Lessons You Learn On The Road: Mile 1

Random Acts of Kindness Spark Joy

Boxing Day 2019 I piled my then 11, 9 and 7 year old kids into a Wicked Campers camper van for the road trip of a lifetime up the east coast of NSW from Newport on the northern beaches of Sydney to Airlie Beach where we’d hop a boat across to Hamilton Island for new year’s eve. 

I was 3 and a half years into single parenting & this was the first time Od had the funds to pull off a holiday - bit i was apprehensive about taking 3 young kids overseas by myself, so I thought I’d start with a domestic holiday first. 

I LOVE driving so a NSW road trip was the obvious choice, and my dream retirement plan includes life on the road in a custom converted camper van so this was the perfect way to do it. 

The vehicle was a VW hi-top with a peace sign ☮️ up front, Jimi Hendrix on the side 🎸 - and 20,000 kilometres on the clock. It was an absolute tank though and, apart from a killer appetite for fuel, stomped all the way up to Airlie Beach and back with the pedal to the metal and did not give us one single issue, mechanical or otherwise: 5 stars, no notes. 

We had friends living near Coffs Harbour so on the first day I aimed to drive from Sydney to Bonville - and learned the first of a good few lessons on the road on the trip 🤣

As my lovely friend Mel put it when we finally arrived at her Home (a good 5 hours past dinner time when everyone had gone to bed!!), “you leave early & you don’t stop to mooch or take the scenic route”. 

But we did the exact opposite, setting off after lunch, getting distracted by every brown road sign that promised scenic tourist drive (side note, pretty underwhelming do not recommend), and then capping it off with a swim at the iconic Newcastle Ocean Baths (absolute favourte spot, highly recommend). 

So, no regrets - despite the 5 hour detour on what was meant to be the 5 hour first leg of our road trip in a hot tin can I mean van with 3 kids who by the way weren’t as on board with the concept of (wifi-less) van life as I was. 

I digress: no regrets. Because as well as the ocean swim & stellar views, this is where we picked up our first lesson: random acts of kindness spark joy. And I’m not talking about the recipient’s joy - this is about the joy of giving. 

Not giving much mind you, these are just three of many small but impactful acts that shaped our drive along the east coast of NSW 

Firstly, we pulled into a jam-packed makeshift car park in Newcastle as the sun was out and so were the Boxing Day tourists. This was my first ever time driving a van (or anything bigger than the Mazda CX5 I’d been driving before it), and at this point I had only been behind the wheel for the few hours it took to get from Newport to Newcastle.

So when I got stuck in an impossibly tight corner of a bank of cars and had to manoeuvre my way out, mostly by reversing, and with 3 melting kids on board who were about to go nuclear, I breathed a  h u r r i c a n e  of relief when good samaritan stepped up and spotted me out of the 360 point turn that was needed to exit. 

I thanked him, my kids cheered, his kids cheered, and then I noticed he took off with a big smile and joyful little bounce in his step. Had his act of kindness made him as happy as it had made me?? You know what - maybe. 

Next up, rescue mission averted, we headed through Newcastle on our way back to the motorway and, after it happened too many times to be a coincidence, we confirmed that when people who got it (☮️🎸) saw the Wicked Camper van coming they’d throw up a peace sign ✌️like a sweet little “right on” nod to community and freedom and van life - and we loved it!!

This happened throughout the drive by the way, in both NSW and QLD, and the kids would pop off every time, throw a peace sign right back, and we’d leave the passer(s)by fading in our rearview mirror with a look of nostalgia - and that increasingly familiar sense of joy. 

The third but not final mutually joy-sparking random act of kindness I’ll talk about today happened on the Mooney Mooney Bridge - where high winds and hi-top tanks don’t really mix. 

No one talks about how physical it is to steer a big old heavy van with 4 bodies and everything but the kitchen sink packed into it. Add in high winds and, just as I was wishing I hadn’t skipped so many upper body days in the gym (😪) because the van was swaying so much on the open road, a good samaritan pulled up the form of van driver who planted himself in front of us, slowed the pace, and effectively sat on our bonnet until we came out of the red zone aka off the loony I mean Mooney Mooney Bridge. 

I bibbed him thank you as he picked up speed to take off, and he honked out a merry tune with his horn and gave us a big hearty wave - again, he seemed even happier than we were that he’d been so helpful to us. 

Fun fact: The Random Acts of Kindness foundation confirms that there’s scientific research about the benefits of being kind, not just receiving kindness. 

It literally produces the love hormone oxytocin, which lowers blood pressure and improves overall heart health, as well as increasing self esteem and optimism. 

It also boosts serotonin, the feel good hormone which helps with wound healing? calming & happiness. And according to a research study by Christine Carter, of the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Centre, people also feel stronger, more energetic and less depressed after helping others.

A big part of the beauty of our drive through Sydney and New South Wales was that you could see this in full effect - and it was the first time it ever occurred to me that we can get as much tangible joy from being kind as we can from people being kind to us. 

It’s a lovely life lesson that I took with me on the Pacific Highway that day, and that I continue to take with me every time I drive for clients with What Charlie DROVE.  

Worth remembering when you head out on Sydney and NSW roads today, no matter what twists and turns (and P-platers and roadworks) come your way.