Retirement can be the time for the long trip: weeks or months on the road with a caravan or a motorhome, and no need to be home by Monday. Making that trip last on a retirement income takes a plan, because the costs that matter most come back every day and every month. This guide to retirement travel starts with the budget and the family home, then moves to the running costs of the rig and the licence and insurance checks to make before you leave. It finishes with the concessions you may be entitled to and the savings that come from slowing down.
Build a retirement travel budget around the big costs
A budget for long-term travel works best in two layers. The first is a daily figure for the costs that come back every day on the road:
- fuel for the distance you plan to drive
- campsites and caravan park sites
- food, including any meals you eat out
- activities, entry tickets and park passes
The second is a monthly figure for the bills that arrive whether you move or not:
- insurance for the van and the tow vehicle
- registration for each vehicle
- servicing, tyres and repairs
- phone and internet plans
- any costs at home, such as council rates on a house you keep
Keep a separate fund for the repair that cannot wait, so that a broken spring or a failed water pump does not come out of the money for the next month of travel. Check your spending against both figures each month, and adjust the plan rather than the fund.
If you are buying a van for the trip with a loan, our caravan loan calculator works out what the repayments on a caravan or RV loan would be, so you can add them to the monthly figure before you commit.
Decide what happens to the family home
Before a long trip, decide what happens to the family home. The usual choices are these:
- keep it, and ask someone you trust to check on it while you are away
- rent it out for the time you are travelling
- sell it and travel full time, with a plan for where you will live afterwards
There is no general answer, and the right one depends on your own finances and plans. Before you rent out or sell the home, talk to a licensed financial adviser, and if you receive a pension, ask Services Australia how the change would be treated before you sign anything. Write down the questions you want answered, and keep the answers with your other travel papers.
If you keep the home, sort out the practical side before you go. Arrange for your mail to be collected or redirected. Tell your home insurer that the house will be empty while you travel, and read what the policy says about that before you leave.
Cut the running costs of the rig
Speed and load
Fuel is the running cost you can change most from behind the wheel. The Australian Government's Green Vehicle Guide says a car travelling at 110 km/h can use up to a quarter more fuel than it would at 90 km/h 1. It also says carrying less cargo can reduce fuel consumption, and that increased air resistance raises fuel consumption, in some cases by more than a fifth 1. Unnecessary acceleration and high speeds both increase fuel use, and keeping a good distance from the vehicle in front helps you avoid abrupt braking 1. The guide lists the load a vehicle carries or tows among the factors that change its fuel use on the road 2, so a steady speed and a lighter load both pay off when you tow.
Weight and the law
Weight is a legal matter as well as a cost. Queensland's towing rules make the driver responsible for "ensuring the towing vehicle, trailer and tow couplings meet the minimum standards and loaded mass limits", and the trailer must not be loaded beyond the vehicle's rated towing capacity 3. Weigh the rig loaded for travel at a public weighbridge before a long trip, and check the van against your vehicle with our tow match tool.
Fuel prices
Several states now publish service station fuel prices through government schemes. Our guide to touring Australia on a budget explains how the schemes work in four states, so you can plan fuel stops around the cheaper towns on your route.
Check your licence and insurance
Check your own state's rules for older drivers before you plan a long trip. In NSW, for example, from the age of 75 you need a medical assessment for fitness to drive each year, completed before your birthday, and you also need to pass an eyesight test every year 4. From the age of 85, NSW drivers need an older driver test or assessment every 2 years to renew their licence, and the NSW Government's older drivers page also links to its guidance on how to apply for a modified licence 5. Plan the trip around these dates, so that a renewal does not fall due while you are on the other side of the country.
Insurance needs the same care. Queensland's towing rules note that a trailer, including a caravan, may not be covered by comprehensive insurance if it is overloaded 3. Read the product disclosure statement for the van and for the tow vehicle, and ask each insurer in writing whether the policy covers the way you will travel: months at a time on the road, nights in remote areas and the van stored between trips.
Take a printed list of your medicines and your doctor's details, and plan refills for the towns you will pass through, so a long gap between towns does not leave you short.
Use the concessions you are entitled to
Concessions can take a real amount off a long trip, but you usually have to ask for them. Australian pensioners and eligible veterans can apply for a NSW Concession Pass, which gives free motor vehicle entry into the 45 national parks that ask for an entry payment 6. Holders of international pensioner or seniors cards are not eligible for it 6. Holders of a current Australian Seniors Card can get a discount on the park service's annual passes, although that seniors discount is not available to Senior Saver Card holders 6. The NSW National Parks concession pass page sets out who can apply 6.
The NSW Seniors Card and the Senior Savers Card are for NSW permanent residents over the age of 60, and they give access to discounted products and services 7. If you live in another state, find out what your own state's seniors card offers, and ask about concessions whenever you pay for a park pass or an entry ticket.
Slow down and stay longer
Slowing down is one of the simplest ways to make the money last. Every kilometre you do not drive is fuel you do not buy, and shorter driving days are easier on the driver. The NSW Government advises planning a stop at a rest area every two hours to manage fatigue 8, and a day of four hours behind the wheel with two long breaks leaves time to enjoy the place you arrive in. Arriving with daylight to spare also makes setting up at a new site easier, especially when you have to reverse a van into a tight spot.
Staying longer in one place helps in other ways too. Ask whether a park has a weekly or monthly rate before you book night by night. With a few days in one town, you can shop at the local markets and cook in the van rather than buying meals on the move. If your vehicle's service schedule runs on distance, fewer kilometres also means the next service falls due later.
Time the trip to the seasons. In the north, the Bureau of Meteorology describes the dry season as running from May to September and the wet season from October to April, with the monsoon typically arriving in late December and continuing to around March 9. Head north for the dry months and come south for the warmer months.
You can also plan around the school holidays. In 2026, for example, NSW eastern division schools had their spring holidays from Monday 28 September to Friday 9 October 10, while Victorian schools finished their third term on Friday 18 September and started the fourth on Monday 5 October 11. Book early for those weeks, or travel between them.
Stay active and involved on the road
A long trip is easier to enjoy when you are fit for it. For older people, healthdirect suggests about 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity on most days of the week, and "a mix of exercises that improve aerobic fitness, strength, flexibility and balance" 12. It advises checking with your doctor before you start more intense exercise programs 12. Our camping fitness guide has simple routines you can do beside the van. When you are out walking or fishing, protect your skin as well: Cancer Council Australia recommends sun protection whenever UV levels reach 3 or higher, and its SunSmart app tells you when you do and do not need it 14.
Volunteering is another way to stay involved, and it can cover the cost of a site. Parks Victoria's campground hosts are a friendly contact point for visitors and park staff at popular campsites, and in return they can camp for free and are given a uniform and support while they are in the park 13. Applicants must be 18 or over, and hosts need a good level of fitness, because some of the campsites are in remote locations 13.
If you are still choosing between a caravan and a motorhome for the trip, compare the motorhomes for sale with the caravans for sale on Caravan Domain.
Sources
- Australian Government, Green Vehicle Guide, Tips to reduce your emissions, accessed 29 October 2026
- Australian Government, Green Vehicle Guide, Real world emissions, accessed 29 October 2026
- Queensland Government, Towing vehicles and trailers, accessed 29 October 2026
- Service NSW, Older drivers, riders and road users, accessed 29 October 2026
- NSW Government, Older drivers and riders, accessed 29 October 2026
- NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Discount and concession park passes, accessed 29 October 2026
- NSW Government, NSW Seniors Card, accessed 29 October 2026
- NSW Government, Rest areas, accessed 29 October 2026
- Bureau of Meteorology, Planning for the northern rains, accessed 29 October 2026
- NSW Department of Education, 2026 term dates, accessed 29 October 2026
- Victorian Government, School term dates and holidays in Victoria, accessed 29 October 2026
- healthdirect Australia, Physical activity guidelines for older people, accessed 29 October 2026
- Parks Victoria, Campground Host volunteer program, accessed 29 October 2026
- Cancer Council Australia, Be SunSmart, accessed 29 October 2026
