jademill2010 Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Hi All! My name is Jade and I am 24 and looking to travel to Australia in March next year. I have wanted to do it for ages but finally plucking up the courage to actually do it and was hoping to get some answers/advice as it will be my first time travelling and alone! I am thinking of booking my flights through STA travel as they do a discounted rate for people under 26 has anyone had any experience of this? I am thinking at the moment of starting out in Melbourne au pairing potentially and then doing some travelling when the weather picks up a bit hoping to go to Sydney, the east coast, Brisbane and Cairns and then think about doing my 2nd year, does anyone know if the NZ visa is classed as separate to the AUS one and if you have to do farming work to be eligible to go over there on a whv? How much in advance should I book accommodation in hostels if I decide against au pairing? and my final question is how much money is ok to take with me and does it cost to transfer money from my UK account to an Australian bank? I am thinking of taking around £2500-3000 not including flights, visa, insurance etc and also saving £4000 to leave at home for my car etc for a year, hopefully this will be enough. Look forward to hearing from you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Hello jade welcome to the forum. I booked my flights through sta travel. They get mixed reviews but they've been fine with me so far. I got a single for £510 that Included a stopover in Singapore. New zealand is a completely seperate visa with different rules etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmothy111 Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Hi Jade Me and my girlfriend are heading to Australia on a WHV in February. We booked our flights by using skyscanner and got singles for £369 each with a 2 week stopover in Thailand which we have both always wanted to see. I recommend doing something like that as it makes the most of the long flight and splits it up. We are each taking £4000 with us but it depends on how well you want to live while you are out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanG91 Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 I'll be heading to Australia in September 2016 after a 4 month detour in Thailand and Cambodia. I'm planning on having £4,000 in the bank when I hit the Australian tarmac. I think this will be ample for a short while but you'll need to work to keep your savings up to a steady level. I'll also have money in an account back in the UK ready to use for my flight home whenever I need to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
americanwoman Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Hi Jade! Huge kudos to you for your bravery! My favorite way to get flights is Skyscanner - I'd check whatever STA tells you against them. Here's my explanation for how: http://halftheclothes.com/travel-tips/affording-long-term-travel-cheap-flights/ Although, I can't remember if I'm allowed to post links here or not. (I answer questions on lots of forums!) If not, just search "Cheap Flight Hacks with Skyscanner" - it should be the top result. Like others said, NZ is it's own country, so a visa there has nothing to do with the OZ visa. In terms of hostel booking, March is a quiet enough time compared to Dec/Jan, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about booking super far in advance. My personal preference is to not book. I like to be really flexible! You can also consider HelpX, woofing. See #7 here: http://halftheclothes.com/australia-working-holiday-visa-checklist/ As far as money, they want to be sure you have $5k OZ which is 2400 gbp (as of today). It does cost to transfer money, which is why I just carried some cash on me. But if you want to be able to transfer money over, see #5 here: http://halftheclothes.com/australia-working-holiday-visa-checklist/ (If the see # links don't work, I searched "australian working holiday visa checklist" and it was the sixth link down on google for me.) Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelongshaw Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I'm also a first time traveller, asking the same questions, also travelling alone. I'm planning on going in may, so 2 months later than your plan. I'm a guy 25 year old, will be 26 when travelling. I wonder if you would like to chat and maybe go together? I'm terrified of travelling alone! I realise you might be reserved about an offer like that from a random guy, but give me a chance. Feel free to either ignore this or follow it up with a message, your choice completely :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
americanwoman Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I'm terrified of travelling alone! Hey Dave! Just wanted to send some cheerleading your way in case you don't find someone to travel with. I was terrified of traveling alone, too. My first major out-of-country trip was really supposed to be just moving to a town in Bolivia where a friend was living to do weekend trips with her when she wasn't in school. When it fell through (she quit school), I almost didn't go. I'm so, so, so glad I decided I didn't need a security blanket in the form of a friend to travel. I was terrified, but everything was awesome, and I had the time of my life. I've traveled for ten years now, both solo and with partners. Solo has so many benefits that you just don't get traveling with another person. If you're worried about meeting people, considering arranging a work stay for a week or two upon landing. From there you can stay at hostels where I promise you'll meet people! Excited for you and your trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewism05 Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Good luck Jade. My partner and I also arrive in Australia in March. Booked our flights with STA, always check with trailfinders if you have one in your area. Also checked the airlines website but prices are all similar. Paid £650 each in the end. Direct flight to Thailand, one month stopover then direct flight to Brisbane. Just looking to open an Oz bank account now and transfer money before we arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aarti Tailor Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 Hi Im a 24 year old female flying solo to cairns from London on 22nd June, I booked my flights on Skyscanner but I've heard sta is pretty reliable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.