Plan Your Trip

Budgeting for the whole lap

Costs vary hugely by how much you use paid caravan parks versus free camps, but as a rough planning figure, most couples doing a 9–12 month lap at a comfortable (not frugal) pace budget somewhere between AU$35,000 and AU$55,000 all-in — fuel, park fees, food, and an allowance for the maintenance that always turns up.

• Fuel is usually the single biggest line item after park fees — a big rig towing into headwinds can use noticeably more than the number on the sticker.
• Park fees drop fast if you mix in free camps; see Camps & Stays for how most lappers balance the two.
• Build in a maintenance buffer. Corrugated roads are hard on vans that were built and tested on sealed ones — budget for at least one unplanned repair.

How long to plan, and when to start

Most first-time lappers spend six to twelve months planning before departure. Work backwards from the season, not forwards from a departure date you'd like: if you want to see the Kimberley or Cape York, you need to be there in the dry season (roughly May–September), which usually means starting the anticlockwise lap from the east coast in autumn.

Managing life admin from the road

• Mail. Australia Post's mail redirection service will forward post to a relative's address or a chosen post office; set it up at least a couple of weeks before you leave.
• Banking. Make sure you can bank fully online or by phone — regional bank branches are thinning out, and remote towns often have none at all.
• Home security. A house sitter, a trusted neighbour doing regular checks, or a monitored alarm service are all common choices — empty houses for months at a time are a real target.
• Medicare and prescriptions. Make sure repeat scripts are set up so they can be filled at any pharmacy, not just your usual one.

Travelling with pets

Dogs are common on the lap — the main planning constraints are National Parks (many don't allow pets, even in vehicles) and hot-day safety when leaving an air-conditioned van. Check individual state National Parks websites before committing a route to a national-park-heavy leg with a dog on board.

Staying connected

Telstra has the widest regional and remote mobile coverage of Australia's carriers by a clear margin — worth it as your primary SIM even if you keep a second carrier as backup in town. For genuinely remote stretches with no mobile coverage at all, a growing number of lappers now carry a Starlink satellite kit for reliable internet at free camps.

Packing checklist basics

• Offline maps downloaded before you lose signal (see On the Road for fuel and dump-point apps)
• A physical road atlas as backup — phones die, signal drops
• Spare tyre rated for your loaded weight, not just the rig's factory spec
• A basic tool kit and tyre repair kit
• First-aid kit, sized for remote use — see Health & Safety

When a plan needs a second pair of eyes

If you've built a rough plan and want someone to sanity-check the budget, the dates or the sequencing before you commit, a Custom Lap Itinerary or a Pre-Departure Planning Call covers exactly that. See Services & Pricing for the full list.