(published by Ginninderra Press 2009)
Due to a short but sad history of car travel in her youth, Claire Laishley is less than enthusiastic when her husband suggests a road trip for their next holiday.
Naïve to the pitfalls of driving something the size of a removalist van around the countryside, these two ‘virgin vanners’ take the plunge and hire a Winnebago, the Rolls Royce of mobile homes.
This is a hilarious account of their travel experience, full of anecdotes covering everything from formulating a take‑off check list the RAAF would be proud of to working out the ablution solution of the on‑board toilet affectionately called Winnie the Poo.
There are also plenty of colourful characters encountered during their trip, including the magical mystery massager in the mountains and the asthmatic astronomer on the plains.