10 Tips for a First Time Backpacker in Australia

Tips for backpacking Australia for the first time, from our travel editor…

It’s okay not to have a plan

Australia is unbelievably easy to travel around, especially the East Coast. There are so many travel agents out there; you can book once you arrive. Everybody is doing variations of the same journey and they speak English so there is no trouble with translations! I arrived in Australia with nothing but three nights’ accommodation and a return flight booked for six weeks later and it turned out to be the best plan of all.

Be frugal…at the beginning

It’s so tempting to start splashing the cash as soon as you get off the plane backpacking Australia but try to hold off. Spend money on things that you really want to do but maybe give the fancy restaurant or really expensive bar a miss. You’d hate to find yourself missing an opportunity a few weeks later because you have to be super tight with your money after spending it all at the beginning.

Spend your money on the right things

There will be a time – either before or at the beginning of the trip – where you part with a big chunk of money for what is arguably one of the most expensive parts of the journey – transport. Whether it’s a bus ticket (I’d recommend the greyhound buses), camper van or internal flights, get it all booked so that you know how you’re getting from A to B.

Don’t be scared of communal areas

I was so daunted by the common rooms and kitchens at first. I thought, rather self-consciously, that everybody would be looking at me because I was a ‘newbie’ and they could somehow tell that this was my first time travelling. That fear goes when you realise that everybody is in the same boat – you’re all staying in the same hostel so it doesn’t matter if you’ve done it once or one hundred times.  

Appreciate the people you meet – even the crazies!

You will meet everybody from the ‘I’m on my gap yahs’ to the strange girl that sleeps all day. Some of these people will be part of the best – and funniest – parts of your travels. The psycho girl that we thought would start a brawl? We laugh about it now!

Be nice to people

Australia is a big country but it’s amazing how many people you meet and then bump into further along the journey. The last thing you want is to arrive at a new destination and find that you’re in a dorm or on a boat with somebody you argued with two weeks ago.

Don’t be pressurised by travel agents

There are travel agents all over the place selling everything from bus tickets to helping you book the next six months of travel. When we first arrived, we had a rough idea of what we wanted but went into a well-known (remaining unnamed) chain. The guy started off super friendly and explained our options and the various deals. When we said that we were going away to decide which option we wanted to choose, he got quite rude and said that we really ought to book now with him. Don’t give in. If it’s not right for you then don’t do it. I’m sure he was only thinking of his commission. We ended up booking the same trip with someone else. (Screw you, Evan!)

Walk. Walk. Walk

My sister and I walked everywhere. I can still tell you exactly how to get to the Sydney Harbour Bridge from our hostel or the train station in Brisbane. You see so much that you wouldn’t normally see from the bus or a taxi if you walk. On our first day in Sydney we went for a walk and got so lost but saw so much of the city away from the tourist traps. (If you are going to walk, maybe take a map or at least have an idea of where you’re going!)

Call home

I might be generalising but I think that this is more for the boys! My sister and I are good at checking in with our parents when we’re away but my brother is a nightmare. Last year, after two weeks in the Galapagos, my parents got a text saying ‘Need new wellies’ from my brother and that was it. Sometimes it’s easy to forget to phone or check in because you’re busy or travelling between destinations. Just let them know that you’re safe, alive and enjoying yourself.

Enjoy it

Australia is a great place and I am so glad I visited. Enjoy yourself. Have fun. Think of all the stories you’ll have to tell people when you get home. “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta