Australian Touring

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Caravan Parts & Accessories

If you are having trouble finding that hard to replace car or caravan part I have kindly added a few links to some of the better online stores.
The internet has given us a lot of great new things over the years but the best has to be the ease to find specific product and compare them before buying. Most websites now allow you to link through to compare products and even apply for them right off the page.

Some of the websites i have found cover a vast array of car parts and accessories, from a new alloy wheel, or just normal car wheels, rare automobile tyres, you can even find websites that cater to a specific state like Brisbane wheels, Canberra Wheels, caravan air conditioners, or even a new car engine.

So much can be found online all you have to do is type it in....

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Monday, June 23, 2008

Touring for Yards with my Trusty Credit Cards

To tour or not to tour, that is the question. But more importantly, how to pay for the tour? I'm going to need to apply for a credit card online if i'm to have the finances I require for any sort of travelling. I've heard there is a BP MasterCard available with a rewards program that reduces your petrol costs. This sounds like just the card for me! It may take me a while to completely decide on a credit card though as the difference in interest rates and balance transfers could end up costing me more even with a reduced petrol price. There must be some websites out there that compare all these features for me so I don't have to track them all down and endure a lot of frustration.

I do already have a couple of credit cards but they have dangerously high interest rates and I seem to be stuck under a pile of debt. There is debt on each card so i'm thinking of checking out credit card consolidations to extract me from this debt cycle. Credit card debts have a habit of sneaking up on me so I need to be very strict with my spending during this tour i'm planning. I hope this task of choosing a credit card isn't as exhausting as I imagine it to be. There are so many cards available these days from so many credit card companies that it's hard to know where to start.

If my finances improve and I find the right credit card for me then the answer to the question will surely be "to tour!".

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Monday, May 26, 2008

Many a Bump in the Road

All this travelling i've been doing lately has done some damage to my 4wd wheels. They were in pristine condition beforehand but now they are on the verge of popping from a minor bump in the road. I'll have to get my car fully serviced to ensure the wheels are not the only area that needs work.

My air conditioner stopped working halfway through the journey which was painful on the particularly sunny days. Car air conditioners are an absolute necessity when travelling for long hours day after day, especially in summer when cool air is all you can think about! My regular mechanic did warn me that the car air conditioner hoses were showing signs of damage but I decided to risk the possibility of a malfunction. I've certainly learnt my lesson!

I found myself not knowing where on earth I was even with a map by my side. I could use the services of a gps navigation system on my next journey so I shall have one installed during the car service. It would seem unlikely that one would get lost when only travelling on main roads with ample signage but I managed to find a way! Voice navigation would also be useful so i'll ensure I buy a GPS system with all the features available.

Somewhere along the journey while in a heat induced daze (thanks to my lack of air conditioning), I managed to lose my fuel cap while filling up. I'm always so careful to double check I have replaced it but, as I guzzled an icy cold beverage, it completely slipped my mind! Fortunately my fuel tank has a backup system which, while not being perfect, does the job nicely. There are sure to be replacement caps available, I may even buy a custom one.

In the not so distant future I plan to have my whole exhaust system replaced with a top of the range model. This will improve my engines true performance abilities as my current exhaust system is slowly disintegrating and reducing my car engines efficiency. It will be a huge job and cost quite a lot so I shall have to save up before this work is completed. Fortunately my friend is a mechanic and my fees are discounted to a much more affordable amount.

The tinting on my car glass has begun to bubble and peel off too. It is only affecting the side car windows so I should be able to continue driving safely for the time being. Things always seem to start breaking at the same time, It must be a universal car law or something. I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't spread to my other cars as the expenses are already stretching my budget.

Many things went slighty awry on that last trip so i'm hoping the next one on my agenda will be much more successful. I'm going to travel in my performance car this time with a full service completed beforehand. There will be a group of us travelling up north through the countyside enjoying the empty roads and fresh air so someone is sure to know their way around a map i'm sure. I've just had some neon lighting installed throughout my car and it looks amazing in the dark of night. If I do find myself becoming lost, it won't be long until someone finds me and my blinding blue and green neon lights!

A few minor additions to my performance car are on the cards before we head off. They're not entirely necessary but will make the journey that much more enjoyable. The first addition will be some new shiny mag wheels to glisten in the sunlight. Not the cheap ones you can buy at your local service station either, but the custom built, unique mags i've seen around. The second addition will of course be personalised number plates. I've been meaning to buy them for years but could never decide on a design. This trip is sure to be the best so far with no incidents destined to destroy my travel dreams.

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Sunday, May 11, 2008

Alas Mobiles Can Not Swim

My mobile phone recently broke and i've been lost without it! I've been seaching and searching online for some cheap Motorola mobile phones but am yet to find a diamond in the rough. The phone I have my eye on is a Motorola MOTOROKR Z6 as it has a great camera, GPS, music player, and fast internet speeds.

My deceased phone was a Samsung D900i which was a great little phone but managed to get washed in the washing machine with my jeans. I don't think any phone would have withstood such a soaking! I'm upgrading this time to take advantage of an Optus 3G phone which will allow me to make video calls and has greater wireless internet speeds.

There are so many mobiles around that I keep changing my mind as to which one I should buy. I've looked at tonnes of reviews but every phone seems to have a fault or two so I just have to decide which problems would be most annoying, and which aspects are most important to me. I'm a sucker for new mobile phone technologies and slide phones seem to be my addiction du jour.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Seeking Loans and Water STAT

Touring the Australian outback is lending itself to great desires for water and shopping. I'm going to set my sights and money on a boat to continue my touring on water. I am hoping to purchase a ten metre vessel to accommodate my family and friends comfortably. This will require some financial consolidations and unsecured personal loans.

My friends have always told me debt consolidations and investment plans are the way to a prosperous future but I had not given them much thought. In hindsight, they were probably right and I wouldn't need to turn to an online loan to fund my boat if I had taken their financial advice. I have certainly learnt my lesson though and will be pursuing investment banks and brokers after this expense has been taken care of.

The first step to my oceanic endeavours will be to contact all the banks and lenders to find out all the information I can about loan rates, fees, and loan amounts. Then I shall apply for online personal loans and cross my fingers one is approved. The final step is the fun one, choosing and buying my boat! I can't wait!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Fruitful Fortunes

Caravan touring around Australia I found myself yearning to buy a giant pineapple to store on the roof and provide me with an endless supply of juice. I'll need to take out a secured loan before considering pineapple distributors.

My fellow pineapple lovers have contacted me with thoughts of great merit concerning the juicing of the pineapple. I don't know that I can wait for a secured loan to be approved to buy this dreamy fruit, I might just apply for cash advance loans instead.

With all this talk of pineapples, i'm beginning to have a change of heart and might turn my sights to a giant orange. It would be far brighter and have far more juice than the pineapple. I'm so keen to get this spherical fruit fastened to my caravan, I wonder how much a payday loan costs as it would be the quickest option.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

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