Don't get me wrong I'm absolutely loving Australia and travelling, and as I've said before I've definitely got the travel bug. But, as with most things, there's always a downside. Aside from missing my family, friends and creature comforts (oh dressing gown I look forward to being reunited), some of the downsides I've found is money, finding work and having time. That's not to say that every stressful bank balance check is made worth it in the end, or accepting any work that comes your way or crossing the Nullarbor in a record 4 1/2 days. It's all worth it in the end but it doesn't make it any less stressful.
Jack and I have spend most of our time out here away from cities. We've seen them when we've been close enough, but in all honesty once you've done the regular touristy things they're all the same. Big grey buildings, shopping centres and far too many people. Everyone does the cities, so why stay there? However, again there's a downside. Finding jobs in the cities isn't so hard. There's tonnes of bars, restaurants and all manner of companies looking for backpackers to hire. However, when you're travelling around the quieter countryside it's not so easy.
We've been lucky to find work on farms relatively easy, thanks to other people's kindness. But other than that finding work has been tricky. And of course along with finding work hard to come by comes a depletion of money. Finding money to do the fun, cool and exciting things after you've paid for food and petrol can be tricky. It's always stressful but you'll always make it happen. You were going to buy the branded jam, by Coles own instead. It all adds up.
The other thing we've found tricky is finding time, alongside work to do things. You're normally only left with weekends, and in this country by the time you've got somewhere you've really only got one full day. It's so annoying because we often leave a place feeling we haven't seen enough but we've learned our lessons and are getting better and getting it all done.
When it comes down to it there's always going to be more to do and see than you can afford or have time for, so number one tip, prioritise. Find the things you want to do, know how much they cost so you can budget accordingly, and make a list from number 1 to whatever and then you won't wind up not doing the things you really want to do. Australia is a huge country, bigger than most realise and there's things to see all over the place, you'll never likely to see it all so prioritising is key.
When it comes to work and finding work, number one tip is never say no. Unless of course it's ridiculous, horrible work that you really couldn't bare doing, don't turn any work down. It's not forever, it can get you to the next place and it's always easier to find work when you've got it already. A thing to remember is that there are 1000's of backpackers out there looking for work and the fact you've been chosen is pretty good, if you turn it down there will be loads of people behind you who won't And don't forget Gumtree caa be your new best friend but so can going around the town/city with your CV in hand and a smile on your face, even if all you've heard all day is 'sorry we're not looking at the moment.'
Now money. It's a tricky one because by the time you've done a fair amount of travelling it begins to feel like no amount of work will get you anywhere, but it will, it really will trust me. One way of getting the funds going again is to really budget. Know how much the things you want to do will cost and set a certain amount aside each week to put towards it and don't just throw the money around. You could probably live without the nice new pair of shoes you've set your heart on, but you'll regret it if you can't afford to do the things you really want to.
Travelling isn't always fun and games but it's all part of the experience and it definitely teaches you how to really be independent. If you have tips for making travelling a little easier in terms of money don't forget to let me know in the comments below.
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