Planning an adventure packed getaway is usually hard for anyone, especially knowing that most of us are extremely time poor and have countless other responsibilities to fulfil. Work and family nature life was beginning to stress my husband and I out, and we never really got the chance to get out of the house (except when he leaves for work and I have to drop off the kids to school!) It felt like all work and no play and it was beginning to nature become too much nature. One day after dropping the kids  nature off to school, I continued on with my usual daily routine. This routine consisted of cleaning the rooms, doing the dishes, hanging up the washing, pick up the kids, get dinner ready nature, go to bed. I almost had no quality time with my husband, friends and family.

As I was washing the dishes that day, it occurred to me. Why not go away on a mini day trip with my husband and our friends as a group nature? I instantly jumped on the phone to call my husband, but as always he was far too busy to answer. In the meantime, I made myself a well deserved coffee, grabbed my laptop from my bedroom and made myself comfortable on the couch. The weather was overcast and by no means great, which was really a big indication that it was time to get away and actually soak up some great weather. As I was about to embark on my search for the perfect little getaway, my phone began to ring. It was one of my very close friends named Alyssa who wanted to see if I was up for a morning coffee. I told her I was at home having my own coffee at home and told her to come over so I could tell her all about my plan. Getting back to the task at hand, I began to scroll down the list of all the different destinations and came across a beautiful resort up in Queensland.

I knew it would be close to impossible to travel that far, as we are from Melbourne and given the workload that my husband had along with the time constraints, it would be hard to manage a holiday of that sort. The doorbell rang, my friend had finally arrived with some homemade muffins (she was one of the best bakers I had ever met in my life!) I sat her down and told her the situation, and to my surprise she told me that she was also having the same conversation with her husband not too long ago. This was a perfect coincidence, as I had originally planned to go with a few of our friends. We frantically began to brainstorm a few destinations we had always wanted to go to and discover. Alyssa, being the social butterfly that she is, immediately called up a few of her friends to ask whether they had any great recommendations. An old high school friend of ours told her she and her husband recently went on a day trip with a tour group. We invited her to come over and give us more details about her experience. It was beginning to feel like a holiday group meeting, but it was something we all desperately needed.

I had always wondered what a day tour group getaway would be like. I personally really enjoy the idea of meeting new people, making new connections and finding out a bit more about all the wonderful stories that were just waiting to be shared by people from all walks of life. After Kerri, our old highschool friend, it was time to get down to business. We were asking her so many questions at once that she had no idea where to start, we could barely contain our excitement as if we were ready to leave in a few hours.

Kerri told us that she and her husband, along with their 3 kids actually went with a tour group through a recommendation from one of her husband’s co-workers. It was with a tour group company called Melbourne Coastal Touring and specialised in taking groups of people on tours throughout The Great Ocean Road, Mornington Peninsula, Phillip Island, selected wineries and other amazing destinations. And the best part? It was all here in Melbourne, meaning it was just the perfect opportunity to get away with as less hassle as possible. It would have been hard for our husbands to refuse this option; it was a great way to escape the daily grind we all wanted to escape for a moment. We jumped back onto the laptop to learn a little bit more about what Melbourne Coastal Touring had to offer.

You know the feeling you get when you just have too many great options that are all very suitable for you? Yeah, it was starting to become a major task just trying to figure out which one we wanted to go on the most. Flustered, overwhelmed and at times confused with all the wonderful offers Melbourne Coastal Touring had available, we actually managed to come to a solid conclusion. That is, 4 coffees, several choc chip muffins and and 3 hours later! We had decided on The Great Ocean Road day tour. All of us had not actually been to The Great Ocean Road since we were little girls, and we definitely miss it. It was the perfect package for all of us.

Melbourne Coastal Touring had everything covered, ranging from departure all the way to dining and arrival. We made a booking for two weeks time and started packing the same day we booked. Overeager? Possibly. Excited? Definitely. After what seemed to be a painfully long two weeks, it was finally the day of the tour. As three couples ready to go on a day trip, we were all really excited that we were doing this all together. It was a great way to spend quality time and actually bond over something we did for ourselves for a change. We were picked up from our hotel close to 8 in the morning. We had a small group of 10 people all together, with two other couples similar to our age who had also booked the same trip.

We all instantly hit it off and were chatting nonstop, it was just a great experience. Our morning tea was located in the beautiful anglesea township, where we had a great opportunity to stop and rest while we got to know our travel companions a lot better. They were two couples who were also friends and worked as architects, and we laughed over the coincidence that we all knew each other, too. After finishing up, we continued on our trip. Taking as many photos as our memory cards on our phones and cameras would allow, we were hitting all the popular landmarks that the area had to offer. Snaps of the iconic Great Ocean Road sign, passing through popular Lorne and visiting Kennett River to see the beautiful koalas was only the beginning! Although these were great, they were all the entrée to the true gem of Melbourne, The 12 Apostles.

It was a long trip, but with great company and plenty of laughs and stories along the way, it was a trip well worth it. The crashing waves hugging the shoreline, and the magnificent giants that stood tall from the crystal water left us speechless. The feeling of wind in your hair, sun shining bright and the view was just the perfect combination. We took a large amount of pictures and videos from the popular boardwalk and stayed for a good amount of time admiring the natural formations that blew everyone away. In that moment, none of us were thinking about work, daily commitments or anything else for that matter. It was just us and the picture perfect scenery that was before our eyes. We were inspired, lost in the moment and refreshed. They were all the exact reasons we wanted to take part in this mini getaway and it sure delivered in bucket loads. We got back to the tour vehicle and made our way back home for what felt like a long, welcomed trip. Thanks to The Great Ocean Road day trip, we were able to socialise with people we most likely would have never gotten the nature opportunity to meet. Upon our arrival, we waved our fantastic and friendly tour guide goodbye and thanked them for the amazing experience. Our husbands got along great and exchanged numbers to plan a game of golf, they seemed to have hit it off more than us women!

But nevertheless, we also got along great with the girls and also exchanged numbers as well as connecting on social media. To this day, we still keep in touch and share memories of our beautiful and well deserved day trip. With many more trips to come thanks to Melbourne Coastal Touring, a long lasting and enriching friendship awaits us. The take home message? Stop waiting for the “right time” to get away, experience what nature has to offer on a frequent basis and immerse yourself in positive relationships that will keep you inspired. Contact Melbourne Coastal Touring on 0401 788 278 for more information, or book online! It’s fast, simple and hassle free, so what are you waiting for?