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Travel Article - 5 tips for gap-packing in Australia

As a popular destination amongst British students taking a gap year, Australia gives temporary working visas to 30,000 of our best minds every year. A reason Australia is so popular amongst our youth is that it is possible to work while in Australia to fund your stay. Prepare for your visit down under by:

  • Getting yourself a Working Holiday Visa: This type of visa allows you to stay in or travel to and from Australia for up to a year. You can apply if you are aged 18-30, have £2120 in the bank and a return plane ticket.

  • If you want to save on travel and see a few more countries you may be interested in getting a “round-the-world” ticket that costs around £1300. This type of ticket will not be direct to Australia but will make stops on the way there and on the way back. If you don’t want to stop off or visit anywhere other than Australia then a straight return ticket to Australia will suffice. With so many flights available it is worth shopping around for the best deal on comparison like Cheap Flights. At the time of writing flights to Australia were available for as little as £589 from Heathrow to Sydney flying with China Eastern.

  • You will have to decide how you plan to travel around Australia; whether it is going to be by air, road or rail you will need to think about this due to the vast size of the country. Most people tend to fly between cities in Australia but as a gap year student you will obviously want to view and experience the country and culture rather than get from one place to another as quickly as possible. Cheap hotels can be booked in most towns and cities (try lastminute.com for several options) but to save money many gap year students choose to take to the road and camp as much as possible. Road travel can provide you with this opportunity although it will likely mean spending hours in a car or coach. Coach companies such as ‘Wayward Bus’ and ‘Oz Experience’ may prove costly compared to a conventional coach that will take you from one place to another but these companies have been specifically set up for travellers and “gap-packers” and should prove a more enjoyable and fulfilling trip.

  • While thinking about ways to have fun on your trip you will also need to think of ways to raise funds to finance this fun! The majority of jobs you find will be manual labour and won’t pay that highly, bars and restaurants may prove a good option for casual work. Employment agency ‘Free Spirit’ specialise in finding “gap-packers” temporary work, but it should be noted that just asking around may be just as effective if you are unsure of your specific travel destinations within Australia.

  • Last and definitely not least make sure you get sufficient travel insurance for your trip before leaving. Look around; there are a lot of insurers, but you need to figure out what activities you will be doing as they will probably be more adventurous than the average holidaymaker. Many insurers provide specialist backpacker insurance that cover many aspect of your trip, including some forms of casual work. For further information search the internet for “backpacker insurance” and decide what will suit your journey best.