Talking of Australia, the first three things that come to your mind are Kangaroos, Sydney Opera House and Steve Irwin. As Australians fondly refer their country as ‘The Land Down Under’ is full of weirdly amazing stuff. Every year, thousands of Indians book Australia tours, for education or work related purposes.
1. Australia is Expensive: Save those extra dollars!
If you are travelling on a tight budget, you might want to research well before you book a best deal for Australia tours. This stunning country is generally quite expensive and your per day budget might come to 100 AUD which is quite a lot.
Accommodation: You can opt to stay at hostels instead of hotels or consider taking AirBnB accommodation to minimize your budget.
Meals: You might also want to consider cooking your own food to save up on food as a meal at a restaurant can vary between 35-50 AUD. If you are lazy to cook, skip the fancy restaurants and find cheap food joints by asking the locals. Melbourne and Sydney have very cheap restaurants that serve good food and if you are at more rural areas, look for small joints that serve fish and sticks.
2. Australia is really huge: Research well in advance
Being the 6th largest country in the world, Australia is quite massive so don’t kid yourself to think you can cover it all on a short trip. A majority of the Australian population lives on the coast so interior Australia, besides the east coast, is vastly uninteresting to travel unless you want to take a trip to the bushlands.
Travel Tip: Plan in advance about all the places you want to cover. Trust us, you don’t want to spend too much time on road trips on endless roads for days at a stretch.
3. No concept of tips in Australia: Phew!
Yes you heard it right, you don’t have to tip in Australia. The minimum wage for an Australian worker is $16.87 an hour so they don’t really need to rely on tips. However, like we said, Australia is so damn expensive that tipping won’t really cross your mind.
4. Southern Coast of Australia: Winter is comin
Don’t let the movies and books always fool you. The not-so-spoken- word about winters here, can be really cold and some parts have reported temperatures of -2 degree Celsius even.
Travel Tip: While snow isn’t very common, if you are travelling between April to July (Australian Winters), keep your jackets and gloves handy, you might need them pretty bad.
5. Internet is expensive so prepare to stay offline
For all you Snapchatters, Whatsappers and Instagrammers, bad news! While most places in Australia provide you with internet connectivity, it’s not the best. If you plan to take a local connection, be careful of the prices as it can be quite expensive.
Sim Options: Vodafone or Virgin, both cost about 30AUD but terrible internet network.
Alternative Options: Consider opting for Telstra Pay As You Go Sim card which costs about 35AUD is completely worth it.
6. Kangaroos and Koalas aren’t everywhere
For those of you looking forward to Australia tours in order to witness the fantastic indigenous wildlife, don’t be lured into thinking that you will find Kangaroos and Koalas everywhere you go. There are a lot of different kinds of Kangaroos in Australia so research in advance about their types and their locations in the country.
Red Kangaroo, which is the most commonly found Kangaroo, is largely found in the central part of the country. Similarly, other commonly associated animals and birds of Australia such as koala, echidna, dingo, platypus,wallaby, emu and wombat are found mostly in specific locations, if you wish to observe them in the wild as opposed to in a zoo. Hence, look up the places where you can find the animals you seek to observe beforehand in order to avoid disappointment
Best Places to go for wildlife: Queensland, Victoria and Australian Bush are your best options.
7. Save money on transportation
If it wasn’t clear before, we repeat Australia is an expensive place to visit. However, the transportation here can be quite cheap if you travel smart. If a road trip is one of your most desired thing to do in Australia, the, here is a travel guide regarding best transport to pick that won’t harm your budget.
Flight Options: Fly with budget airlines like Tiger Airways and Jetstar instead of Qantas and Virgin airlines.
Bus Options: Buses are a cheap option to consider for moving from city to city as you can easily obtain a bus pass. Greyhound Australia, Australia’s national bus service, offers a wealth of discounts and specials, sometimes up to 50 percent off.
Train Options: A cheap way to move around is the railway service which is very affordable. A single adult economy class rail ticket from Melbourne to Sydney costs about 91 AUD which is certainly more cheaper than taking a flight.
Transport Hacks: Certain cities in Australia have free transportation rules such as Brisbane where certain bus routes are free within the city center. There are similar services in Perth and Sydney which will certainly help you stick to your budget.
8. Consider touring on a cruise
If you are someone who doesn’t like to unpack more than once while travelling, take an Australian cruise to tour. While this might seem like a bad idea, especially for a traveler on a budget, some cruises in Australia are actually quite cheap. There are cruises that charge less than 100AUD per night and include accommodations, meals, entertainment and transportation from each port to the next.
Cruise Options: Royal Caribbean, Princess and P&O Cruises Australia are just a few of the lines you could consider.
(Source: Thrillophillia)
Also Read: Twitterati wishes; Happy Birthday Virat Kohli