melthemelon

Perth, arriving 30th Nov. Looking at either Banjo's or Wickham's Retreat... both review amazingly and have everything I'm looking for, winner. Any views / experiences on the above two hostels, Perth folks? Wickhams Reatreat is expensive, but wifi, laundry, food is FREE.... wow.

Actually, I would disagree. I am coming out on a single in a few weeks, as after much research and asking around I feel it is the right thing for my cirumstances... - Return flights can be a ball-ache to change the date on, some airlines dont allow it, others only if someone has died, all of them charge a fee - If you are coming here indefinitly or plan to travel afterwards, then the hassle of having that return flight hanging over your head and needing altering is just that, HASSLE. - I have no real intention of using it, and so the fees for re-arranging easily outweigh the bonus of having if for £100 extra - I have found a farily cheap single with STA as they do an under 26 rate - I plan to go to New Zealand afterward, which seems to cost about £300... not masses - Yes it can be useful at the border to prove you wont be a drain on society, BUT I dont know anyone (and I have a lot of mates on WHV) that has been asked to show bank statements or return/onwards tickets at immigration (though I do accept it happens, just seemingly not all that often) - The idea of having to commit to certain dates and define my travels now goes against everything I love about travelling... I did not want to box it up like that, rather just be free to see what happens and see where the wind takes me However, if you are on a gap year or a career break or only have a set amount of time then absolutley book a return. I merely wanted to offer an alternative view from someone who plans to travel indefinitly.... DONT LET THE DATES DEFINE YOUR ADVENTURE!

How long would people reccomend booking a first (well researched, popular, GOOD) hostel for? Coming out in December (high season, hard to extend booking?) and unsure how long to book for... On the one hand, moving hostels is such a hassle, but if you hate your hostel and youre stuck there, it can be miserable So.... - 1 week and hope you get a house share sorted? - 2 weeks and just enjoy just aclimatising and sorting out a job first?

Thanks for the advice! So you think I could be in a houseshare after a week? Thats good! The only thing that puts me off is that by mid-December its high season right? So I dont want to wind up somewhere awful just because I only booked a week. But if you think I can find a decent house share in a week, I'll go for it...

Hi Everyone I'm a single, 25 year old female- I arrive in Perth at the beginning of December on a whv and have a few questions...! -How easy is it to pick up work? I have a marketing degree and PR/marketing background with a ton of office experience, so ideally I'd be looking to pick up similar work. Otherwise Ive been a bar manager, waitress, shop assistant, kitchen assistant... pretty much anything hospitality! So happy to do that too in the short term. My questions is, will I find work fairly quickly if I put in the usual hard work and procativity? would love to hear about anyones experiences! -On a similar note, I have an STCW95 (basic sea-fearing qualification) and a little experience stewardessing on yachts... does anyone know if there is any likelyhood of picking up work on boats? Be that tourist boats, dive boats, anything really... -How long should I book my first hostel for.. is two weeks about right? I'd be keen to get into a house/flat share pretty soon... - Can anyone reccomend a great hostel that helps you find work (i.e job boards and good contacts) and is NOT a party hostel? (I backpacked Austrlia when I was 18, so its a case of been there done that, now I'm feeling old and prefer to have active days and chilled out nights), but also not expensive? do share your experiences. -Finally, which neighbourhoods do you reccomend for a flat/house share? If I can afford it I'd love to be near the beach! I hear Freemantle and Subiaco are nice, any thoughts? Thankyou so much for any help, I'm super keen to hear from anyone doing the WHV in Perth