A Wholesome Road Trip

I am a huge lover of a good road trip and for me it always starts with the deep inhale and exhale as we pull out of the driveway towing the camper trailer. I love knowing that we are at the start of the trip and that we have all this time in front of us up our sleeve. We usually try and leave super early in the morning to beat any traffic out of Sydney so it’s pretty dark still when we set off.

The preparation for our wholesome road trip always starts with what snacks and food am I going to pack? I make overnight oats the night before, full of oats, chia, flax meal, pepitas, sunflower seeds, almond milk, berries and yoghurt. We have the portable fridge in the back of the car all connected up to the battery that connects to the solar panel on the roof. We set a time that we’ll stop for brekkie and it’s usually somewhere we can get out of the car, stretch, sit and have a breather. Pez has a wonderful quick boil gas cooker, so he always boils some water and so we can have a cup of tea as well. I’m a real sucker for a cup of tea and will have one at any time of the day.

Lunch is always something nutritious. A wrap full of wholesome greens, beans and dressing or a jam packed green goddess salad full of all things plant based!

We download some podcasts to listen to on the way and driving out in the open country really does open my eyes and makes me reflect on peace and happiness.

This December we are embarking on our every second year road trip to Adelaide to see my family. We usually take about 3-4 days to get there and always go the quickest way across the Hay Plain (lots of Emus to see) and down through the Riverland through Renmark. At first there is just vast open land which does look really boring but when you really stop and look, there is so much farming going on and it’s all very interesting to discover what is farmed all the way out there. We make a point to see how little we can spend on accommodation so free camping where we can and camping in local Showgrounds, we have found to be so awesome. These are looked after by a caretaker of such and a small donation box is usually placed near the entrance to put your contribution in to keep the grounds and amenities in clean, working order.

Meals we love to eat whilst on the road:

• Nachos with black beans and jackfruit with avocado, corn chips, salsa and grated cheese

• Hamburgers - meat for Pez and a veggie burger and salad for me either in wraps or on some sourdough

• Dried noodle Asian salad with cabbage, lettuce, fried shallots, tofu/beans/chicken, grated carrot and a delish Asian dressing

It’s always really hot when we travel in December so we make sure we have plenty of water and this time we’re taking our solar shower, not to put out in the sun for warm showers, but to fill up with cold water and be able to shower off when we get too hot.

Now one thing we learnt was to make sure we get rid of all our fruit and veg before crossing the South Australian border. There is zero tolerance, and we paid the price one year for having one apple and a cut up salad in the fridge. I’ll say no more about that debacle…. I always feel the pressure to carry nothing healthy in the car which is really sad. Finding a place to replenish our stock is hard after that stop although I love to shop for local produce when we are on the road.

I'd love to hear about your road trips and any wholesome tips you want to share.