It’s spring time and the weather is warming up, holidays are beckoning and caravanners and campers are planning their next outing.

When planning a long road trip it can be good to mix up your accommodation options between caravan parks, national parks, stations and free camps and all appeal for different reasons.

With a caravan park you can book ahead and be assured of a site, national parks are great for being in amongst nature but don’t allow dogs, stations can be a wonderful way to see the real Australia and can have more relaxed rules than other stays and then there is free camping.

For those that haven’t tried it, it can be a daunting idea, but these days many people are trying it, with most caravans coming standard with 12 volt power, solar panels and water storage, not to mention ensuite bathrooms.

Free camping is a great way to stretch the holiday budget by staying overnight at rest areas and roadside stops. They vary in what they provide from a patch of dirt with no facilities where you have to have a fully self contained van, to some which have ablutions, hot plate barbecues to use (with your own wood supply), mobile phone signal boosters and rubbish bins.

On a recent trip from South Australia to the Northern Territory on the Stuart Highway, we tried out many of these roadside stops and you can read my recommendations in the latest edition of On The Road magazine.

These rest areas are provided for travellers to take a break from driving long distances and most of them also allow you to stay for a 24 hour period. In the latest magazine you can read 5 pages of detailed information on what you can expect at these rest areas between SA and the NT.

On The Road magazine is available from all good newsagents or by subscription.

Happy reading

Glenys