Australia!

[dw_rc...Confused]

So I’m thinking of backpacking around Australia for a while. Maybe for 2-3 months. I’ve heard it’s a little pricy so I was just wondering what kind of budget in Oz Dollars would I need for; accommodation, some trips, transport, food (willing to budget the food a lot) and drink!

 

I’ve been planning a trip like this for a while but due to friends not being available for dates and a lack of cash I’ll probably be heading down under alone. Anyone else done this? I’m guessing I’ll meet plenty of people along the way? I'm not worried about being alone but is there a good load of backpackers all year round?

 

Also I was thinking it would be a waste to travel that far and not see some other nearby places. If I wanted to include Thailand and maybe Vietnam in my travels as well how much more cash would I need? I hear those two are really cheap once you’re there so I guess not that much more?

 

Just looking for advice from any peeps who’ve done this trip or similar before? What’s the cheapest route to go to in terms of actually getting there? Is it cheaper to fly direct to Oz and then to Thailand etc? Or maybe go to Thailand first?

 

Also looking for experiences of those who have backpacked alone, how did u find the experience?

 

Any advice welcome guys!

[mouseno4]

Someone actually asked the same thing some time ago. He had 9000 (no sure if it was aud/usd). Everyone replied with ''more than enough''.

 

Swing by my place and say hi if you want.

 

As for the other countries, i do not know. My father visited Indonesia a few times - and quite frankly could live in royalty for a solid month - on a weeks pay (once the air fare was paid for). I cant say it is the same for Vietnam or Thailand, but that is the info i have.

[abitbroken]

BTW, they verify if you have enough funds or arrangements to get back home. There have been plenty of people who decide to go Australia "on walk about" and don't plan how to get home or think they can just stay for months on end. So have all of your papers in order to a t and some kind of itinerary, even if it is very flexible, as far as someplace you will stay at some point.

[Bunney]

Hi! I was happy to read this cause soon I'm going on a world trip and Thailand & Australia are one of my main goals.

 

For accommodation in Australia I would recommend CouchSurfing or Hospitalityclub, so you can not only get free accommodation but also meet very cool people. That's what I'll do, cuz if I spent every night in a hostel, even if they are quite cheap, it would still cost too much altogether.

 

accommodation (and everything else for that matter) in Thailand is so cheap you don't really need to plan in more than a few hundred bucks for that. I heard you do not need more than 100-150 dollars for about 4 weeks traveling through Thailand.

 

 

Transport in Australia you could of course buy a greyhound buspass, they have cool offers but it's quite pricey so why not just go look on sites where people offer lifts etc. like

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or

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Transport in Thailand is also ridicolously cheap so I wouldnt worry about that

 

If you're looking to go from Australia to Thailand (or the other way around, I'd do Down Under first tho, seems easier from where you live) I recommend tiger airways, they often offer REALLY cheap flights from Perth/Sydney etc to Bangkok and Phuket and vice versa.

 

But within the country really try not to spend so much money on hotels/hostels and bus etc. You'll meet soo many other backpackers who will be more than happy to offer rides etc. (So no need to worry about being "alone" either. Especially in countries like Thailand and Australia it is pretty much impossible to stay alone, you're sort of bound to meet other travelers that you'll share parts of your journey with)

 

Book a backpacker hostel for the first (and perhaps second) night after arriving. Look at the blackboards, you'll find notes from people who are offering rides or looking for someone to travel with.

 

From there on, everything's gonna work out all by itself!

[mouseno4]

Tiger airways are currently grounded pending investigation.

 

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And check out Garuda airways. My father uses them every single year, for many years now. And their value blows him away, in terms of price and what you get.

 

If you plan to fly within the state of Victoria, check out Rex as they have been used quite a lot by my family and have been given high praise.

[Bunney]

Grounded? what happened to them, not too long ago when I checked tickets on their site it was all good. Oh well

[mouseno4]

They are being investigated due to reports their safety was in question.

 

And to be honest - any air travel company that gets grounded by the civil aviation authority... because of issues with safety... do you really want to fly with them?

 

But yes, i have had family members use them and they were really cheap. But if that is due to skimping on safety... nobody in my family will ever be using them again.

[Bunney]

Hmmm I did a research on them once and nowhere there was a word about them being unsafe. Now I really don't have a clue whether or not they are, but from what I know basically all airlines have the same standards in terms of safety, doesn't matter if its a high class or low budget airline. So dunno but I guess in time we will see

[mouseno4]

Google it. You will find pages upon pages of it.

 

In the end, when you get so many hits reporting safety is a concern - do you really want to bet your life on them?

[Bunney]

Eh no ofc I wouldn't, if they really are unsafe. Thing is though people say the same about ryanair and other low budget airlines, equalizing cheap tickets with low safety, while ryanair is one of the safest airlines in the world. But like I said time will tell if the suspicions about tiger airways are true.

[ApocalypseDreams]

Where and what are you planning to stay, see and do while in Australia?

 

It's difficult for someone who lives here for me to say how much you will need. I'd say a budget of around 100 dollars a day might be ok? I'd say, if you into going out alot and drinking alot you will need a lot of money. Alcohol in pubs, bars and clubs is expensive here. Where I live the cheapest pint of beer would be close to 7 dollars and you can pay 12 to 15 dollars for a good imported beer. The average pint is around 10 dollars. If I were you I'd leave most of my drinking and partying until you get to Thailand. Believe me, the partying in Thailand will be alot better.

 

Just to reiterate something someone else said earlier, make sure you have your documents in order and you have evidence of onward flight tickets, some evidence of accommodation while here, evidence of funds and an idea of what you will be doing etc. Australia is pretty concerned and suspicious with people moving here (unfortunately, there is some bias against some people from certain countries and nationalities) and working illegaly and if for some reason they believe that your stay isn't what you are making it out to be you'll probably be questioned regarding your stay. It's not a big deal if you prepare all the documents you need and have the evidence that you are a backpacker and you are intending to move on within the time period your visa allows.

 

Something I found useful when I was backpacking is the Wikitravel website which provides pretty handy information. I found most instances the info in there is more up to date and accurate than the lonely planet guides. Gives info on how much you'll be paying for accommodation, food and other expenses so you can get an idea of budget. Check it out if you haven't already done so.

[dali]

If you're looking to go from Australia to Thailand (or the other way around, I'd do Down Under first tho, seems easier from where you live) I recommend tiger airways, they often offer REALLY cheap flights from Perth/Sydney etc to Bangkok and Phuket and vice versa.

 

Go with Jetstar, which is apart of Qantas I've read.. I just checked on the net and it's $340 one way to Thailand through them. Budget carrier but it's only a 8-9 hour flight. Tiger have a terrible reputation, don't bother with them according to reviews.

 

Also I was thinking it would be a waste to travel that far and not see some other nearby places. If I wanted to include Thailand and maybe Vietnam in my travels as well how much more cash would I need? I hear those two are really cheap once you’re there so I guess not that much more?

 

Depends on your budget. How much do you have? Tell us that and we can help more.

 

Thailand has gotten more expensive around the tourists trap area's and to be honest tourism has ruined a wonderful country. The good thing is it's westernized so it's easy to adapt and the culture shock is less so than other countries.

 

Vietnam is less expensive and I think better than Thailand, without the beaches. It hasn't been ruined as Thailand has by the ugly sex tourists and redneck bogan drunks that infest Thailand.

 

Can I suggest checking out Laos and Cambodia while in the region, both are what Thailand was like 20 years ago, I.e third world countries. Wild and crazy places with where people don't take the rule of law seriously.

 

And just a reminder you can buy anything in Asia so just have a bit of bribe money for the police in case you want to have fun. LE and being a "police man" (extortion racket more like it) is a entrepreneurial enterprise over there.

[dw_rc...Confused]

Cheers for the advice guys esp the low budget airline people. That could save me a nice bit of cash.

 

I have approx $7.5k Oz Dollars. From what you guys say that isn't too bad. If I need more I don't mind washing dishes and bar work if need be, in fact that could be kind of fun.

 

Money was my main concern really. But has anyone done the whole alone thing? I am interested in that quite a bit as well? Esp in some of OZ which are quite isolated and the rural parts of Thailand etc.

[dali]

Yeah I've traveled through Thailand alone and Asia quite a bit, I've got some crazy stories that I'll share, maybe go into more detail later if have time. Basically the far bottom south has some trouble with extremist groups while I was there, it's not dangerous but there was a bit of trouble brewing. I don't really get scared that much so it didn't bother me, things can get pretty hairy in Asia but Thailand one of the safest places for westerners, the hippy trail has been there since the 60's. The north near the Burmese border and surrounding areas can get pretty hairy, There is a huge army presence to stop heroin smuggling, if you know Thai culture they are probably getting kickbacks anyway and a smuggling it themselves.

 

If you've got the urge to get into Burma it's pretty hard, I payed a guide to get me over the border into Burma on the sly, I like adventure so I kind of got a kick out of it. For 850 baht per day I got taken around the Burmese & Thai countryside and stayed in a village hut for day, awesome experience and a shock to your system when you see how people live. Rural Asia you really do see the poverty, so if you go off the beaten track expect feel a bit of culture shock but the people are generally nice. Some things I didn't like were being offered children for sex, yeah it's sad but it happens and having to pay a bribe at every stupid roadblock they love getting there 'farrang tax' as it's called.

 

What else Chang Mai is pretty cool city. It's less touristy than the south and islands, not a lot of sleazy german/british tourists and their rent a girlfriends like you see in the south. I hired a motorbike and drove around the area which was pretty cool.

 

Australia is a great place to visit but 3 months on $7.5k is going to be tough, it can be done but your not going to have a lot left for Thailand. Your looking at minimum $40 oz a night staying at a hostel, food probably $30 minimum if you eat take away and buy stuff from 7/11. Then entertainment clubs/bars etc have costs like entry fee, drink prices are high too. Also it's a big country and to get around costs money. It's not like Europe where you can catch a train for 40 pounds to Paris, there is no fast rail or services like the euro-rail network. I'd say you would be looking at minimum $160-$300 per flight ticket between major cities rising up to major cities. Public transport is relatively poor compared to Europe/japan and it's expensive $8 a day for a day ticket.

[lost1607307474]

Tiger airways aren't unsafe, they are just going broke. That being said I would NEVER fly Tiger because they are SO unreliable! Every friend of mine who has flown with Tiger has had their flight delayed or cancelled.

 

If you're doing some domestic flights within Australia I would definitely go with JetStar. Also, if you're backpacking around here in Aus, check out New Zealand while you're on this side of the world! It's beautiful and it's SO CHEAP compared to Australia! I backpacked through there a couple of years ago.