Australian budget travel tips
Advice for backpackers and working holiday makers in Australia
Backpacking in Australia is great fun, but can be hard at times. Here are some great tips that will enable travellers to enjoy life on the cheap in the country.
Go for value, not price
If you’re booking a trip, it’s often tempting to go for whichever is cheapest. However, what seems the cheapest may not be, and it’s often not the best value for money. There are often hidden extras in the cheap deal, even if it’s something like having to buy your own meal on one night. Have a look around, and look at what is included – and more importantly, what is not included – with each one. You don’t want to spend three days crammed into a festering hole, just because it was five dollars less than the tour you’ll have the time of your life on.
Pack something warm
We all know that Australia is a land of constant sunshine. After all, have you ever seen rain in Neighbours or a Fosters ad? Well, as you will soon discover, this is a vicious, callous lie. You’ll suddenly discover that it is freezing at the weirdest of times, be it at night in the middle of the desert, or during summer going down a windswept coastal road. At times like these, you need a jumper. Or at least an extra layer that you can throw on top. Similarly, if you’re camping out under the stars, don’t be under any illusion that it will be toasty warm all night. It won’t, but if you’ve got a beanie on your head, you’ll be considerably warmer than the other poor buggers that didn’t think of it. As your mum always told you, 80% of the heat escapes through your head.
Bottle-opener keyrings
Whilst most beer bottles have twist tops, it is Murphy’s law that the only time it isn’t is when you’re in the middle of nowhere, and you’ve got no access to a bottle opener. Having one as your keyring in these circumstances will make you the most popular person for miles around.
Treat yourself occasionally
If you’ve gone three weeks, getting a maximum of four hour’s sleep every night, then you’re hardly going to enjoy anything you do. You’ll be too busy trying to get some extra shut-eye to actually look at what’s around you. If this is the case, it is often worth being an anti-social swine for a night, and splashing out on a room for yourself. Often this will only cost you the equivalent of two nights in a dorm, and because you have your own space, the temptation to go out and spend a fortune in the pub won’t be there either. So, not only will you get a much-needed chance to relax and sleep, but you’ll also probably save money in the long run.
Don’t be too rigid in your schedule
From personal experience, the best nights you have whilst travelling are the ones that come up completely unexpectedly. You can be in what seems like the world’s sleepiest village, but suddenly it goes off for no apparent reason. Therefore, it is so sad to see people who seem to have every minute of their trip planned out ahead of them, and won’t deviate from the itinerary. As far as I’m concerned, if an interesting opportunity comes up, you should take it, and damn the consequences. If it’s not in the plan, so what? You’ll never get this chance to be so recklessly spontaneous again, and the worst regrets are the things you haven’t done, rather than the things you have.
Keep shower gel in a separate plastic bag
Shower gel is great. It makes you smell nice, and keeps you lovely and clean. However, it can turn on you viciously, and whilst it is great on you, it is less great on your toothbrush, razor and all four clean pairs of pants. If it even vaguely looks like it could leak at some point, put it in a separate back, and spare yourself the rage.
Make the effort
There are few things more disappointing than being in a hostel/ tour bus full of dullards. However, in reality, all the seemingly dull people need to turn them into party animals is someone to initiate things. You’ll never know how people are going to be, or what you’ll miss out on, unless you make the effort to talk to them. If you wait for someone else to suggest a night out, or clambering up to a lookout, they probably never will. If you do it yourself, others will usually follow, and it’s to the benefit of you all.
Check your tickets
Speaking as someone who, at 1.30am in the morning, tried to board a plane from Darwin to Sydney, only to find out that the ticket was for the week before, believe me, it pays to be anal. That little oversight meant that I had to buy another ticket that was double the non-refundable original price. A grown man should rarely cry, but then it was entirely justified.
