Planning your trip

The first thing to decide is what sort of things you want to do. The trick is making sure the location and the detail of the schedule fit with your preferred holiday style.

There are so many off the beaten track things to do – perhaps join the mail run to isolated properties out of Broken Hill for the day? Or swim with whale sharks off Ningaloo?

One great way to help plan your trip is to check out the Australian Tourism events calendar. If it’s on, odds are you’ll find it there. The site also has links to the various state and government tourist bodies, along with tourist attractions and operators across the country.

You’ll also find links to the major sporting and cultural events across the country at the Federal Government’s events calendar.

When you’re at your destination, the local Tourist Information centre is a great source of current information.

If you’re at all flexible with your time, try and plan your trip for the most pleasant season, both in terms of weather and crowds. If you’re not travelling with children, travel outside school holidays.

Deciding what sort of holiday you want will determine what mode of transport you’ll be using. If it’s driving and camping for instance, you may have to consider if you’ll be taking a family pet along. Be aware that dogs are not allowed in any National Parks, some of the very places you’ll probably be looking to visit.

There are ‘overseas’ holidays in Australia that you have to cross the water for, including:

• Tasmania
• Lord Howe Island
• Norfolk Island

You can fly to these destinations, and in Tasmania a fly-drive package is very popular. You can also access Tasmania by boat from Melbourne, and take your car with you.

The driving holiday, even if it’s a short break, takes more than just packing up the car and heading off:

• make sure your car is in good repair for the roads and conditions you’ll be driving in. Get the car serviced before the trip if it’s nearly due
• if you are driving in isolated areas carry extra fuel and water on board
• always carry a first-aid kit in the car
• make sure you’ve got a good spare tyre and the tools and ability to change a tyre if necessary
• consider joining a roadside assistance program.

If you’re leaving for an extended tour then the preparations above still stand, but you may be on the market for a new vehicle. After all, the city sedan may not cope in the Australian outback. See buying a car.

If you’re heading away for an extended period, contact your vehicle insurer to check if this impacts your cover or premium. Your car won’t be housed in its normal place, and if you are planning to travel ‘off-road’ check if you’re covered.

To help you plan your road trip, the motoring associations have some terrific information:

• South Australia
• Queensland
• Victoria
• NSW
• Tasmania
• Western Australian

You will find other useful information at Australian Travel and Tourism Network.

Check the best season to go to the destinations you’ve chosen. If you’re planning to drive around Australia, try and avoid the wet season up north, and the cyclone season in the tropics. You may wish to avoid the cold in other places. Put some thought into where you want to be and when, also factoring in school holidays and peak times when certain locations are bound to be crowded.

Also remember the message of stop, revive, survive. Don’t push yourself to travel too far in any one day and if you’re heading to remote or off-road areas, be well prepared with adequate food, water and communications. Leave a schedule with someone and plan to check in so they can raise an alarm if you’re overdue.

Another thing to consider when going away for an extended period is whether to rent your home. This can provide a source of income to help cover the expense of the trip.

If you’re planning to see Australia, either for a short or long period we can help you get organized before you go and stay in touch with your banking while you are away.

An A-Z Review^® - if you’re about to head away you may benefit from a conversation with one of our personal bankers. This could help ensure you have the right arrangements in place while you are away and make sure things are also in order back home. Request an A-Z Review^®.

ANZ Internet Banking – allows you to manage your banking 24/7 wherever you can get online.

ANZ GoMoney^tm – use your iPhone¹ to manage your accounts. Find out more about ANZ GoMoney^tm.

ANZ Access Visa Debit card² – allows you to use your own money, online, over the phone or in store anywhere Visa is accepted.  Find out more about ANZ Access Visa Debit.

Credit cards³ - A flexible payment option while you're overseas. Choose from a range of rewards credit cards and you could earn points for travel purchases. Our platinum credit cards come with many built-in travel benefits such as Overseas travel and medical insurance. Compare ANZ Credit Cards.

Savings solutions – you may need to save for your holiday. We have savings accounts that could suit the way you bank:

• ANZ Progress Saver – pays bonus interest⁴ if you when you make one deposit of $10 or more in a month and no withdrawals or debits in that month. It also provides branch access.
• ANZ Online Saver –if you would rather bank online then this could be the savings account for you. It pays interest and gives you 24/7 online access to your money⁵ via your linked ANZ account.   You can even name your account after your goal – perhaps you’d like to call it your Holiday account!

ANZ Term Deposits – you may want to place some money in a term deposit to deliver income while you are on the road. The minimum balance is $5,000⁶ and we have terms from three months to five years. Find out more about ANZ Term Deposits.

ANZ Insurance solutions – Insurance cover to help ensure that your car (and/or caravan/camper) are protected while you are away and when you are back home. There are also insurance covers to help protect your family home, if it is to remain empty or if you are planning on renting it while you are away. Find out more about ANZ Insurance.

Car finance - it can take a long time to find the right car. How much petrol it consumes, how well it handles and even how good it looks – there’s so much to weigh up. Once you have found ‘the one’ you’ll want to get the finances out of the way and get behind the wheel as soon as possible. That’s where ANZ comes in. With a choice of secured and unsecured loans, we can tailor a package that suits your needs. Our approval process is fast and easy and that means you’ll be out on the road sooner. Find out about car finance.