Planning A Trip!

With Christmas fast approaching the next trip is in planning, and it can't come soon enough. There are a couple of possibilities that will compliment my plans. One being a trip down to Brisbane via the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail and return via the Sunshine Coast and Mary Valley Hinterlands. The second being to Brisbane via the BVRT, then onto Grafton NSW via The Clarence Valley Way. Either, either I'm not phased.

After my first trip I learned a lot about planning my daily distances. In my first attempt I focused on a distance being my major factor. Whilst distance is important, it can put a fair bit of pressure on one whence touring.

This time I am cutting my distances back to around seventy-five to eighty-five kilometers per day. Some may be as little as sixty-five, and with my focus being on sight-seeing and photography it will make for a much more manageable trip.

During this Blog I thought I might run through the way that I have decided to plan the upcoming trip. The last trip was a roadie's focus on attainable distances with only the use of Google Maps, a bit of a furfy in planning. This time I am utilising the use of Excel, and various apps to plan a far more enjoyable, and organised trip.

The apps I have on my phone, tablet and laptop are, of course Google Maps, along Komoot and Wiki-Camps.
Google maps is a good over all mapping and navigational tool but does lack in accuracy. Many routes, although good can add the apparent roads or tracks that are non-existent.
Komoot is a new app that I have found and is not just a road navigational tool, but also a route planning, and navigational guide for various activities such as road cycling, hiking, mountain biking and mixed cycling, road/gravel etc. The  good thing about Komoot is that it is not reliant on the internet or phone connection. It works off line similar to a Sat-Nav in your car. It also appears to work better on a phone or tablet for off road navigation rather than my laptop. But having said this, I am only using the free service. There is an upgraded service available for a price.

Wiki-Camps is a camping/caravaning app that has both free and pay camping, along with toilet dump points, POI's and day rest areas. Again, like Komoot you can access this app when you are out of phone or internet service range. Cost is around $7.20 AUD. It also contains filters that allow you to focus on what type of camp site you are after i.e. free, toilets, showers, water etc.

Firstly I have started with an idea of where I want to go and then looking on Google Maps to get a rough idea of which way is a good option. Then decided on an approximate route that I have wished to take, I then looked at a rough estimate of distance and working with the Wiki-Camps app I am then able to see what is available for camping around the areas.
Using Excel in Office I have then compiled a list of towns/stopping/camping areas to then further organise my day to day travels. I am then able to have an informative list of what I choose to add, roads to travel, sights to see and areas to camp.

After looking at the above I am then able to start listing my preferred route, distances and places to stop over on Excel. I also then start looking at sights on the route I am taking that I wish to see and list them on my worksheet as well.

Knowing that the route I want to take involves travelling on some off road or forestry trails such as the BVRT, I then turn to Komoot to plan these segments of my tour

With Wiki-Camps I am able to search for the perfect site to camp. In the up-coming trip I will be using a mixture of free camp areas, local showgrounds and caravan parks. It is stinking hot this time of year and whilst I can go a few days without a shower when roughing it, I sure as hell do not want to go too long at this time of year.

Local showgrounds are an extremely viable option and far outweigh caravan parks. A non-powered site for the night can be as little as $5.00 AUD. Not a great deal of cost when you consider you have the use of showers and access to water. I'll be looking to stay in these as much as possible in the nights I choose not to free camp. Caravan parks will be an extreme when there is no other option.

As it is turning out most of my trip is working out to be free or very low cost.

Wiki-Camps lists what the chosen site has...

Using a drop pin you are able to find a direction to the next camp site, but unfortunately it is car friendly rather than bicycle friendly and does not have an option.

I have downloaded Google Earth on both my tablet and Laptop but I haven't found a bicycle friendly option on it as Google Maps does.

These three above apps are proving priceless in my organisation of a trip. Google Maps and Komoot are both international, with Wiki-Camps being only for Australia. That said I am unsure if Wiki-Camps has apps for other overseas destination.

This has become my simple little method of trip organisation that seems to be putting things in place nicely. Time will tell if this works, but I can't see why not. It certainly is a vast improvement on my last method, pack the bike and hope for the best...lol If your new to touring like me, I hope this helps.

Cheers guys, and as always "Ride safe".