Top-10 summer RV travel tips

Get in early

There’s no way of getting around it - the summer season, especially around Christmas and the New Year - are very popular times to get away. So if you want a powered site in a popular caravan park with the best view over the water at Christmas, book well in advance.

For shoulder periods, you might still get in at short notice: many camp grounds don’t get busy until Boxing Day, and quieten down again towards the end of the first week in January when many have to get back to work.

But don’t expect to be able to turn up unannounced at a caravan park anytime from the start of December to the end of January expecting to get the best powered ensuite site the park has to offer.

Set up sensibly

The thing about Australian summer afternoons is that they aren’t just warm, they're often oven-cooking temperature. The afternoon sun is the hottest, and so that’s when you don’t want the rays beating down on your RV and making life uncomfortable.

You can’t always choose your site at this time of year (see above) but wherever possible choose one  after working out where the sun will be in the afternoon and try to set-up the RV so it's in the shade in the afternoon.

Hydration stations

Being out and about camping in the heat of summer exposes you more to dehydration.

Keep up the fluids: As a rough guide, adults need to drink at least two litres per day, so make sure you have brought in more than enough potable water if you’re bush camping.

While caravan parks often are hooked up to town water,  you might find that others (with for example only bore water or tank water) might not provide drinkable water.

Keep the wild at bay

The Aussie bush is host to a few nasty specimens, and we don’t mean the campers keeping you up all night with their partying!

Summer is when snakes and spiders, in particular, are much more active. Less dangerous but annoying and painful are bull ants and fire ants.

Just because you’ve never been up close and personal with bush nasties doesn’t mean they’re not there. You don’t need to be hyper-vigilant, but do look where you’re walking, don’t wander in to tall grass and, when collecting firewood, look where you’re putting your hands.

Wings to fly

You might get a buzz out of your camping but so do mozzies and flies. If you want to avoid being driven mad by tiny, buzzing winged beasts, there are several means at your disposal to keep them at bay.

Insect repellant is the number-one go-to solution but not the only one. Mosquito coils will keep the little biters at bay, while a hat fly net will allow you to co-exist with the flies.

Warm lighting

Camp lighting can bring in all sorts of interlopers: moths and other insects, even some prehistoric species you have never seen before.

There's another way of getting the little light-lovers to rack off other than camping in darkness. That is, buy some warm yellow lighting. The insects don’t like the light as much, so hopefully will flap over to the bright lights of someone else’s camp.

Fire risk

Bushfires are more common in the hotter, drier months and are only getting more common overall as the globe warms.

Be aware of fire bans so that you don’t inadvertently start a bushfire - you really don’t want to be that guy! Keep an eye out in the media for bush fires in the area and know where the nearest open ground is in case a fire is approaching.

Don’t muck around if there's a bushfire - pack up and get the hell out of its way.

First aid

Summer is a time when you’re out and about more when camping (than in winter at least) so there’s more chance of injuring yourself.

A good first-aid kit is invaluable; it should include crepe bandages of varying widths, hypoallergenic (skin) tape, triangular bandages, adhesive dressing strips in different sizes, gauze swabs, combine dressing pads and sterile eye pads.

Now’s the time to do a first-aid course or refresher. One day, someone’s life might count on it.

Swim safety

Many of us head for the coast for our summer camping holidays (or a lake or river further inland), which means a lot of us are going to dip a toe in the water.

Water safety might sound boring and basic but it’s when you don’t give any thought to such stuff that you risk being caught out. Aim to go swimming on beaches with life guards on duty, or at least where there are other swimmers nearby. Study the water before you head in, looking for rips and other hazards such as bluebottles (or submerged logs, etc in rivers and lakes).

Camp security

Thieves don’t take holidays. While you might be meticulous about locking up the house before you go, unless you’re in the remote bush, make sure you do the same at camp.

Hopefully you’ve left any expensive jewellery and heirlooms locked up at home, but don’t trust that ‘she’ll be right’ with the valuables you have brought along.