Working Holiday Australia

Let’s face it, a working holiday in Australia can be expensive, especially when you’re not working. Take advantage of these money-saving tips when you’re backpacking Australia:

• Cheap Tuesdays: Make sure to take advantage of the special offers available on Tuesdays. Bars in some parts of the country sell $2 drinks, Domino’s sells $5 large pizzas, you can go to the cinema for half the price and some shops let you hire (rent) a movie for $1.

• Mobile phone: Purchase your mobile phone recharge cards at Woolworths (called Safeway in some parts of the country) to save 10%.

• Student discounts: If you have a student ID, carry it with you at all times. There are a ton of discounts for students. One of the best ones is Student Rush at the Opera House where you can see a show for $50. My friend and I got a ticket near the front that normally cost $250.

• Alcohol: Take advantage of happy hour specials around town and at your hostel bar. Check out neighboring hostels for deals. Make sure to check out magazines, newspapers, brochures and Web sites for coupons and special offers. A little research can save you a ton of cash. Pre-drink before you go to the pub. At about $10 for 4 liters, goon (also known as casked or boxed wine) is one of the cheapest ways to get drunk. It’s also one of the best ways to get a nasty hangover. :p

• Food: Many hostels offer free breakfast and other free extras such as rice and pasta, so it’s worth asking around before booking. Other hostels offer free meals and snacks on barbecue nights, ice cream nights, pancake mornings, etc., so take advantage of any free food you can get. Similarly, many hostels offer cheap backpacker meals, so make sure to check out neighboring hostels as well as your own. It’s easy to find cheap meals in the larger cities like Sydney. Check out food courts, ethnic restaurants (kebab shops are always a good bet) and the markets for good deals. As with the alcohol, a little research up front can save you a ton of money. Try to cook in a group whenever possible to minimize leftovers and save money. If you’re traveling alone, ask your roommates or others at the hostel if they’d like to help cook and split a meal with you. Besides, cooking in a group is more fun! Some of the cheapest and easiest meals you can make include pasta and tomato sauce, macaroni and cheese, rice and beans, baked beans and toast, eggs, cereal and peanut butter and jelly (jam) sandwiches.

• Festivals and free concerts: Take a look at the local newspaper online to see what is going on in your town. Festivals are a great source of free entertainment, especially in the major cities.

• Museums: Museums in many of the major cities are free, and you can spend hours or days exploring them.

• Take a walk: You don’t have to spend money to see a city. Look online for recommended walking routes and grab a free map from your hostel. I had a fabulous time in Brisbane without spending any money other than food and accommodation. I walked around the city and visited museums and had a fabulous time. Sydney and Melbourne are also walkable cities, and I spent countless days exploring them without spending much money.

• Clothing: I had no trouble finding cheap clothes while on a working holiday in Australia. The markets in Sydney and other major cities are a great place to find cheap, disposable clothes. Also check out the thrift stores, Big W, Kmart and Target. If you keep your eyes open, a ton of smaller shops in the large cities also sell discount clothes.

• Accommodation: Consider purchasing a VIP card, which gives you a $1 per night discount at participating hostels. It may not seem a lot, but that’s $30 per month in your pocket and about $360 if you’re backpacking Australia for the year. If you are a frequent YHA visitor, you may want to purchase a YHA card to save some money. If you’re staying at the same place for a week or longer, ask for a weekly discount. You also may be able to work at the hostel for a free room, but I think this is a bad value when you consider your time and money. It may be a good short-term strategy if you’re strapped for cash though. When traveling, consider taking an overnight bus, plane or train journey to save on accommodation for a night. If you like camping and have the proper equipment, it is much cheaper than staying at hostels.

• Books: Instead of purchasing new books, trade your used books at your hostels. If you have an in-demand book in good condition, you may be able to make some money from it at a used bookshop. Don’t expect to get more than half of what you paid for it. If you’re going to be in a location for a long time, apply for a library card.

• Internet: Your hostel is usually the most expensive place to use the Internet since you’re paying a convenience charge. Internet cafes usually offer better rates. Many local libraries offer free Internet access and some don’t even require a library card. If you have a laptop, you have more options and can often find free wi-fi at cafes and other spots around town.

• Laundry: If there’s a clothesline available at your hostel, let your clothes air dry instead of putting them in the dryer. Handwash your clothes between regular washings to save some money.

• Transportation: Virgin Blue and JetStar typically offer the lowest airfare prices so make sure to check their sites directly as well as a few flight comparison sites. My favorite comparison site is farecompare.com. It’s worth it to purchase a VIP card if you’re traveling on Greyhound. The discount for my hop-on, hop-off Cairns to Sydney trip paid for the card. If you need to travel somewhere, but can’t afford a bus or plane ticket, it’s not difficult to find a cheap ride. Ask around and post a notice in your hostel asking for a ride and offering to chip in for gas. Many travelers are happy to carry an extra passenger to cut costs. I met many people who traveled their entire working holiday in Australia this way.

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Question:
I’m traveling to Australia on a working holiday visa and was wondering how long $5,000 (what the Australian government recommends) will last after ariving in Sydney or any other big city?

Is that amount enough to have fun during that time, though not getting nuts and getting drunk day in day out?

Answer:
I got by on about $5,000 for about two months, but I desperately needed to work by the end of it. If you can manage to earn or save up more money before you leave, I highly recommend it. That will give you a little bit more of a buffer so you don’t have to worry about getting a job right away while you’re backpacking Australia.

Here are a few costs to consider:

• Accommodation: This is going to be one of your biggest and least flexible expenses. Hostels run anywhere from $20 to $30 per night, sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the season, location and hostel. For example, when I stayed in Melbourne during the summer, most decent hostels ran at $32 or more each night! Going with higher numbers, let’s say $30 per night, that could run you about $1,800 on rent for two months.

• Food: You can keep food costs pretty low if you buy food from the supermarket and prepare your own meals. You can get by on $10 per day or much less if you are thrifty and eat every single meal in your room. But again, let’s go with the higher numbers and say $20 per day. That will allow you some cheap fast-food lunches. You’re probably not going to be in your room all day if you’re on a working holiday in Australia, so on the days you’re out sightseeing, you’ll probably have to eat out unless you want to bother with packing a lunch. That’s $1,200 just on basic food expenses for two months.

In just two months, you can easily spend $3,000 just on basic food and accommodation costs.

Now you have other expenses to consider. These will vary widely per person, but I recommend using high numbers to those backpacking Australia.

• Restaurants: Let’s face it, you aren’t going to cook and eat in all of the time. That would be no fun. I found that I ate out lots more than I thought I would.  A cheaper meal at a pub or casual restaurant can cost you $10-$15. A splurge at a nicer restaurant, and you should allow yourself an occasional one, can cost you $30 or more. If you go out just a few times a week (and believe me, you probably will, especially in your first weeks when you really don’t feel like cooking), you could spend $400 or more on restaurant meals in two months.

• Alcohol: This is a HUGE expense for most backpackers. It’s easy to spend over $100 on a big night out. If you have a several drinks about three or four nights out of the week, that could add up to $1,000 in two months! I know, I spent a fortune on alcohol, and I’m not even a huge partier.

• Internet: Hostels and some Internet cafes can cost $2 to $5 per half hour, though you can find cheaper and free in some places. You could spend $300 or more on Internet for two months.

• Mobile phone: It cost me nearly $30 per month for a recharge card from Vodafone. Again, there are cheaper options. That’s $60 for two months.

• Laundry: This will vary depending on how many clothes you have and how often you wash them. On average, it cost about $2 per wash and $1 per 10 minutes in the dryer. Assuming you do two loads every two weeks and dry for about 30 minutes, that’s about $56 for two months.

• Transportation: I’m not talking about long distance transportation here, but buses, subways, trains, taxis where you’re living. You can easily spend more than $5 per day on public transportation, depending on where you’re going. A one-way bus ticket within the city is much cheaper and runs a little over a $1. You could spend $300 in two months. I think that’s a rather high number, but you probably won’t be using public transport every day, and some days you may use a taxi, which will be a fortune.

• Health insurance: If you’re not covered under Medicare by a reciprocal agreement with your country and Australia, it’s recommended. Mine cost about $76 per month.

• Activities and transportation: This could be a couple hundred to over a thousand, depending on what you are doing.

• Other expenses: Don’t forget clothes, toiletries, souvenirs and other emergency items and expenses.

Using this example, with high numbers, you’d be over $5,000 for two months backpacking Australia, and that’s before activities, long-distance transportation and other random expenses. But I wanted to give this example because that’s what could happen if you don’t budget your money. I spent way too much on food and alcohol my first few months in Oz.

You can get by on $5,000 for two months, but you must budget. Just set aside a certain amount of money you can spend on food, alcohol, restaurants, etc., but you have to make it realistic. If you only allow yourself one restaurant meal per month, that’s probably not going to happen and you’re going to go over your budget. Same with alcohol. You’re going to want to go out a few nights a week, especially when you first get to Australia. I recommend budgeting using higher numbers, with a goal of spending less than that amount. That way you have extra money in your pocket to save for a rainy day.

I have lots of money-saving suggestions, but that’s a different post altogether.

If you have a question for Working Holiday Australia, please e-mail me or join the Working Holiday Australia Facebook Fan page.

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Effective July 1, you will have to pay $230 AUD to apply for the Australian Working Holiday visa.

The increase is $35 more than the previous application fee. The $230 AUD fee is the same to apply for both the Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) and the Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462).*

Also effective July 1, those applying for the Australian Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462), which includes those from the US, will now have a year instead of three months, to enter Australia after the visa application is approved.

*In most instances in this blog, I refer to both visas collectively as the Australian Working Holiday Visa because they are so similar. I always point out the minor differences when appropriate.

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If you enjoy this site, please become a fan of Working Holiday Australia on Facebook. It’s a brand new page developed as a supplement to this site, where you can discuss your experiences and ask questions about the working holiday visa and backpacking Australia.

It’s also a great way to keep up with this blog as I’ll post updates on the page whenever I have a new post here.

I look forward to speaking with you on Facebook. Visit the Working Holiday Australia Facebook page today.

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If you’re from the USA, you may be happy to know that if you’re granted a working holiday visa for Australia, you will soon have 12 months to enter Australia instead of three.

The legislative changes, which Working Holiday Australia confirmed with Department of Immigration officials today, will give American and other Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462) applicants one year to enter Australia after their visa application is approved. The changes will take effect for visa applications approved on or after July 1.

The changes only affect those applying for the Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462), which is for the following countries: USA, Chile, Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey.

According to the legislation, “this change will “provide subclass 462 visa holders with extra time to arrange their affairs before travelling to Australia.”

Those applying for the similar Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417), which includes those in the UK and Canada, already have one year to enter the country after they are granted a visa.

See this previous post for the differences between the two similar working holiday visas for Australia.

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A working holiday in Australia can be expensive, and the No. 1 mistake I saw from other backpackers was coming over to the country without enough money and having to go home early.

Although there is no magic number, I would recommend saving a minimum of $5,000 AUD (preferably more) before going to Australia on the working holiday visa.

And here’s why:
1. The Australian government requires you to have a minimum of $5,000 AUD to visit the country on the working holiday visa. However, because this requirement is not enforced, it’s easy for backpackers to enter Australia without the required funds.

2. It gives you a buffer in case you don’t find work right away. Just because you plan on working, doesn’t mean that you will have a steady, good-paying job a week after you land. It doesn’t work that way. It may take weeks to find your first job. And once you find a job, you may not get as many hours as you were expecting. At one of my jobs in Australia, I was promised 30 hours per week, but was only given about 16. At another job, I there were weeks where they had no work for me. The motto “Expect the best, prepare for the worst,” is appropriate here.

3. If you’re not working, you’re likely spending money. With all of that free time, it’s natural to go out more and do more sightseeing. You’re probably in the pub more often than you would be if you were working because you don’t have to be anywhere in the morning. I saw so many backpackers drink away their savings within weeks of arriving in Oz.

4. Housing adds up. Even if you don’t do anything fun until you get a job (and that would be boring) and eat Ramen or baked beans and toast every night for dinner, you can expect to pay $20-$30 per night for a decent hostel. During the holiday season, the rates in some areas go for more than $30 a night. This adds up quickly.

I’ll get into detailed budgeting in a future post, but if you’re planning on going on the working holiday in Australia, it’s crucial to start with at least $5,000 AUD. It’s not worth the risk of running out of money on your holiday, or running so low you have to live like a pauper. Start saving for your trip today and put the funds for your trip in a separate account if possible. 

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Part three in this series addressess the documents and other personal items you’ll need to pack for a working holiday in Australia.

Don’t leave home without your:

• Passport
• Driver’s License or other official government ID
• Bank card from your home country–You will probably need to use this to get cash from the ATM until you get a bank account set up in Australia.
• Credit card–I can’t stress this enough. Of course you want to stick to a budget and avoid using it whenever possible, but sometimes you may go over budget or may be faced with an emergency. if you don’t have a credit card, apply for one as soon as possible, or ask your parents if they can authorize you on their card on the condition that you will only use it in an emergency.

Documentation:

• Copy of your bank statement showing the equivalent of $AUD 5,000
• Evidence of return ticket home (if you don’t have $AUD 5,000)
• Copy of your electronic visa
• Evidence of health insurance, or your country’s health insurance card, if it has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia
• At least two copies of your passport, birth certificate, driver’s license and any other important documents you may need. Keep one with you and place another in your luggage. Keep another copy with a trusted friend or family member at home.

Books

Don’t bring anything with you that you aren’t prepared to leave in Oz. New books are expensive in Australia. Try to bring books that are popular and in good condition if you’d like to sell or trade your books at a used book store. You won’t get much for them, but in-demand items (e.g., the Twilight series) will fetch a higher price. Most hostels also offer free bookswaps, so it’s easy to get fresh reading materials for free.

If you have room, a travel guide such as Let’s Go (my personal favorite) or Lonely Planet) can be helpful while on your working holiday in Australia. But they can be bulky, so if you’re tight on space, just photocopy the pages of interest. You can always borrow a copy from one of your roommates at the hostel if you need to reference it later.

Dorm-room essentials:

• Earplugs–You will encounter noisy roommates and loud snorers. I can guarantee it. Again, it’s your responsibility to try to filter out the noise before complaining.
• Eyemask–If you want to go to bed, but the majority of your roommates are still awake, it’s considered rude to ask them to turn out the lights. It’s your responsibility to cover your eyes so you can go to sleep.
• Reading light–If everyone else wants the light out, you can still read and not bother them
• Lock–to secure your belongings in lockers in the dorm rooms

Other items you may want to bring:

• Camera, battery, battery charger
• Power converter (if you don’t have one, you can purchase one when you arrive)
• Journal and pens
• Laptop–I brought mine and never regretted it. Most hostels have computers with Internet access, but you usually have to pay for it. It was handy to have my computer and venture out to a cafe with free wi-fi. I also used it as an entertainment center in the hostel, using it to watch movies and listen to music. But not everyone should bring their laptop. Please see “Should You Bring a Laptop While Backpacking Australia?“

For the first two articles in this series on what to pack for your working holiday in Australia, see

Part I- What clothes to pack on your working holiday to Australia

Part II- What toiletries to pack on your working holiday to Australia

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Packing toiletries for your working holiday in Australia can be even more difficult than packing your clothes, especially if you’re female (or a high-maintenance male). If you’re like me, you have a million products, but you’re not going to be able to take them all with you. Start with the essentials.

Toiletry bag
This is a MUST if you’re staying in hostels. Get one with a hook so you can hang it. Believe me, it will make your life a million times easier if you have one.

Travel sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner and other toiletry items
I recommend bringing travel bottles (3 oz. or 150 mL or less) of your essential toiletries/cosmetics in your carry-on bag inside a plastic storage bag (remember to take it out for airport screening!). This way you still have shampoo, contact solution, etc., if your luggage gets lost. I should know, because my bag did not arrive with me in Sydney and I had to buy all new toiletry items just to last me a day and a half. And let me tell you, it was quite pricey to purchase everything at once! The travel bottles also will come in handy when you want to take short trips.

Full-sized bottles of shampoo and other toiletries
If you can fit a few full-sized bottles into your luggage or backpack, do it. I found some of my favorite brands of toiletries and cosmetics to be twice as expensive in Australia as they are at home. If you have a favorite, “I can’t live without this” product, you may want to bring a backup with you in case you can’t find it in Oz. If you’re sticking with the cheapest stuff around, you can just purchase what you need in Oz. If I were to do over again, I would have brought fewer clothes, and more toiletry items.

Here are a few toiletry items you may want to bring:

• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Body wash or soap
• Shower sponge
• Deodorant
• Facial Wash
• If you wear contacts: contact solution, case, extra pairs of contacts and glasses
• Moisturizer (get one with sunscreen)
• Sunscreen–30+ SPF
• Lotion
• Makeup bag
• Perfume or body Spray
• Finger- and toe-nail clippers
• Tweezers
• Small sewing kit
• Travel first aid kit– at the very least, bring band-aids and antibacterial cream
• Asprin, Advil or other pain-relieving medication

Check out Part I for what clothes to pack on your working holiday to Australia.

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I’m sure many of you taking a working holiday to Australia are obsessing about whether or not you are going to take a laptop to the country.

On the one hand, a laptop provides you freedom–you can work whenever you want and aren’t a slave to the costly hostel computers or Internet cafes. You can also use it as an entertainment center and watch movies on it.

On the flip side, bringing a laptop does raise security issues and add weight to your pack. You’ll need to be extra careful to make sure it doesn’t get damaged or stolen.

I was so happy I brought my laptop to Australia, but it may not be the best decision for everyone. For a detailed article I wrote, weighing the pros and cons of bringing your laptop on your working holiday in Australia, click here.

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Packing for your working holiday in Australia can be difficult. If you’re staying there an entire year you’re going to have to pack for all seasons. Around this time last year I was paring down my wardrobe and making some tough decisions. If I were to do over again, I would change my packing list, so I’ll share with you my mistakes and suggestions.

Before you start packing, here are a few questions that will help guide you through your wardrobe selection:

1. What seasons will you be in Australia and where will you be? If you will be anywhere from Sydney and south (especially Melbourne) during the winter, you will need some decent winter clothes. Be prepared.
2. Do you want to pack clothes for an entire year and all seasons, or do you plan on selling or throwing away your clothes as you go and buying new ones? You can find cheap, throwaway clothes in Australia, especially in the big cities like Melbourne and Sydney. I packed for all seasons, but ended up getting rid of and buying a lot along the way. Another option is to pack a box for yourself and have a friend or family member mail it to you later.
3. How much luggage are you bringing? Are you bringing a suitcase? Just a backpack? Two or more bags? 
4. How often do you plan on doing laundry?

Recommended packing list

You will need to adjust this to your personal style and situation. I know it’s common sense, but bring a lot of the things you normally wear and feel comfortable wearing. If you know you won’t wear it, don’t let it take up room in your bag.

The basics:

• Sneakers/trainers–Make sure they’re a comfortable, versatile pair to wear walking, hiking, etc. You want to have plenty of shock absorption, cushioning and traction. Running shoes are great if you have them.
• Flip flops/thongs–I recommend at least 2– one for the shower and one for everyday wear. You can purchase more while you’re over there if you need them.
• Jeans–If you’re like me and wear jeans almost every day, I suggest bringing two pairs if you can fit them into your luggage. It’s such a versatile item, especially in the cooler months, because you can wear them with anything, dress them up at night or dress them down during the day. I only brought one pair with me to Oz and ended up purchasing more jeans when I was there because one pair was not enough. If you’re not a jeans person or plan on being in Oz only during the summer, stick with one pair, or none at all.
• Lightweight, neutral-colored cargo pants–These were the second most-worn item in my luggage. They’re great for hiking and other outdoor activities because they breathe well, but still protect your legs.
• Shorts–At least 1-2 pairs
• Swimsuits–1-2
• Pullover Sweaters–1-2, but if you’re going to Oz during the winter, consider bringing more
• Dressy outfit to wear out clubbing or to a nice restaurant. For women, you can just pair a dressy top with your jeans. For guys, make sure you have at least one decent button-down shirt . I suggest bringing a few nice shirts that you can wear clubbing in case you go out multiple nights in a row and don’t want to be seen wearing the same outfit night after night.
• Nice pair of shoes for clubbing and/or work. If you’re female and go out often, you may want to bring two different pairs of heels or nice flats. Again, I ended up buying additional dress shoes in Oz because one pair wasn’t enough.
• Light jacket/hoodie/cardigan sweater
• T-shirts–Bring several, both long-sleeved and short-sleeved, casual (something you can sleep in) and dressy (something you could go to a bar or restaurant in)
• Tank tops/singlets
• Comfortable pants like yoga pants or sweat pants for sleeping or bumming around.
• Dresses/skirts–If you’re a woman, I highly recommend bringing a few lightweight dresses for those scorching days. Look for fabrics that don’t easily wrinkle. I brought several dresses and wore them all the time in the summer because they were more comfortable than pants or shorts. Jean skirts are especially versatile.
• Underwear–At least a week’s worth, more if possible to reduce trips to the laundry
• Socks–At least a week’s worth of non-cotton athletic socks (the ones designed to prevent blisters) are the best when you’re walking around.
• Winter coat–Believe me, if you’re going to be in Sydney or south in the winter, you will need something warmer than a light jacket or sweater. I didn’t bring one and ended up purchasing one for $50 AU the day after I arrived.

Work Clothes
If you’re taking a working holiday in Australia, try to bring a basic work outfit with you. That way if you go for an interview and the employer asks if you can start the same day (this happened to me several times!), you won’t be in a mad rush to purchase your black outfit. However, if you don’t already have these items in your wardrobe, don’t go out of the way to buy them before you leave.

If you plan on working in hospitality, you should bring:

• Black pants–if you plan in working in hospitality, 99% of employers will require you to wear them. If you plan on working in an office, they’ll be a staple in your wardrobe.
• Black shirts–Again, this is a must for hospitality folks. If you have room, bring two–perhaps one long-sleeved and one short-sleeved shirt
• Pair of comfortable, black work shoes for hospitality workers. Make sure they are well-cusioned and have plenty of traction. Many employers will accept black trainers (sneakers), while others prefer a more polished-looking shoe. Just bring what you have and you can purchase a cheap pair when you get there if necessary.
• Black socks–For hospitality workers
• Nice blouse/shirt–to wear to interviews (pair with your black pants). If you plan on working in an office, you’ll probably want to bring several.

Optional:

• Business suit or jacket for interviews. If you are aiming for a more professional job or internship, try to fit this into your luggage. For hospitality workers, it’s not really necessary.

Again, if you don’t have all of these items, don’t go out of your way to purchase them now because they’ll only take up room in your bag. Bring what you have of your existing clothes and you can easily fill the gaps when you arrive in Oz. There are plenty of places to find cheap clothes. And make sure to leave room for clothes you will inevitably purchase.

See part II for a list of toiletry items you should pack on your working holiday to Australia.

I’d love to hear your comments and suggestions on what to pack for a working holiday in Australia.

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