[Valve Bounce]

The most important things to do on a long trip is to avoid getting tired or worse to lose your concentration.
I am sure Ray has done many long trips, and he can give you his tips next. Here are mine to keep me alert.
I found out that the most important thing for me is not to eat much food at all because that makes me sleepy almost immediately.
So I always start off with a very light meal, toast and tea, and have light snacks on the way. I eat jelly beans because I love them, and I also stop quite often for coffee. If espresso is not available, then the ready made cappucino will do for me, plus sugar.
McDonalds are a godsend along the route, because they have excellent french fries, AND most importantly, they have the cleanest loos.
I like to have my favourite CD's in the cassette, and I enjoy Alabama and my wife loves Bocelli. Never wait until you are tired before looking for a place to stop. Some of the stops off the highway are a bit out of the way, and I don't like these; could be dangerous. Two or three hour stints with a good stop in between is not a bad idea. Losing a quarter or half an hour for a rest might make some people think they are not getting that mileage per hour - I say "So what?" Who cares?
I follow these practices, and enjoy my drive. For the record, I left Clayfield at 7.30 in the morning, mapped out my route to avoid the rush hour traffic in Brisbane, and arrived in Cooma at half past midnight. Of course, cruise control helped, because I didn't have to keep concentrating on my speed to avoid speeding - I just stayed at a constant speed at the speed limit.