Ask to camp you car, van in at a farm, or even in someone's driveway

When road tripping in your van or typical Australian car (see elsewhere about car selection), you are well advised to approach home owners in middle and low income areas for use of yard space. You won't always be successful or well accepted, but you can expect to be politely dealt with even if they decline. The best idea is to look at the house for tell tale signs of acceptance. Things like open front doors, cars in the driveway with the windows down. This is common in Australia as our personal and home security is so good. Its also a good sign that the people / family inside are a little open and welcoming. Naturally the opposite of this is high fences, locked gates is indication that unplanned visitors are not very welcome. It is typical also that people that live at the beach front or have a big house with a view are a little less likely to share.

There are a lot of good examples though. There are plenty of stories around of backpacking girls with car asking at suburban homes for a safe place to stay. Similarly farms or people with acreage (large blocks of land) have lots of space and more likely to share.

Australians are friendly and care about safety for our young visitors, so the natural response from most is to permit the stay over in driveway or yard space. Using the word "safe" in your request is a good idea. Like "We are looking for somewhere safe to stay for the night."

Be careful for what you wished for as you are likely to end up with a dinner invite and have to play with the kids, pets, etc. Such stays can go on for days.

Asking for driveway space is particularly useful in locations where camping in the street, beach front, or at parks is outlawed and checked on by rangers. Hot spots for rangers waking travellers in the early morning include:

Byron Bay, NSW
Airlie Beach, Queensland
Great Ocean Road towns, Victoria
Monkey Mia, Western Australia

This is a method for obtaining accommodation that should be used more often.







John Nayler

Digital Marketer. Sailor. Speaker





John Nayler

Brisbane, QLD

0407 15 13 11

John Nayler

In a world where it is critical to cut through the noise and stand out, John Nayler quietly delivers significant competitive advantage through an in-depth knowledge and intense fascination with content, information and the digital world. Describing his first contact with the internet in 1998 as ‘Love At First Sight’, John successfully created the laptop lifestyle before it was a buzzword, growing a highly regarded digital and media agency, inventing and commercialising products, and launching niche magazines, from aboard his boat in the Whitsunday Islands – one of the most sought after island locations in the world. Competitive advantage is a hard-contact, tactical game which can be won or lost in the digital space. John’s education and commitment to his field, and experience at the forefront of marketing and management in the IT space, delivers an innate understanding of how to position, communicate and leverage to deliver improved visibility, lead flow, and ultimately drive sales and profitability...