ephas
9 October 2020
Australia is one tourist destination that is truly amazing in every way, be it the golden sand beaches, the forests and trekking or the night life. Australia has got it all right and makes for a perfect vacation spot, the country is vast and has something for everyone.
However, it can be a very expensive experience if you don’t plan things in advance. When travelling on a budget every dollar saved counts, so follow these tips and make the most out of your vacation.
Here are some tips to save big while vacationing in Australia:
Most of your money will be spent on accommodation, food and travel, handle these things smartly so you can spend more on adventures and activities.
Don’t Stay in Hotels
Staying in even medium range hotels can cost you almost $100 per day, which might include a basic free breakfast consisting of cereals or toast with jam or peanut butter. Instead opt for staying in hostels which will bring down your accommodation cost to $25 per day on average.
There are tons of hostels good enough to stay the night without drilling a whole in your wallet. Or if you want to cut the costs even further down and have some real adventure, you can camp for $15 a night or almost free if you bring your own tent.
Cook Your Own Food
Eating out can be really expensive in Australia a one times meal will cost you around $15-20, which means you’ll be spending almost $60 per day on food alone. Instead it’s wiser to buy groceries and cook your own food.
A week’s grocery will cost you around $75 consisting of vegetables, pasta, chicken and other stuff such as bread etc. So it’s a much better option to cook for yourself, in the event that you do decide to eat out, the best option is to go for Indian or Asian restaurants that’ll cost you around $7 for a good stomach filling meal.
Don’t Pay For Wi-Fi
You’re on vacations, so it’s a good idea to unplug yourself from the digital world as well and live in the moment. Wi-Fi cost at hostels are around $5 per day and around $12 for a week. Libraries and McDonalds offer free Wi-Fi, so you can use that when the need arises.
Using mobile data is going to cost you an arm and a leg, so over all its just better to hunt down for free Wi-Fi spots instead. While you use public Wi-Fi it’s advised to use a VPN service so that your data is protected.
Also, the Australian Netflix sucks, so a VPN will enable you to access American Netflix titles.
Get a Phone Plan & a Used Phone
Of course, you will be needing a phone to call back at home and even within Australia to check on your reservations etc. It is a good idea to buy a second hand phone and subscribe to a phone plan so that you pay generally less for calls and texts.
It is recommended to get a plan from Telstra as it is has great coverage all over the country compared to Vodafone. This will ensure you can communicate if the need arises no matter where you are, and it’s really important when you’re in a foreign country.
Get Travel Insurance
Up till now, I’ve been speaking about saving money, but it’s really important to get travel insurance, first of all it hospital cost even for minor cases can be insanely high for you as a tourist. In case you get a small injury, the medical cost alone can cost all of your travel budget.
So getting travel insurance is a very smart idea. Depending on your plan, insurance covers illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. Especially as you would be engaged in a lot of physical activities the chances of getting an injury are high so it’s recommended to get travel insurance.
Don’t Buy Bottled Water but Stay Hydrated
Australia is generally a little hot and humid, so make sure you stay well hydrated especially when you’re involved in physical activities such as trekking or mountain climbing.
But that doesn’t mean you need to spend on bottled water, luckily tap water in Australia is drinkable so keep a bottle with you and keep refilling it. Spending on water can add quite a lot on your expenses if you keep the whole vacation in account.
Book Your Trips
When you’re out and about doing fun activities and going places, it’s better recommended to book your trips with the hostel you’re staying at or with a tour agency. This will be better as you might be able to go in groups, and share rides which will definitely cut down hundreds of dollars on your cost.
Also being an alien to the country, this will help you go to the best of places.
