2nd November 2024

 

 

Long story very very short, here’s what I did in my first four months in Australia:

 

I booked a one-way flight with a god-awful airline company for 500 British pounds - a steal, worth the torment I went through on my first solo flight? Probably not.

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I arrived in Melbourne, spent three days on my own exploring the city but mainly fighting the anxiety, crippling jet-lag and overwhelming impulse to get on the next flight home.

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After not really getting over this, I embarked on a 50-day tour up the East Coast with a group of strangers, staying in Cairns for two more weeks before meeting up with my best friend Amy in Adelaide.

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I then went to Perth for around three weeks, staying with a family friend.

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All before ultimately coming to the conclusion that I had a total of zero friends and a social life that was six feet underground, so naturally, it was time to go back to Sydney.

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I paid for a 1-week surf camp, where shortly after, I had completely ran out of money and had a grand total of 25 quid to my name.

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Which meant I had no choice but to find a job, finally. 

 

 

Let's break it down financially:

 

​- I worked my arse off for years to save £10000

 

- I spent almost 4000 of that before I even got on the plane (including everything from travel insurance to an admittedly excessive amount of bikinis)

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- The tour cost roughly £3000 (it was steep but definitely worth it).

 

- In Australia itself though, I spent the remaining £6000 in four months (bearing in mind most of my big activities/experiences were covered by the tour) 

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- My surf camp cost around £400.

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- And I had a couple of flights dotted here and there 

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- But, I actually couldn’t tell you where the majority of this money went…probably on multiple vodka raspberries.

 

In hindsight, what I did right:

 

- ​Going alone

- Booking a one-way flight

- Doing a tour

- Seeing Australia’s five biggest cities

- Doing a surf camp 

- Getting a feel for a lot of different places before deciding where I was going to find a job

 

Let's just firstly say there is definitely no right or wrong when it comes to travelling.

 

I know so many people that travelled with friends and had the best time, and there were moments where I did somewhat wish I had the people I loved most by my side to share these incredible experiences with.
 

With that being said, if you are even considering travelling a TINY bit but don’t have anyone to go with or are too scared to do it alone, you will honestly surprise yourself with how fine you are.

 

I booked a one-way flight because I had no intention of coming home within the year. Even if this is definitely not the case for you personally, I’d still argue the case against buying a return. You may love it here, and want to stay longer, or you could hate it, and want to cut your trip short by six months. The bottom line is you just do not know. I’ve heard too many stories of people being tied down to return flights and having to spend thousands of dollars trying to change their date or cancel it all together. 

 

If you are nervous or scared to go alone, doing a tour is so amazing. Firstly, you don’t have to organise a single thing, you just rock up and let someone else do all the planning and work. You are also guaranteed to meet people, and they are also probably going to be very like-minded. This can easily set up your social circle after the tour ends with little to no effort on your behalf. 

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With that being said, there are definitely negatives to a tour. If you’re someone that likes to do things on their own timeline, and are so laidback you’re almost horizontal, then it’s probably not for you. There are things you inevitably miss out on, or places you wish you could stay longer in, or leave straight away, and you evidently have no control over any of this. If this sounds like you, I’d suggest just probably raw-dogging your trip and hoping for the best instead. 

 

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In hindsight, what I did wrong:

 

- Buying the cheapest flight I could find

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If it’s your first time flying alone or doing long-haul, maybe spend a little extra on feeling that bit more comfortable. It’s the first huge step and is daunting in of itself. I’m not saying you should go and pay for an Emirates first class ticket, but small things like  giving yourself just one layover instead of two, or booking a window seat, are massively going to ease you into the journey, and thus, ease you into the trip  

 

- ​Leaving it until the last possible minute to get a job when I had barely a dollar left to my name

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I had spent years and years saving for this trip, and as the time had come to finally spend that money, best believe I was going to spend it. However, I was probably thinking about money too little. I would have saved myself a lot of stress if I had started looking for a job even just a month earlier, so I wasn’t cutting it so ridiculously fine.

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- Going to Western Australia 

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Okay let’s not get this confused I do NOT regret going to Perth one bit, it’s absolutely stunning and the beaches shit on the ones over on the east. HOWEVER, I would have done things a little differently, it’s no way near as ‘backpackery’ as the familiar East Coast route, which can be great; but for me, I found it near impossible to meet anyone, and that’s coming from someone who could start a conversation with a brick wall. In my advice, you should 100% go to WA, but go with a friend, or have a few contacts there at least. 

 

Overall Consensus

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Overall, Australia isn’t for everyone, and travelling long-term isn’t for everyone, but you will never know unless you try. I know people that have lived out here for ten years, or come home after only six weeks (and can I just say neither of those is right or wrong). But I feel like I have grown more as a person over the last two years than I have in 21 years.

 

So if you’re considering it even the tiniest bit, just honestly book the fucking flight.