Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia
On my travels, I have come across digital nomads who spent a year or two traveling in Australia. When sharing their stories with me, they always pointed out how beautiful, challenging and friendly this country was and how unforgettable their experiences were. To me, a budget traveller, traveling in Australia for a year sounds… EXPENSIVE. I asked some of them if I would be ever able to survive there for less than $25 a day and they were like “Yeah! Sure! Everything is doable”.
As transportation seems to be one of the most expensive things here, I did some research to find out how to get across the country with a very tight budget and I would like to share my findings with you in today’s post. Here are top ways to travel across Australia with little to no money:
Get on a bike
Australia is vast and diverse and it has a lot to offer for bike lovers. The country will warmly welcome you with its alpine road rides, muddy mountains and laid-back beachside trundles. One of the most challenging and stunning places to cycle would be Stromlo Forest Park, Byron Bay and Hinterland, Blue Mountains as well as Mt Coot-tha Forest and Gap Creek Trails.
Once you get on your bike and start cycling, you will find that Australia’s rides are among the best on the planet. The good news is that there’s no such thing as a beaten track here – just a sprawling network of fresh trails ready for the pedal! Do you remember our epic cycling adventure across Vietnam? We have completed the challenge in less than two months cycling from 30 to 160 km a day. We did it on the cheap experiencing a local hospitality and admiring an incredible landscape on the way. I would love to do the same in Australia!
Do hitchhiking
Some time ago, we have accepted a guest post from a fellow travel blogger – Jade of OurOyster in which she has shared her hitchhiking experience in New Zealand. That makes me think of doing the same in Australia. It seems that hitchhiking has been an accepted part of travel here for a long time. A lot of people from different countries hitchhike or have hitchhiked in Australia. I have also found that that most drivers are fairly open to picking up hitchhikers, and in busy areas you will have a fair amount of competition when it comes to catching a ride! In this way you can save a lot of money, time and meet some interesting people on the road.
Top hitchhiking tips for beginners:
- Hitchhiking is illegal in Queensland and Victoria.
- Try not to hitchhike on motorways and stick to the entrance ramps and service areas.
- Use a sign indicating the name of the road you want to travel on.
- Look neat and respectable.
- Try and look smart and clean.
- Never smoke without permission.
- Travel light.
- Take an international drivers licence if you have one as some drivers might want to share the driving.
- Solo female travelers should hitchhike with someone else, preferably a guy.
- Travel with a mobile phone in case of any emergency situations.
- Don’t let the driver put your backpack in the car boot.
- Always keep your stuff with you.
Campervan holiday? Why not!
Getting across Australia in a campervan is getting more popular. There are over 180 locations across the country where you can stop and rent a caravan – from major cities, seaside areas and countrysides. Many of the campervan rental companies allow picking up a campervan from one spot and leaving it at another for an extra charge. Since they’re already paid for the way back, they came up with an idea of transferring it back to the original location by discounting, or even paying for the fuel, for those who are willing to this for them (instead of employing people for this purpose). There are few websites who help find such deals, one of which is DriveNow campervan relocation. It’s cheap and you can experience the country like a local.
Hit the road by car (don’t hit a kangaroo)!
Many people claim that there is nothing like exploring Australia on a road trip with your best friends. Since the country has a generally well-maintained system of roads and highways, cars are a commonly used method of transport. It is definitely one of the most comfortable ways to travel wherever you want and stay in certain places as long as you want to. If you take your friends with you, you can share the cost of petrol and food between each other which will save you a lot of money. Besides, a car is a great place to sleep! You can even buy a van together and then sell it when it’s time to move on.
Have you ever cycled, hitchhiked or travelled across Australia by car or in a campervan?
49 thoughts on “Ways To Get Across Australia With Little To No Money”
Upon seeing your photo with the “Auckland” sign, I thought you wanted to hitchhike from Australia to New Zealand :)))
OK, so suppose you are somewhere in the desert and waiting, waiting, waiting by the side of the road… it gets dark… and dingos, venomous snakes start showing up? :)))
Nope, lol! I used this photo from a previous blog post :)!
Love the quote. It’s already tomorrow in Australia. It has a nice ring to it. I never really considered Australia on my bucket list. Not because it is expensive. The cost of travel is relative to the traveler’s budget.
That said, I look forward to hearing about how you get around Australia. It is similar to the USA in terms of size and having traveled all over the USA, I can say that I would not be surprised if it takes you more than 3 months to view all of Australia.
Do you have a top 5 designation in Australia you want to see?
You are great ! Travel for few bucks ! Love this blog
Bicyling to get around Australia. Why didn’t I think of that? Of course, it’s going to save you bus, boat and train fares! Thanks Agness and Cez from Poland. You guys are darn so creative to be seeing a lot of places at under $25 a day! I’m taking my cues from you.
It’s actually a great idea!
I hitchhiked through new zealand as well! It was a great experience and met great people because of it but felt like I missed out on a lot. After hitchhiking in the north, rented a car for the south and was actually able to go to places where no one ever comes, national parks where maybe 2 people pass every day,… Also, while renting a car we were able to do some wild camping (and saving money on accommodation) while with the hitchhiking we always ended up paying a lot of money for hostels and campgrounds (could have gone couch surfing but with the hitchhiking you never know when you arrive…) Well I guess it’s just 2 complete different experiences…
Didn’t try the hitchhiking in Australia, these super long distances kind of scare me :-)
Hi Tinne,
I’m glad you enjoyed your hitch-hiking experience. I also hope to do it in Australia. This place has fascinated me for years! :)
I’ve never thought of hitchhiking but I think I’d be too afraid to do it alone. I guess it’s biking for me. But Australia is a huge country! ha ha…
I loved the quote in the beginning of your post and the rest of the post too. I didn’t know it is illegal to hitchhike in Victoria, that’s why I’ve never seen it here. Anyways it never was my type, I was always afraid to do this. Now with a child this option is completely off the table.
I am not quite sure though that travelling with caravan or a camper can make travel cheaper. Even if you don’t rent it, the campsite for 2 adults usually costs 20-40 dollars. Of course, there are free campings, and sometimes you can hide here and there along the road. With a car it is more problematic because of lack of shower and the stinky toilets (if any).
That’s the life though, there is not too many free things, but definitely there are ways to travel cheaper. I think you did a great job here. I enjoyed visiting your blog, happy travels :)
Hey Olga! Many thanks for stopping by. I hope we can keep in touch and maybe travel across Australia one day, who knows… :-)
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Great article, but you forgot to mention the main means of transportation on the East Coast.
Boats!
There is always plenty of boats looking for crew sailing between Sydney and Cairns, you can find their notices in the marinas, sailing clubs, on findacrew or in the boat-hichhiking group of Couchsurfing. I even went on a 6 day diving trip on the Great Barrier Reef for free!
I’m really trying to decide if I should hitchhike in Australia when I go there this month! I really want to try it and I also REALLY need to save some cash! Thanks for the tips!
-Shannon
my name is passang wangdi sherpa from Bhutan i really want to visit Australia as this could be my biggest dream so please can anybody help me to get there. please