Australia is the dream destination for a lot of travellers. Especially many young Europeans take the long flight to this country that couldn’t be any more different from their homes. However, there is one problem with travelling ‘down under’. Living and travelling here is quite expensive. You spend a lot of money on tours, activities and beer (yes, alcohol here is ridiculously expensive but hey, you still want to have fun and go out). Here are our recommendations that helped us keep our budget together.
Travel in offseason
&The main holiday season in most parts of Australia begins after Christmas and lasts until the end of January. Traveling at this time of the year means booking accommodation in advance and a price increase for tours and other activities. So if you can, plan your trip before or after this period to have a more relaxed experience.
Free Camping
A big chunk that eats your budget is accommodation. Compared to hostels or hotels, camping will help you decrease your spendings in this category. However, you will still pay 20 AUD per night in the cheapest places and up to 60 AUD in the most expensive ones. If you do your research you can find free campsites in a lot of places. Most of them are located in national parks or nature reserves. Check out our posts about cheap camping between Sydney and Melbourne and along the Great Ocean Road.
Cook yourself
You can cut a lot of costs if you cook your own food in hostels or campsites. Our main diet in Australia consists of pasta or rice with different sauces and vegetables, instant noodles and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. To get something fresh, get some fruits that are in season. Usually, apples and bananas are fairly cheap in Australia.
Drink wine instead of beer
As a German, this is really tough for me in Oz. The prices for good beer are really high here, paying at least 16 AUD for a six pack of beer. In comparison, the price of wine is pretty cheap. You can get a 4 liter box for about 9 AUD or a nicer bottle for 10 AUD.
Shop at Aldi
We tried a lot of supermarkets and found that Aldi has the cheapest prices. Especially if you don’t want to miss out on your beer. You will find a six pack of decent lager or pale ale for less than 10 AUD.
Avoid tours and walk a lot
You can experience a city or place by walking around, sitting in a park, and checking out free museums. If you can, rent a car and do a self-drive instead of taking a tour or a bus, this option is generally cheaper.