Creating a Travel Budget in Australia

Maze Backpackers - Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Travelling around Australia can be a fantastic way to spend your holidays, but it can also be quite expensive. If you hope to be able to travel for a long time, it’s important that you come up with a budget that’s realistic and that you can stick to. Your finances can quite easily make or break your trip, so if you’re travelling to Australia, keep the following items in mind when creating your Aussie travel budget.

Food

If you want to be able to travel for long, you may have to start getting used to smaller or less frequent meals. Working in the food or hospitality industry can save you a lot of money, and buying your own groceries and cooking your own food will save you a small fortune compared to eating out all the time.

Accommodation

The biggest expense most people have when travelling is their accommodation costs, so if you want to extend your holiday for as long as possible, avoid the larger cities and tourist hotspots. When it comes to the bigger cities, though, staying in hostels in Sydney and Melbourne can save you a fortune, with city central backpackers in Sydney one of the many fantastic options. If you have your own tent, you can camp in many parts of Australia for free, especially in Tasmania, so be sure to take advantage of this beautiful and cheap accommodation option. WWOOFing can also be a fantastic way to save money while enjoying a new experience, and you could potentially stay for free throughout your entire trip.

Alcohol

Even though you’ll definitely want to hit the bars and clubs wherever you may be, if you want your travel budget to hold up you’re best to put some limits on your pub and club expenditure. Consider buying your alcohol from the bottle shop and drinking at the hostel instead, as these nights can often prove more fun than the clubs anyway.

Sunscreen

Make sure you have money in your budget for sunscreen, as it is quite expensive and is not an item that you should go without.

Sport

You really should go to a major sporting event at some point during your visit to Australia, as sport is huge here and a big part of Australian culture. Attending a sporting event can cost a pretty penny, so pick one main one and budget for it in your travel budget.

Gambling

Australians are known for enjoying an occasional spot of gambling, and while most Aussies rarely if ever gamble, occasionally gambling becomes a big deal Down Under. If you’re in Australia on the first Tuesday of November for the Melbourne Cup, pretty much everyone will be putting on a bet, so if you want to partake in a great Australian tradition, include some gambling money in your budget.

Like any holiday, if you want your trip to Australia to have all the bells and whistles, you may not be able to afford to go for long. Make sure your travel budget is ready for the kind of trip you hope to have, as it would be sad to come all this way and not have enough money to do everything you were hoping to.