Road-trippin’

Brought to you by Volkswagen Tiguan.roadtrip-679x1024

Can I confess something to you? I like cars. Not in an over-the-top way, but in a my-dad-used-to-be-a-drag-racer kind of way. We grew up around cars, and I knew the difference between a 4-cylinder and a V8 before I was 10. You’re not judging me, are you?

My dad used to pull apart motors and put them back together, FOR FUN {the guy needed a hobby!}. My dad used to also sell cars, so each day he’d bring a different one home for the car lot… and we loved checking them out. If they had a sunroof we were THRILLED. Fully sick stereo? We were amazed. Am I making a fool of myself by telling you this stuff? Maybe. If you open up a car bonnet I kinda know what is where, and I even taught my husband how to change the oil when we met.

I do not know how to change a tyre though, let’s not get too carried away {although I should learn}.

So we’ve established, I kinda like cars. I also like road-trips. As a mum I LOVE driving in a car by myself, listening to MY choice of radio station, and my choice of air-conditioning temperature. I live for solo car rides. Don’t you? But road-trips with kids can be fun and stress-free {much more than flying, because you can actually stop the car and get out!}.

We recently had a test drive of the new Volkswagen Tiguan. A friend had just recently bought one and had raved about the bits she loved {trays for the backseat passengers and movable backseats} so I was keen to explore it’s features as well and see what I liked about it too.

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We’re lucky to live in a beautiful part of the world, so we headed up the coast to a place we hadn’t yet explored, Currumbin Rock Pools.

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I set Lulu up with her tray which she thought was THE best thing ever, and her toys. It has a little slot to fit in an iPad too… which is perfect for longer trips, but there’s also a bracket to sit it comfortable in the back of the front head rests.

TIP: Load the iPad or whatever device you use, with a new movie that they’ve never seen before to keep them excited and interested. Also, keep a bag of little toys just for road trips so they get excited each time they come out.

The road out the rock pools is lush and green. As we drove through the winding roads, Lulu piped up from the back with, “Are we back in Hawaii?” ?

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One of my favourite features of the Tiguan is that you can move the sound around. You know how the kids can be watching their iPads and you can’t hear your music? You can simply move the sound around with a click of a finger and it can be only on in the front of the car. You can also easily connect your phone to App connect – and everything is right there on the screen for you. Take phone calls. Play music. Easy.

TIP: Keep a Road Trip playlist on your phone, so that you can play car karaoke as you drive. My favourite song is Jessie’s Girl. The kids look at me like I’ve lost my mind when it comes on. I LOVE it {maybe too much}.

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As we drove into the car park for the rock pools, there was a lady sitting by the creek filling bottle with fresh rainfall water. I gave her a wave and vowed to taste the water myself.

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The walk at Currumbin Rock Pools is really easy, and has no stairs – so you can take a stroller if you have little ones. If you want to get down to the water, you will have to go a little rogue and walk down off the path to get there. The view is amazing, but I imagine swimming in the rock pools would be magic {just a little bit too chilly on the day we visited}.

TIP: Give the kids something to look forward to. Lulu loves exploring and adventures, so this trip was perfect for her. The only thing that could have made it better was an ice cream truck in the car park. ?

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The Currumbin Rock Pools didn’t disappoint. If you live nearby or happen to visit the Gold Coast I definitely recommend adding it to your must-visit list. It’s an easy walk for kids, and is super beautiful and serene.

The other thing that didn’t disappoint? The Volkswagen Tiguan. I love all the gadgets and the comfort factor that the car offers… but as a mum what matters most to me is the colour of the car. I joke {although it is important}! It’s the safety. All I want to know is that my family is going to be as safe as possible. I can feel how safe the car feels when I drive it, but I also learned that there are so many great safety features, giving it a 5 star safety rating from ANCAP {the new car assessment body}. That’s what I loved. You can read more about the safety features here.

The Tiguan also has loads of storage, for all the shopping kids stuff. What’s lots? Well there’s 615 litres of storage. To you and me {well maybe just me} that number doesn’t mean much, but if you imagine pouring in 615 litres of milk {don’t do it!} that’s a lot of room {and potential mess, seriously DON’T do it!}. It’s also got driver fatigue detection so it will tell you when you need a break for coffee, and cake, and Twisties. I love when a car gives me permission to stop, chill and indulge. ?

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When’s the last time you took a little adventure by car? Where did you go?

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