Do you prefer to travel alone or with someone?

jjdrer

Not only are they good cost wise but you can just enjoy the scenery, not miss out because you have to watch where you are driving, also for other vehicles on the road. In a coach you are "sitting up much higher" too so you see things you would otherwise miss. Even a professional truck driver (now retired) driving a car has pointed that out. Also tour operators are often allowed to take groups into places that otherwise you not allowed to enter to to see.
If you calculate your costs for fuel and resulting car maintenance (including the possibility of having to replace a tyre/tyres which we experienced - we damaged 2 on a dirt road which had some sharp stones just under the surface) One went down immediately and the other had a very slow leak or we would have been stranded until somebody stopped which people are reluctant to do due to assaults etc. They know the good spots for meals during the day when travelling, satisfactory accomodation, etc.
One good tip, if you are travelling by car with/without a caravan and want to stop for a meal, the truckies seem to know the cafes, restruants etc. that have reasonably healthy meals and good prices too. If there are any trucks there you can be sure the food is good. Word soon gets around about the good and bad food places. Travelling with a relative one day we stopped at a cafe at a service station and there was 2 trucks parked there, and 2 also left as we arrived there. Within 10 minutes there was another 6 trucks arrived, some from both directions. I know of one place in country SA that was heavily patronised by the truckies - the owner even built a park out the back for them as there was complaints about them all parking along the side of the road. It changed hands, the food quality deteriorated and the truckies hardly use it. They go to another one further up the road, and if they are heading interstate they park at the kerb on a service road and walk across the highway where they could have stayed on the side that they were driving on. I won't name the town for legal reasons otherwise I would.