looking for convoy

shea · Member

looking for convoy

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

I am curious....
Many people travel via methods that we would never consider, and that is fine - to each their own, but personally we find that travelling in a "convoy" is by far the least satisfactory that we have ever experienced, and we have tried most. Travelling with one other vehicle with people we know and relate to well, works for a few weeks, but that is the limit. More people simply don't work and longer term is something we would never contemplate.
But.... you must see some benefits. I am curious to know what they might be.
Cheers,
Peter

Plain Truth · Guru

x2

Whenarewethere · Guru

Would also be interested why a convoy? If it is for security everyone is friendly & helpful out there. As your own entity if you like a place you stay as long as your supplies last.

PeterInSa · Guru

x3
eg one member gets up late, has extra long lunch breaks, travels at 80Km/hr

and
Re (Travelling with one other vehicle with people we know and relate to well, works for a few weeks) or less. Agree

Peter

Warren-Pat_01 · Guru

We see people travelling in convoys - some are family members - they seem to work ok. One may tow a family van, the other tows the boat.

Others may be similar to us - a few members of a larger club doing a trip to see some interesting birds but to stay with them for extended times, I don't know. Friendships can be broken if there is even a mild disagreement, perhaps aggravated if alcohol is involved.

You really have to know the other people well, agree to stop & meet at other places if you decide to travel separate for a while someone "does their thing".

the rocket · Guru

Hello shea and a very warm welcome to you. everyone is different. We do our own thing, occas. meetup with friends for a few days then we each go our separate ways. Works for us.

Baz421 · Guru

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
I am curious....
Many people travel via methods that we would never consider, and that is fine - to each their own, but personally we find that travelling in a "convoy" is by far the least satisfactory that we have ever experienced, and we have tried most. Travelling with one other vehicle with people we know and relate to well, works for a few weeks, but that is the limit. More people simply don't work and longer term is something we would never contemplate.
But.... you must see some benefits. I am curious to know what they might be.
Cheers,
Peter

VERY good advice IMHO

PeterD · Guru

I think it is a reasonable way to go for new members of the clan. It gives confidence to first time travelers. It does not matter if the convoy only lasts a few weeks of a few months, it gets them started.

From time to time we see newbies asking to be told where to go. (Yes they don't put it that way in their approach but that is the way it comes over to me.) It would be good for those members to travel with someone who can show them how to read the way ahead.

A word of warning to Shea, do not travel in sight of each other too often, make fluid plans to meet up at a given spot each night. Traveling together "holding hands" gets wearisome quickly. After the first few days you will find that you will like to see a few different things, separate after making arrangements to meet up later. Our mobile phones are a good way to keep in touch so as you are not in each others pockets.

Whenarewethere · Guru

Or work up to longer trips. A week first to iron out unknowns! They a bit longer as you have to a degree a new set of issues. Then a longer more remote trip but not too remote.

You really need to get the bulk of the issues sorted out before you do anything major.

You will get better at this on every trip. You will pack differently for a 3 month trip to a 1 week trip, but a 3 week trip will be closer to a 3 month trip in regards to what you take with you.

What you do NOT take is more important than what you take. Every trip we still find things that we really do not need! Both from space & weight point of view.

Cupie · Guru

Yes we are all different, thankfully.

Let me share a few of our experiences ..

When we were very new to caravanning, we went on our first trip to Hervey bay in 1999.

After setting up & admiring what a lovely job we had done on our first set up of the annex along came another couple to set up on the adjacent site. He was on his first trip too but his boating experience allowed him to get on site OK but he had lots of trouble setting up the awning, so he came over to us (the experts!! LOL) for help. We managed to get the job done together and sat down for a well earned drink & chat.

It became a regular event to have afternoon drinks with them and a few other couples on nearby sites.

We shared our plan to start on our 'round the block' trip in about 6 weeks and as you do said 'why don't you come along' never expecting to be taken up on the offer.

About 2 weeks before we were set to leave, we got a phone call that started 'remember you asking if we wanted to come round the block with you?' . So this started a very enjoyable 6 mths tour in caravan with our new and still good friends.

We still to this day meet regularly for BBQs et. al.

We met up with them about 6 weeks later at the junction of the Stuart Highway & the northern road out of Kakadu and stayed together for around 6 months until we parted at Adelaide to go our separate way with never a bad word exchanged. A fantastic experience for us all it was too. Sure, we sometimes had different plans but where necessary we changed or went our own way to meet up later. We even stayed at different CPs in the same town on occasion. They preferred en-suite sites but we preferred views. So they would come down to our place for drinks etc & then go home to their en-suite.

We only had the one tour together and we have never toured with anyone else except our Daughter. But we loved it & had absolutely no regrets. Sharing certainly enhanced the experience.

Tripping with our Daughter is quite a different experience and greatly expands our relationship with her family & our Grand kids. I suppose that we have had more than 10 trips together & loved every one of them. Mind you we just meet at our camping spot & never travel in convoy. SIL drives the company car 4WD like its a company car and I just meander along like an old fart. When they pass us on the road we agree on a close by spot to have a cuppa & catch up & then meet up again at the day's destination.

There is a great deal of wisdom in the previous replies to your enquiry. All I can add, is to be sure to sit down with the whole group and agree on the order of march/ general 'rules' before you set out and be prepared to drop out on good terms where you feel that it is time to do so.

Travel safe & Enjoy the experience

-- Edited by Cupie on Monday 28th of January 2019 07:52:04 PM

shea · Member

many thanks for the comments