After 3 months long service leave and a fantastic trans-Australia trip, Kelly is about to return to work.

We are already planning our next adventure. Hopefully to Japan sometime early next year.

In the meantime (whilst Kelly is hard at work earning some spending Yen), I am thinking this might be a perfect opportunity for a little slow solo travel (with Juno for company) north to chase some warmer weather. The idea is that Kelly might drive up (or fly up, depending on how far I go) to meet me when she gets a decent block of days off.

So just considering a few route options.

The book I am using is called ‘Budget Rest Areas around Australia‘ by Paul and Rhyanna Smedley. It has a simple layout consisting of a photo of each rest area or overnight parking spot, a star rating and some icons indicating suitability and amenities.

The rest areas are listed in order that they occur along the highways and are cross referenced against a set of road maps. All rest areas are either free or under $20.

And this suits me perfectly. Following our trip across Australia the have both become a little holiday-park phobic, and much prefer to chase those quieter (and cheaper) spots where interesting people and unexpected experiences are more likely to be found.

Don’t get me wrong. The relative luxury of long hot showers, unlimited power and a short walk to the town or the beach is not without its absolute enjoyments. And some of the parks we have stayed in are brilliant. But given the choice of a busy, cramped holiday park or a simple quiet rest area further out of town, we will take the latter thank you very much.

The rest areas book provides a useful addition to my WikkiCamps app and Google Maps. As I have written before, although you cant beat the convenience, ease and sheer depth of information when using digital apps whilst actually travelling, there is something much more satisfying about using analogue maps and documents when in the initial stages of trip planning.