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Autism friendly tourism

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High Function ASD2
V.I.P Member
The thought of going on a guided tour horrifies me, many hours at a time stuck on a bus with a whole bunch of other people is not my idea of a relaxing holiday. So hiring a car and driving myself around is the obvious answer. It’s not so expensive, I can hire a small car for around $300 a week. So far so good.

When I was young I used to be able to just throw a swag in the back of the car and go where ever I liked. I could camp where ever I liked. That’s not possible any more, thanks to too many tourists and too many people that are just too stupid to go bush unsupervised. There’s not many places where the public are allowed to camp these days.

Accommodation is expensive in a lot of regions. I dread the thought of staying in a hotel, can’t open the windows, can’t smoke, can’t really enjoy myself. The obvious answer is caravan parks but they’re not always cheap either. I can afford it, I just don’t like parting with money unnecessarily, must be some Scottish in my ancestry.

The one thing in my favour is that I know my country well and I know the different seasons in the different regions. Most of it is at it’s prettiest in off peak tourist season so prices are a little cheaper. So now I’ve gone down a rabbit hole of exploring different options.

Most of South Australia is desert, the end of winter is when it’s at it’s prettiest, so I’d like to go for a trip through the Flinders Ranges in September. And next spring the Murray River should be looking spectacularly pretty after this year’s floods.

It will be interesting to see what I eventually decide on.
 
Judge said:
Looks a bit more exotic than the mountains and desert of Nevada.
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We don't have much in the way of mountains, a lot of it is quite flat. In fact a lot of it looks like those pictures from the Mars rover. To me it's greatest asset is the low population, 1 million square kilometres and only 2 million people, 1 million of whom live in Adelaide.

But deserts have their own beauty, and when they get a little bit of rain the colours can be spectacular. I left South Australia in 1992 and I haven't gone anywhere or done anything since I came back. I'm looking forward to discovering it again and seeing how much has changed. Hopefully not too much.

Back in the days when we were all using film cameras I had a series of wonderful photos from Parachilna Gorge, on a rare week when it had flowing water. I'd like to repeat those photos again.

https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-31.1281606,138.5171521,2392m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en
 
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And why we don't travel much in summer:

Summer.jpg
 
I'm in the middle of an NZ roadtrip. A few years ago I did the north island coastline by motorbike, camping most of the time. Before that I did the east cape of NZ on pedal cycle, camping throughout. Both were awesome and great ways to spend time with 'me' and recharge.

On the other hand I am doing this trip with my wife (an angel) and her elderly Dad (driving me insane). I would suggest that the only way this trip could be made to be positive is if I claim it's part of some resiliance training. So far despite extreme provocation then I've only snapped twice in 2 weeks. The first 100% justified, the second 80%, but I'd let a lot go before..... ;-)

3 more days to go....
 
Outdated said:
The thought of going on a guided tour horrifies me, many hours at a time stuck on a bus with a whole bunch of other people is not my idea of a relaxing holiday. So hiring a car and driving myself around is the obvious answer. It’s not so expensive, I can hire a small car for around $300 a week. So far so good.

When I was young I used to be able to just throw a swag in the back of the car and go where ever I liked. I could camp where ever I liked. That’s not possible any more, thanks to too many tourists and too many people that are just too stupid to go bush unsupervised. There’s not many places where the public are allowed to camp these days.

Accommodation is expensive in a lot of regions. I dread the thought of staying in a hotel, can’t open the windows, can’t smoke, can’t really enjoy myself. The obvious answer is caravan parks but they’re not always cheap either. I can afford it, I just don’t like parting with money unnecessarily, must be some Scottish in my ancestry.

The one thing in my favour is that I know my country well and I know the different seasons in the different regions. Most of it is at it’s prettiest in off peak tourist season so prices are a little cheaper. So now I’ve gone down a rabbit hole of exploring different options.

Most of South Australia is desert, the end of winter is when it’s at it’s prettiest, so I’d like to go for a trip through the Flinders Ranges in September. And next spring the Murray River should be looking spectacularly pretty after this year’s floods.

It will be interesting to see what I eventually decide on.
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That sounds awesome !!!! I couldn’t agree more on the guided GROUP tour front - my idea of a total nightmare lol. I’ll stay tuned to hear what you choose ! :)
 
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Outdated said:
When I was young I used to be able to just throw a swag in the back of the car and go where ever I liked. I could camp where ever I liked. That’s not possible any more, thanks to too many tourists and too many people that are just too stupid to go bush unsupervised. There’s not many places where the public are allowed to camp these days
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This was true in the USA also. I would even hitch hike. Wouldn’t dare do that now.

Many beautiful and spectacular places to visit here, but way too many people. That’s why I paddle into the wilderness.

I’ve wanted to visit Australia for a long time. I’m looking forward to reading about your travels.
 
I think RVs are fun, hiring an RV for a while and drive around. You have everything you need in it, like a mobile hotel. Me and some other people drove around the south coast in an RV a couple of years ago, it was nice.
 
Forest Cat said:
I think RVs are fun, hiring an RV for a while and drive around. You have everything you need in it, like a mobile hotel. Me and some other people drove around the south coast in an RV a couple of years ago, it was nice.
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I prefer to travel light and by myself though, so it'll likely be a Corolla and a simple swag for sleeping. Maybe one night or two in a cabin somewhere so I can have a shower and clean myself up a bit.
 
My version of a relaxing holiday:
1. The fewer the people around me, the better.
2. No phone service,...yes please.
3. Fantastic scenery,...yes.
4. Nature and wildlife photography,...yes.
5. Something to do,...hiking, canoeing, fishing, etc.
6. At the end of the day,...walking into a nice, air conditioned hotel room with nasty, dirty hiking clothes, sweat, and B.O,...taking a nice hot shower, ordering in some take-out, relaxing in a nice big bed with my wife. ;)
 
Neonatal RRT said:
My version of a relaxing holiday:
1. The fewer the people around me, the better.
2. No phone service,...yes please.
3. Fantastic scenery,...yes.
4. Nature and wildlife photography,...yes.
5. Something to do,...hiking, canoeing, fishing, etc.
Click to expand...
Those 5 are me all over. I never minded sleeping rough though, even when I had a choice. I find it peaceful.
 
I had a perfect holiday with my dad last year: we rented a small apartment in Bari, Southern Italy. Hired a small car. Spent all the time travelling to the historical sights in the area. Just the two of us exploring museums, dolmen, churches and castles. We mostly ignored the people and talked history all day, it was glorious!
 
I too thought I'd hate a guided group tour. My wife and I went on one in Spain. It was one of the best experiences we've had. Renting a car and driving in a foreign country would have been EXTREMELY stressful for us. Since you don't know anyone else on the tour there's zero issue with having to chit chat or make friends, etc. Noise cancelling headphones and no talking on the tour bus rides? No problem.

We learned more from the tours about the various stops and sites we went to than we likely would have on our own. Also, the tour company had the ability to book meals at restaurants and even private clubs generally not open to the public that we'd never have picked or been able to pick on our own. The dinners in the private clubs were incredible not only for the food, but also the buildings the clubs were in. Five star.

We could focus entirely on the vacation rather than the logistics.

That being said, neither of us have any desire to ever go on a cruise. Zero interest in that.
 
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