Hesitant first time camper? So were these guys. Now they're converted.

For some, camping is the zest of life. Ask any seasoned camper - they can't get enough! But for those who haven't yet dipped their toes into the world of camping, there can sometimes be feelings of hesitation. This was the case for one of Camplify's first-time road trip campers, Carlo O'Brien. Now? He's officially converted. We spoke to him about his first photography camping trip along the Great Ocean Road, and what changed his mind.

You recently went on a road trip adventure to the Great Ocean Road with your girlfriend. How was it?

Before we went on the trip, I was a bit unsure. My girlfriend and I are not your typical campers. We don't really camp at all. Camping for us is like... staying at a three-star hotel. When I thought of proper camping, I thought of roughing it in the bush.

What were your initial expectations of this trip?

To be honest, I would say before the trip my first expectations were: time-consuming, big day, hard work.

What was the first thing about your road trip that changed your mind about camping?

As soon as we saw VanDan the van, that was the first turning point. When we picked up the van from Dan the owner on the first day, and then headed off on our 3.5 hour journey to the Great Ocean Road, we were looking at each other and saying 'this van is amazing!'. It's not what we thought it would be. The whole experience was so much nicer and easier than what we thought.

Where did you stay?

We'd never camped before, so I was a bit unsure about how booking campsites worked at first, to be honest. We did wonder if we could just park on the side of the road.

But I ended up calling the RACQ camping ground at Port Campbell, and it was so easy to book a site. It's funny now though, when I was booking the site at the time, I didn't understand the difference between a powered site and a non-powered site. But it started coming together as soon as Dan the van owner handed over the keys, and showed me the cord to plug into the wall at the site.

So, you'd recommend staying at campsites?

100%. It was so easy. And cheap! It was like, $30 per night for a powered site. We liked it so much we re-booked it for the second night as well. Literally, just booked on the spot on the same day. I think it'd always be a good idea to allow more time to book sites during peak season times. But this time around we essentially just winged it, and it worked out perfectly fine! It's good to plan, but on the other hand, it'd probably work out fine being totally spontaneous.

If you could recommend one must-stop of your Great Ocean Road trip, what would it be?

Port Campbell, for sure. You've got the 12 Apostles down the road, and there are plenty of restaurants around the area. There's also a cool pub open until late every night. We went there every night!

So what's your main advice to first-time campers, who are feeling a bit hesitant?

Honestly, we want to do it again. It's not as hard as what people think and it's not as like, I guess... dirty? We were having hot showers every day. The campsite amenities are really good. Plus, our van had a shower and toilet. It's the good thing about a van - if you ever get stuck, it's got everything you need.

Do you guys stop off at a cafe for brunch along the way, or did you do a camp cook-up?

When we did the famous Black Spur scenic road drive, with all the tall and really beautiful redwood trees, there were some nice cafes either side of the drive. Definitely recommend.

Ok, now time for some quickfire questions. If you could pick between a summer or winter road trip, what would it be?

As a photographer, I reckon I'd go for winter. Better for photos, and I'd rather be super cold, than super hot.

Would you rather adventure to the city or the country?

Hmm. Probably country for photos, but city for food.

Tomato sauce or BBQ sauce?

I'm a barbeque sauce operator.

Sunrise or sunset?

Sunset.

Do you guys have a favourite road trip song?

During our trip we were listening to a lot of old school music. Like, Billy Joel and Fleetwood Mac.

And do you have any sort of advice or hot tips for those considering a road trip?

The only advice I would give people is to make sure you know where the campsites are. Aside from that... basically, don't think. Just do.

From a photography perspective, do you have any tips for photographers or budding photographers out there, who are wanting to capture their road trip?

It's all about timing. We like taking shots at sunrise or sunset, so if we wanted to shoot at certain locations, we'd have to make sure we knew how long it was going to take to get to that location and drive there from where we were staying. Just make sure you plan out where you're going to take photos, and where the destinations are. That's basically it! Everything else along the way, is part of the journey.