Australia is known to be one of the most expensive countries for travel. On average prices in Australia are 20-30% higher compared to some of the most expensive cities around the world, like London, New York and Singapore, so finding a way to travel Australia on a budgetcan be a difficult task.
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But don’t despair! If paying $30-$50 a night for accommodation and another $50-$100 every time you want to head to a new city doesn’t sound like your idea of cheap travel, there is an alternative – travel in aCAMPERVAN!
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While campervans may not be a popular method of transportation in your home country, they are extremely popular in Australia. There are over 500,000 campervans registered in Australia and despite some rumours that campervan users are grey-haired retirees, over 50% of campervans are being driven by 19-30 year olds. Great! So now we know that you won’t look silly travelling around the country in a campervan, but the biggest question is – does it make your trip cheaper? At a first glance, it may not look that way. At $30-50 a day, your campervan will cost you anywhere between $800-$1,500 a month plus thecost of fuel! Cheaper than staying in hostels, but still a hefty price.
So here’s trick. Due to the popularity of campervans in Australia, may travellers rent a campervan in one part of the country, drive it to the other part, hop on the plane and head back home. There are hundreds of campervans being driven and dropped off the same locations on a daily basis. Campervan companies are desperately looking for someone to relocate those campervans back to their original home base and are willing to offer incredible deals for someone to do it! With a bit of flexibility on your end, you can score a 4 -6 berth campervan for $1 a day! And on top of that, if you are booking last minute, the companies will often also throw in reimbursem*nt for your fuel expenses, in some cases, they will even reimburse you for all of the fuel!
Some things to remember when booking campervan relocations:
1. Insurance is not included in the price. If you are worried and don’t have good insurance, get it, but it’s all a matter of luck and, of course, your driving skills.
2. The $1 a day advertised rate is set for a limited time only. You will typically be given enough time to drive for only 2-4 hours a day to get to your final destination. It’s up to you where you stop along the way and how you break up your journey.
3. The kilometres you have are somewhat limited. The companies will build in some extra kilometres for detours for you, but if you want to take a massive detour inland to check out something off the beaten path, this may not be the best transportation option for you.
4. Some deals come with sleeping bags, pillows, towels and the whole set up, but some don’t. Check to make sure the offer has what you need or you’ll end up paying extra for it.
5.Book shorter trips. Don’t look for a campervan from Cairns to Melbourne. There won’t be lots of relocation offers available and the ones that pop up will not give you enough time to explore the entire East Coast. Instead, look for a relocation from Cairns to Harvey Bay and once you get there, look for another one down to Fraser Island, etc.
6.In many cities and towns in Australia, it is illegal to park campervans on the street overnight, so you will have to find a campsite to park in overnight. These are unfortunately not free. Best campsite deals (as low as $5 per campervan per night) can be found in National Parks. Look for them herefor Queensland, herefor NSW, here for Victoria Alternatively, if you want to be parked close to the centre of activities, look into hostels. They often have reduced fees for campervan parking.
7.Your campervan will have a self-sustained kitchen. Use it along with free BBQs in parks and in picnic areas in most cities to save on eating out
There are dozens of websites out there with great deals on campervan re-locations,but luckily there is one that aggregates them all.
WANT TO EXPLORE AUSTRALIA BY CAR?
Get the best car rental rates by booking ahead! Discover Carscompares prices across all major car rental companies, so you are guaranteed to get the best deal.
Their elaborate Campervan Hire search system will allow you to look for campervans across the country. PLUS they also have some SWEET Relocation Deals starting from just $1/day. Check them out and if the deal you want isn’t there, make sure you subscribe to theirRelocation WatchList, so you can get notifications on the most relevant deals!
Travelling around Australia by public buses and train is affordable, plus it's environmentally friendly and comfortable. Buses in Australia are comfortable and safe. Roads are well-maintained, and you'll be treated to a scenic tour of the country while you travel.
However, it is observed that an individual should have at least AUD 5,000 to AUD 7,000 as the minimum bank balance for a visitor visa in Australia available for a short trip (one to three weeks).
To travel 25,000kms around Australia in one year, you'd need to have around $25,400 set aside for a car and caravan trip. We found about $17,400 of that would need to go towards paying for powered camping sites, while the remaining cost of close to $8,000 would go towards fuel.
The average food cost in Australia per day is about $35 (AU$53) or the average food cost per week Australia is about AU$140 per person, with an average meal costing around $14 (AU$21) per person when dining out.
The average tourist will spend $2,200 for a two-week stay. Of course, the cost to visit Australia ranges such that a budget traveler can spend as low as $900, while a luxury traveler can spend as much as $6,500.
Is Australia expensive for tourist? It depends on your travel style, really. Activities, tours, and accommodation in tourist hotspots will add up. To put it into context, a backpacker's budget can be about USD 100 per day on average, staying at shared dorms of hostels.
On an individual basis, it is cheaper to catch public transport than to drive to work. On average, Drive's real-world testing in Melbourne revealed public transport saves approximately $5.70 a week per person.
When you apply for your visa you must show you have enough money to support yourself during your stay in Australia. You will need to attach documents such as your most recent bank statement to your ImmiAccount.
As a rule of thumb, we recommend the minimum figure to travel and teach in Australia is $5000 – that's Aussie dollars. That's excluding flights of course. If you can get $10,000 -great. If you can get $20,000 even better but unless you're planning an extensive holiday you really won't need much more than that.
There is no limit to the amount of physical currency that may be brought into or taken out of Australia. However, travellers entering and departing Australia must report any currency they are carrying of $10,000 or more in Australian dollars, or the foreign currency equivalent.
Travelling in Australia is easy and there are lots of modes of transport to choose from to suit your budget and personal preference. The main challenge when deciding how to travel Australia on a budget is narrowing down where to go. It's a vast country and it's simply not possible to see everything on one trip.
Although you'll likely be able to pay by card pretty much anywhere in Australia, you shouldn't give up on cash completely. This is especially important if you plan on going off the beaten path and visiting some smaller towns. One of the top reasons for carrying cash is tipping.
May through June is the off-season, but remember that what is summer in the U.S. is winter for Australians. Shoulder season—February to April and September to early December—is less expensive than the high season, but more expensive than the off-season.
However, travellers entering and departing Australia must report any currency they are carrying of $10,000 or more in Australian dollars, or the foreign currency equivalent. Mailing or shipping currency of $10,000 or more in Australian dollars, or the foreign currency equivalent, must also be reported.
It's not unreasonable to spend around NZ$3,000 to $5,000 for a family holiday week in Australia, which makes it an expensive place to be. Paying $150+ in bank fees and getting bad NZD/AUD rates during the week is best avoided.
For a two-week holiday in Australia, the cost can vary based on your travel style and preferences. On average, a budget traveler might spend around AUD 100-150 per day, including accommodation, food, and local transportation. This would total approximately AUD 1,400-2,100 for two weeks.
Embarking on a journey to Australia involves various expenses, including visa fees, flight tickets, travel insurance, and accommodation. Costs can range from Rs.100,000 to Rs.300,000 or more, depending on factors such as travel duration, destinations, and personal preferences.
Introduction: My name is Kelle Weber, I am a magnificent, enchanting, fair, joyous, light, determined, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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