Australia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and is attractive to tourists of all kinds. For a lot of people, it’s one of those bucket list trips that you plan for your entire life. This is in fact, the most important thing to remember about visiting Australia – it’s best if you plan the trip in advance in order to make the most out of it.
One of the big decisions you’ll have to make is about how you plan to travel when you arrive in Australia. There are a lot of options since the country has a vast and well-maintained infrastructure, but you should consider backpacking for at least a part of the trip in order to experience the nature first hand.
You can’t see everything at once
Australia is a huge and very diverse country. Tourists of all kinds have a reason to visit it and enjoy what it has to offer. As great as this sounds, it also means that’s it’s practically impossible to visit everything you wanted in a single trip (at least not in a meaningful way).
Once you accept this fact, it will be easier for you to plan the trip and to narrow down your expectations about it. Don’t get discouraged by this fact, rather try to make each place and experience more meaningful.
If you’ve narrowed your plans to Sydney, you’ll be glad to know that BridgeClimb Sydney has introduced the chance to win a double pass to see Vivid Sydney stop the Sydney Harbour Bridge. More information and details on how to enter can be found here. The Sydney Opera House has launched a new social chat bot, giving Sydneysiders the chance to speak with the famous Sydney Opera House seal to discover more about the inspirational experiences on offer at the world-renowned performing arts centre.
Visas
This is something that’s often overlooked because visas are usually required for entering African or Middle East countries and Australia is very much a part of the Anglo-sphere. However, the truth is that you do need a visa to enter the country and the process of obtaining one can be a bit slow as it often happens with bureaucratic measures.
It’s also important to have in mind that holiday work visa is relatively easy to get and there are a lot of tourists who use their holidays to work and get to know Australia at the same time.
What expensive means?
It’s always difficult to know what is expensive in a foreign country and people tend to overspend when travelling. This is especially true in Australia for a variety of reasons. The price of alcohol is surprisingly high and that can mean that every restaurant meal can also be an unpleasant experience at least when it comes to the bill. Rooms in both hotels and hostels are rather cheap on the other hand and that can help a lot if you’re going across the country.
It’s important to prepare for these additional expenses as well (as much as you can anyway). This is best done by setting aside money for hotels and other accommodations and spending only what you have left at that point.
Have a backup plan
Being far away from home can be somewhat scary even if you have everything planned out. In order to mitigate some of these concerns, you should have a backup plan in case something goes wrong. The most important part of such a plan is to avoid being cashless in a foreign country even if you get mugged. We Australians can easily apply for a cash loan online, but there are some similar options you can do as well, as a foreigner if you happen to run out of money.
It’s also a good idea to keep a digital copy of your personal documents such as a passport and an ID in case they get stolen.
Sunburns can get pretty rough
Australia has always had a warmer climate but when most of it isn’t covered with ozone any more, sunburns could be more severe than you might be used to. This is especially true if you spend most of your free time on the beach or surfing which is something tourists often do.
The usual rules apply: you should wear sunscreen at all times and contact a doctor if you notice anything out of the ordinary.
Buses
There are 20, 000 miles of coastline in Australia, but the road between Sydney and Cairns is the most attractive for tourists. Renting a car gives you a bit more freedom when you’re travelling but it is quite expensive and there are equally good alternatives.
A hop-on-hop-off bus ticket is one of the best ways to explore the coast without spending too much money. It’s also an adventure on its own because you get to meet a lot of tourists along the way and experience the country more intimately.
Travel insurance
There are a lot of ways to save money when you’re travelling abroad. Some of them you should definitely try and use to your advantage. Being cheap on travel insurance not one of them. It’s something that you just to have to pay for even if you don’t actually get to use it. In case you have an accident or get mugged, this insurance could actually help you.
If you’re renting a car you should get the insurance for it. It adds to the price but you don’t want to be responsible for the accident with a rental car.
The limits of plans
Making detailed plans for your trip can be rather useful. It saves money and makes you safer and more comfortable. However, there’s a limit to how much you can plan. At some point, you should stop planning and overthinking and just enjoy the trip you’ve been waiting for so long!
Australia is one of the most beautiful and exciting countries in the world. Take the time to prepare for your visit and it will pay off.
Photo credits: Pexels
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