Hello! I don't know if I'm posting this in the right place, so sorry if I am not!
Hi Lauren, you're posting in the right place for Australia and NZ but may I make a suggestion? Post in the Asia branch for information regardin Thailand/Laos etc. I'd be wary of travelling to Thailand with the warnings that the government is giving. See . Here's the travel advice for
It's cheaper in Asia than in Australia and NZ. For a dorm bed here (Australia) you're looking at $30 plus, Sydney is dearer than Melbourne. NZ is similar in price. Do you have an itinerary yet? That way I can give more detailed info. Although I've travelled in Asia, they were not the countries you've listed.
Well we are starting in Cairns and ending in Melbourne (however, I have accommodation in Melbourne for 3 weeks)... then I'm catching a flight over to Perth (And I have 3 weeks accommodation there too)
Travelling is SE asia, from what I've heard, can be done in <$1000 CAD/month If I try to be cheap, which I will be doing, so I'm not too worried about that - I'm more worried about my amount of money I have at the moment, and if it will be enough to get me by
Hi Lauren,
It is very hard to give you a fair budget prediction without knowing much about your travel itinerary, but I can give sound advice about the places you are going and how much you are likely to spend there.
Personally I think your current budget is quite achievable, even if it means being a little cheap every now and then. Please be aware that in Thailand a meal might cost 100-150baht - weigh how much your groceries cost and see if it's cheaper to eat out sometimes.
Destination by destination,
2.5 weeks Thailand/Laos/Vietnam - you will spend $800-$900 Australian here. Don't be concerned about any smart traveller advice - it is very safe. tourists are deliberately avoided in any violence because no Thai wants the tourism industry to slow down. If you're saving money, avoid Tuk-Tuks as well, try to use metered cars wherever you can.
1.5 weeks Indonesia - Be prepared to spend $30 per day on private accommodation. If you can make do with hostel dorm rooms, this gets a lot cheaper. Get around by public transport, do not use taxis in general. Actually, so far I've found that to be solid advice no matter where in the world you are.
3 months Australia - I think you'll find you spend the majority of your money here. Australia is just an expensive place to live, compared to NZ or South East Asia. In particular, alcohol and food are costly here, very costly.
When you are in Melbourne, there are lots of good bars that are cheap and look very impressive. (ie. Baroq House in the city or Lucky Coq in Chapel Street). When you're here feel free to send me a message and I will of course give you a list of great places to go if you wish.
1 month New Zealand - It's cheaper to live here than Australia by about 30%, but I've never been myself so I don't feel comfortable giving out advice on how much you'll spend there.
I'm very jealous of your trip. Have a lot of fun on it and remember that not everyone has the opportunity that you've managed to work out for yourself. 5 months of seeing the world - it's a dream come true for a lot of people. Treasure it!
Leon
1 month New Zealand - It's cheaper to live here than Australia by about 30%, but I've never been myself so I don't feel comfortable giving out advice on how much you'll spend there.
If you've never been (to NZ) then how can you state it is cheaper by 30% to live there? When I was in NZ, I didn't notice it was that much cheaper than in Australia. Milk was cheaper as was the "home brand" breads - alcohol was about the same price as here.
Remember, cost of food (and alcohol) and wages go hand in hand. Lower wages equals cheaper food.
1,000CAD is just over AUD $1,000, at present $1,071. Over a four week period that equates to $267 a week, or $38 a day. You'll struggle on $38 a day. A dorm bed in a hostel is from $25 - $30, NZ is slightly cheaper. Eight dollars a day for food and everything else just canot be done. Allow $15 per day (minimum) for food. This is self catering and does not include alcohol, If you eat out it will cost more. For both Australia and NZ you should budget for $80 per day, this will at least cover any tours, activities and transport.
To travel from Cairns>Melbourne or vv, is our interstate busline. Their Cairns mini traveller pass might be the way to go. It is valid for 45 days from the first date of travel and costs $485 adult or $437 Concession.
Sydney is not cheap. For NYE much as Melbourne is my town, you'll find most young backpackers think Sydney is the place to be. Should you decide to be there over the New Year period, I'd recommend you pre-book your accommodation there asap. is YHA's newest Sydney hostel and ideally situated to witness the fireworks which are held over the bridge. (Sydney do great NYE fireworks). The hostel is located in the Rocks - a great place and lots of interesting shops. The Glenmore Hotel is just up the road and has a great atmosphere.
Where in NZ are you travelling to? I did both the North Island and the South Island.
Edited to correct typos.
[ 06-May-2010, at 00:08 by Araluen ]
Thanks so much for the info guys! Araluen: Since we are travelling on off season through most of Aus, I've heard there are some good deals? I'm hoping so :D And as for food, I actually think I can get by pretty cheap... I've done travelling before and I become surprisingly creative when I need to get super super cheap haha, so I'm hoping that won't be an issue. I've booked all of my travel already (oz and kiwi experience tours) so those costs are all covered. Also, for 6 weeks of my 5.5 month travels I have accommodation and food covered, so it will allocate more money to my other days of travel, so hopefully I'll have more like $45/day to spend... hopefully! Leon: Thanks for all the advice! I'll keep it in mind while I'm over there - reading all these posts is getting me so excited :D
Hi
I wanted to ask the same as below...my friend and I are doing East coast of Oz for 8 weeks and plannin on stayin in Sydney for maybe 4 nights then travelling up to Cairns. We have about 3800 (AUS Dollars) and I was wondering if this is okay or should we bring more? Im worried I will not have enough to live comfortably on...we would want to see all the main attractions in each area that we stop of at.no concrete plans on what exactly were doing but have heard about greyhound tours ..does neone know more about this.does it include accommdation?
I could have about 4000 dollars max but im freakin out a little now as it was booked last minute!
Anyone any info or ideas that can help please let me know.
Thanks!
Hi
I wanted to ask the same as below...my friend and I are doing East coast of Oz for 8 weeks and plannin on stayin in Sydney for maybe 4 nights then travelling up to Cairns. We have about 3800 (AUS Dollars) and I was wondering if this is okay or should we bring more? Im worried I will not have enough to live comfortably on...we would want to see all the main attractions in each area that we stop of at.no concrete plans on what exactly were doing but have heard about greyhound tours ..does neone know more about this.does it include accommdation?
I could have about 4000 dollars max but im freakin out a little now as it was booked last minute!Anyone any info or ideas that can help please let me know.
Thanks!
$3,800 for two months will not allow you to "see all the main attractions in each area". The figure you have quoted gives you just under $68 per day - factor in cost of dorm plus food, the maximum you'd have (and this is stretching it) would be $28 a day. Tours cost money - before I went to NZ I did my research and worked out which tours I'd like to do, what I wanted to see etc and totalled the cost. The amount was staggering. I was there just under six weeks, and I didn't do any of the "adrenlin" stuff. Cruises (day trips) to the GBR are not cheap, regardless of which operator you go with. There is an EMC (Environmental Management Charge) levy which is usally around the $5 mark which is extra.
Greyhound do not do tours - they are not a tour bus, they are an interstate busline, with set stops. Although they do offer a two night Ayers Rock tour.
Araluen, I think you're a bit of a pessimist
Honestly, I think if you need to budget on food and stuff in order to allow some extra money for attractions, how could $3800 not be enough? My bus ticket was $450 Australian from Cairns to Sydney, which will be nothing in their budget. If you can't survive 2 months on $3800, $7000 will not last me for 6 months! Good luck, I'm sure you'll have an amazing time even if you have to miss out on a couple more expensive outings
[ 06-May-2010, at 21:40 by lauren492 ]
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