking and instead, unplanned, we would be taking a road trip in an RV around the entire South Island. Can we say “crazy switch up?”

My friends and I had planned to backpack through the Milford Sound for an entire week and then spend a few days in Queenstown. We had thought the weather would be semi-warm by October, but boy were we wrong. Talk about a miserable backpacking trip. I thought there was no way this was going to workout considering it was so last minute. However, looking back on our trip now, I would not change a thing!

If you do have the opportunity to explore Queenstown though here are some epic things to do in Queenstown with kids!

Now, it’s not easy being jam packed in a small RV with three other grown adults for almost two weeks straight, but you learn to make the best of it! First off, you will need to find the right RV for your trip.

Check out this post that compares the best motorhomes and campervans to to rent.

Click here for a complete packing list for your next road trip!

 

1. BRING SNACKS/MAKE FOOD IN THE RV

This is probably one of the best tips I can provide. I personally enjoy eating healthy while I am on vacation, but I especially enjoy eating healthy snacks when I know I will be sitting in the car/RV for long periods of time. Head to the local grocery store and purchase your favorite snacks (I like dried fruit and veggies to snack on). If you are in an RV that has the capability of cooking food, then I highly recommend taking advantage of it. We chose to cook over half of our meals in the RV. It created for great bonding, saved us quite a bit of money, and we got to eat delicious healthy food that we made from scratch!

2. GET THE GPS

At first, we were all against the idea of paying extra money for a GPS when we all had iPhone’s. Talk about a scam to get us to pay extra-at least that’s what we thought. For some reason, we ended up renting the GPS as well and are so thankful we did. We drove through multiple places that lost cell reception, but the GPS worked and was able to get us to our destination.

3. OBEY THE TRAFFIC LAWS

Okay this one may seem silly to some, but if you are from the USA, we all drive on the right side of the road-not the left. This was a difficult one for us to get used to, but it obviously saved our lives to remember to drive on the correct side of the rode.

4. PULL OVER FOR BREAKS

Don’t just stop for bathroom breaks. If you spot a pretty view, stop and take a picture. Taking a road trip is about slowing down and enjoying life’s greatest moments.

5. BRING A JOURNAL

I was never one for journal, but taking a road trip offers quite a bit of time for you to reflect and just write. Write out your thoughts, what is going on around you, what you see out the window, what you smell, how you feel, what you did that day. Write it all down! I made journal entries every day, sometimes more than one, and I have loved looking back on the details of those moments. (Also, it has helped me remember certain things for when I write for my blog)

6. PLAY CAR GAMES

We all know those classic car games like “I spy with my little eye “ or the “license plate” game, well now is the perfect time to whip those old games out. If your RV has a table in the back, then this is a perfect spot to play a card game. We played card games throughout the day while driving and almost every single night after dinner.

7. RENT THE SELF CONTAINED RV

This is my last and final tip, but also probably one of the most important tips. When choosing which style RV to rent, get the self-contained unit with the toilet. Renting this style RV opens a whole new world of options for you. We literally pulled up next to the beach one night and RV camped. You have to rent the one with a toilet because this ensure the company you won’t just drop a squat anywhere.

Alright, so there it is! We were able to see so many different locations that we wouldn’t have been able to see if we had only gone backpacking.

If you are looking for another roadtrip location check out this post on the Great Ocean road trip in Australia.