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Give your phone settings a once-over before you leave home. Image: Getty Smartphones have revolutionised the way we travel, and with nine out of 10 South Australians owning one, it’s safe to say there’s a phone in pretty much every traveller’s pocket. Gone are the days of quick calls and creatively cramming everything you need to say into 160-characters SMS. Today’s phones are tiny supercomputers, with processing power and speeds faster than many desktop computers.

Image: Getty. A $7.50 coffee from your local café might be affordable compared to the price of your caffeine fix behind the wheel. Innocently sipping your beverage, particularly a steaming hot one while steering, can be dangerous – and costly.

Eric Schwenke and Jeanette Moody. Image: Mike Lockheart/RAA Whether it’s by choice or circumstance, giving up your driver’s licence can be daunting. It might signify a loss of freedom and identity, or an increased reliance on family and friends. But it needn’t mean being stranded at home. There are many ways to get from point A to point B if you don’t drive. For Old Noarlunga resident, Jeanette Moody, the City of Onkaparinga’s community bus is an essential part of her life.

Image: Getty Bali, Fiji and the Gold Coast have long been on the must-visit list for families, but have you considered a vacation to the land of smiles? On a recent trip to Thailand – the first with our two young daughters – we found it to be a great family destination. Here are five reasons you should put it on your must-visit list. When you think of family destinations, you’re probably not considering Bangkok, but it’s a great place to kick off your holiday in Thailand.

Image: Getty Whether it’s tossing a stir fry in a wok, boiling linguine or heating tomato soup, the cooktop is where it happens. However you cook, you want a stovetop that suits your needs and budget. Let’s compare three popular choices: gas, electric and induction. Cooking with gas has long been popular and you’ll still find gas cooktops in about half of Aussie kitchens.

Fog filled valleys and dramatic sunsets in the Clare Valley. Image: SATC With steam rising from hearty lunches, unhurried conversations by cosy fireplaces, and pauses within sheltered remains of a time long past, the Clare Valley’s winter glow is why off-season travel is where the real magic happens. Chionophile (that’s a lover of winter) or not, a cosy escape to the historic and picturesque Clare Valley is hard to resist.

Image: Getty Our roads are full of intersections – T-junctions, crossroads, roundabouts, dog legs… you name it. See if you know the rules to safely negotiate these real-life SA intersections. *Enter your answers, then click ‘see my results’ at the end to check your score. 1. The blue car is turning left onto Osmond Terrace but there's a red left-turn arrow shown. There's space in the left lane to pull up next to the red car, but the blue car would be stopped in a bike lane.

Image: Getty Earlier this year, we shared a list of five common habits that are quietly damaging your car. Here are five more, and what to do to avoid harming your vehicle. Click here to read our original list of five car-damaging habits. Cars aren’t engineered for repeated short trips. Without reaching the ideal operating temperature of 90C to 105C, your engine can’t fully lubricate moving parts, recharge the battery or burn off moisture.

Image: Getty. Chances are you’ve heard that leaving a child alone in a car can be catastrophic, especially on hot days. So, is there ever an acceptable time to leave them in a vehicle and, if so, at what age? First things first, RAA advises that a child should never be left unattended in a vehicle, even for those quick dashes into the servo to pay for fuel. However, it’s not actually illegal to leave a child alone in a car in South Australia.

Image: Getty. Driving off into the sunset isn’t as liberating as it looks in the movies. In fact, driving when the sun dips below the horizon can be dangerous if you’re not prepared. Did you know people who have perfect vision can still find it hard to see about 100 metres in front of them while driving at night? We answer five night-time driving questions to keep you and other road users safe as the days get shorter and the sky gets darker.