Over the weekend we took a last minute, unplanned road trip. It was such fun. Often we fly when we travel and this was our first road trip with all four of us. My thoughts varied from 'this is the best day ever' to 'what were we thinking'. 

What worked?

• Taking our own food for day one. I packed a box of fruit, snacks and sandwiches which kept us going for the entire day. 
• Staying organised. A basket of books and toys in between Caspar and Otis' car seats, a bag for rubbish and a box of snacks in the car kept us tidy and organised. 
• Entertainment. We took books for Caspar and Otis. Caspar loves the Where's Wally series and this worked great for him. They both love sticker books. We also took a few touch and feel and lift the flap books for Otis. 

What could we do better next time?

• More non-perishable snacks. Most of our snacks were fresh and we had little for our second and third days, leaving us to eat what we could find at service stations and unpredictable cafes. Less fruit, crossing the state New South Wales/Victorian border we had to dispose of some uneaten fruit due to fruit fly restrictions.
• More entertainment. I need to order some audio books and think about travel games. 
• Spend less time on the road and more time sightseeing, even in the smallest towns. 
• Take more spare clothing. I packed extra clothing although I really need to pack more for Otis. 
• Take more photographs. We were so busy (and in the moment!) I only snapped a few photographs and next time I would like to capture more.  

Our three day road trip was a wonderful experience and gave the children the opportunity to see regional and rural Australia. Caspar was able to visit his birth town and we were able to visit places we hadn't seen in years. We loved seeing some of the quirkier places (a submarine in Holbrook) to the beautiful (Beechworth) to the iconic (Dog on the Tuckerbox near Gundagai and the Trams and Yarra in Melbourne). Next time I think we'll head towards the coast. You can see some of our travel photographs on Instagram.

P.S. Please feel free to leave your travel tips, they are more than welcome!