Slip, slop, slap, as an Australian these are 3 words that seem to be continuously repeated to us throughout our lives. After a while you get sick of hearing it, yet you will never forget it…except every time you go somewhere hot or the sun is out in full force!

I really wish I had of remembered these 3 wise words while I was on holidays a few years ago. I’m not tanned in the slightest, in fact I’m practically see through yet I didn’t take this into consideration while I was lying on the beach in Sydney on one of the hottest days of the year. I was in a bit of pain on the car ride home, nothing major but when I got home and looked in the mirror I was purple! My sunburn was so bad that I had gone past the usual bright red colour to a deep purple. Little did I know I was in for a week of hell and my holiday was ruined.

For many people they look forward to their holiday overseas, swimming and lazing around on a beach they have never been to before but don’t forget the sun is harsher in some countries then others. Make sure you come prepared with a bottle of sunscreen and a hat. You might look like a bit of a dag but who cares when you are saving yourself a lot of pain…literally!

How many people have you seen on holidays who on their first day get so sunburnt they are forced to sit under an umbrella somewhere completely covered from head to toe in shirts and towels so the sun doesn’t touch them or someone who has their swimming costume outline so perfectly tattooed on them for the next few weeks.

If you are planning on going out in the sun make sure you go in the late afternoon when the sun isn’t at its strongest and make sure you wear a hat and sunscreen. In the long run your skin will benefit and you won’t end up looking like a lobster in any of your holiday photos!

Have you ever been so sunburnt that you feel like you can’t do anything on your holiday? Let us know!

With the great choices and varieties of cars available to us, it’s no surprise that they are often bought for looks and reputation rather than purpose. Since the early days of motoring, there have been associations with types of cars and their drivers. Be it a sports car, 4WD, people mover or ute, there is always a certain image projected by the car, a stereotype that just seems to stick.

Some assumptions are of course based on the purpose that the car was designed for. For example a ute or van could imply a worksman or delivery driver, while a people mover or station wagon could be the family car.

While some drivers can choose whatever style of car they fancy to drive, the owners of these cars often have little choice, as they need a vehicle for a specific purpose.

Even so, those who must drive a ute or people mover now have the countless options to customize their rides, giving it a character of its own. From the colour of the car to custom number plates, and flashy wheels to humble bumper stickers, there is a wide world of car features and accessories to effect the impression given by your ride.

From plain and simple, standard cars, to overly modified cars which more closely resemble art, there is a greater variety on the roads these days than ever before, and each one will have a story of its own.

What does your car say about you? And did you customize it or buy it as it is?

Without a doubt one of the worst things to have happen when enjoying a nice leisurely drive, is the car breaking down. While there are varying levels of inconvenience that can happen, from a mere fuse blowing to total system meltdown, it’s never fun when our mode of transport stops working.

There are different ways people deal with a breakdown. Some are automotive experts, finding out what the problem is in minutes, and sometimes fixing it too. Some people are completely clueless, flagging down passers by for help only to reach the conclusion “yes, you have broken down”.

Luckily there are services in place to help us with breakdowns, offering assistance when we are roadside and in desperate need. For our own cars, we can take out membership with various motoring associations that include breakdown services in their benefits. The NRMA or RACV are examples in Australia and their mobile helpers can determine problems on the spot, often fix them, or organize a tow truck.

When traveling in a rental car, things are even better. Most suppliers have breakdown cover on all their cars, meaning if you do have the unfortunate luck of breaking down, there will be a phone number for you to call, with an operator at the other end who will organize everything. In the worst case scenario the car has a major fault, a replacement will be provided to you asap, so be sure when booking your holiday car hire, you check to make sure this is included.

The Delorean, or Delorean DMC – 12 to be exact, was one of the stars in the popular Back to the Future series of movies and a ride highly desired by many a fan. With gullwing doors and shiny silver body, the Delorean has been a sought after sportcar, this particular model however came with more than a few extras.

A built in nuclear reactor and time machine would be among the main modifications, perfect for any budding time traveler. The addition of a fly system later on just adds to the impressiveness of the car, not only able to travel in time, but also the power to fly over traffic jams!

Sadly the movie version is still a fictional concept, with scientists too lazy to invent time travel (or just keeping it a secret!), however the real life Delorean, while rare, is something enthusiasts can buy for themselves.

Only 9,000 or so Deloreans were ever made though, making it a very sought after ride indeed. With a completely unique look and such a grand reputation, it’s easy to see why it’s so hard to find one on the used car market. For now, we can patiently wait and see if rumors of the model being resurrected turn out true. That is I suppose until someone does invent time travel, at which point we can send someone back to Delorean factory in the 1980s and tell them to build more!

A talking, thinking super hi-tech car with a personality all of its own, KITT was the co-star (some would say star!) alongside David Hasselhoff in the 1980s TV series Knight Rider.

An acronym for Knight Industries Two Thousand, KITT had all the features in a car that young boys dream of, making KITT a car of fantasies!

With a “Molecular Bonded Shell” that could resist bullets, bricks, and most crashes, to Turbo Boost which could be used to outrun another car or even jump over obstacles, KITT would have been a fun ride indeed.

One of the first examples of artificial intelligence in a car, KITT could see, smell, hear and of course talk, making it a true character in the show, rather than just another prop.

There have been a few attempts to resurrect the Knight Rider series, and of course KITT over the years, but sadly without much luck. Indeed with the advances in technology we have in real life, along with the even more spectacular ones we see in movies and on TV, the magic of a talking car just doesn’t seem to cut it these days. Then again, who knows when KITT will return, and with what new, impressive gadgets!

Good old number 53, Herbie the Love Bug is a car that rarely needs an introduction. The star of a series of Disney films beginning in the 1960s, Herbie is to this day one of the most recognizable cars in the world.

Unlike ordinary cars, Herbie had a personality of his own, often taking it upon himself to go for a drive, in most cases to help save the day. He did have a cheeky streak though, regularly getting into mischief and needing some help himself.

In total Herbie starred in six films, the most recent just a few years ago, as well as a TV series in the 80’s which ran for five episodes.

Having survived five decades, countless races, and far more than his fair share of bumps and dents, Herbie continues to entertain us, and the question remaining, is when will we see him next?