Trip to Australia

[Oliwa]

I have been offered very cheap tickets to Sidney australia. I will be staying there from December 6 to the 23. The problem is that it would just be me. Also im only 18 and my parents are worried about me being safe an ok in Australia. I have decided I will be staying in Hostels but another problem is what the am I going to do there? I was just given these tickets yesterday without any planning. Im going to be pretty tight with my money because im not going there with much on hand. Think around 2 thousand to three thousand on me. Is that ballsy or is it enough? also is there any trips I can take there? like a grayhound bus that travels the country? I could really appreciate some help on this as I am completley clueless.

[Tinordi]

Bring prophylactics.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Oliwa

I have been offered very cheap tickets to Sidney australia. I will be staying there from December 6 to the 23. The problem is that it would just be me. Also im only 18 and my parents are worried about me being safe an ok in Australia. I have decided I will be staying in Hostels but another problem is what the am I going to do there? I was just given these tickets yesterday without any planning. Im going to be pretty tight with my money because im not going there with much on hand. Think around 2 thousand to three thousand on me. Is that ballsy or is it enough? also is there any trips I can take there? like a grayhound bus that travels the country? I could really appreciate some help on this as I am completley clueless.

First, check that it's to Sydney not Sidney, you may have fallen victim to a clever ploy.

Now if it turns out is in fact Sydney, the one in Australia, you'll be just fine. There's plenty of hostels and if you're even a little bit social you'll have plenty of people to hang out with right from the start. Heck, I met a guy on the flight over and wound up travelling with him and a few other people for a couple months. If you have $2-3000 to spend you'll definitely be good. Sydney isn't cheap, but that's over $100/day which is plenty if you don't spend it all at the bar (meaning you pre-drink). As for trips, there are tons of options. You can take buses, you can rent vans, you can fly etc. I'd say your best bet is to have a few ideas of places you'd like to go, but leave your options open as you'll likely wind up tagging along with people you meet along the way.

[Robotic]

I stayed in Sydney for 2 weeks when I was backpacking and I stayed in Wake Up hostel it was a nice hostel with friendly staff and they had a giant room with tv and beanbags to chill on. I honestly wouldnt worry about going by yourself. I went solo and the rooms were I believe 6-8 people.

You'll obviously want to hit up all the toursity spots in Sydney like the bridge, Operah House, Batanical Gardens. This was cool and within walking distance to the Hostel, they had thouands of bats the size of dogs screaming in daylight. Theres a ton of beaches around the city and Bondi beach being the most famous one but it hostely sucked because it was way over crowded.

You can buy the greyhound bus there and get the "Hope on and hope off" option with allows to go to anywhere in 1 direction they offer.

Brisbane city (i believe is only a couple hours bus north) was kinda boring, but they had the Steve Irwin zoo just outside of the city and this is higly recomended. I could have almost stayed 2 days in the zoo as there was so much to do. It's a very hands on type of zoo and educational.

Just south of Brisbane if Byron Bay. I recomend hitting that up and live the beach bum lifestyle while there. Great surf, good night life, beautiful girls and easy to get bud (from Nimbin) If you do decide to go to Byron Bay you MUST go to Nimbin. You'll understand why when you go...

Let me know if you need anymore info. Happy travels!

[Oliwa]

Originally Posted by valo403

First, check that it's to Sydney not Sidney, you may have fallen victim to a clever ploy.

Now if it turns out is in fact Sydney, the one in Australia, you'll be just fine. There's plenty of hostels and if you're even a little bit social you'll have plenty of people to hang out with right from the start. Heck, I met a guy on the flight over and wound up travelling with him and a few other people for a couple months. If you have $2-3000 to spend you'll definitely be good. Sydney isn't cheap, but that's over $100/day which is plenty if you don't spend it all at the bar (meaning you pre-drink). As for trips, there are tons of options. You can take buses, you can rent vans, you can fly etc. I'd say your best bet is to have a few ideas of places you'd like to go, but leave your options open as you'll likely wind up tagging along with people you meet along the way.

Thanks man! the problem I am most worried about is the money but if I have to I just wont drink and i'll eat in moderation.

[getbak]

Australia's pretty much as similar to Canada as you're going to find in any foreign country. If you're safe here, you'll be safe there - just don't be stupid, and you'll be okay.

There are plenty of bus tours in Australia.

Contiki is for 18-35 year-olds and they have a tour that goes up the east coast from Sydney to Cairns in about 2 weeks. Most of the people on the tour are also single, and the male-female ratio tends to be higher on the female side (i.e. if you're a dude and looking to get laid, the odds are pretty good).

Transportation and accommodations (and about half the meals) are included but there are optional excursions that can get pricey quickly.


There are other tour companies around that offer similar tours, and some that go into the Outback and Uluru (but you have to fly there, which is more money).


If you take a tour, everything is planned out for you, but if you want to wing it, I believe there is a Greyhound service in Australia, and some passenger rail services as well.

[valo403]

Nimbin itself is highly overrated. The area around it is great, stunning landscape and some really amazing swimming holes, but the town is incredibly cliche. Stick to Byron unless you want to get up into the hills.

[Oliwa]

Originally Posted by getbak

Australia's pretty much as similar to Canada as you're going to find in any foreign country. If you're safe here, you'll be safe there - just don't be stupid, and you'll be okay.

There are plenty of bus tours in Australia.

Contiki is for 18-35 year-olds and they have a tour that goes up the east coast from Sydney to Cairns in about 2 weeks. Most of the people on the tour are also single, and the male-female ratio tends to be higher on the female side (i.e. if you're a dude and looking to get laid, the odds are pretty good).

Transportation and accommodations (and about half the meals) are included but there are optional excursions that can get pricey quickly.


There are other tour companies around that offer similar tours, and some that go into the Outback and Uluru (but you have to fly there, which is more money).


If you take a tour, everything is planned out for you, but if you want to wing it, I believe there is a Greyhound service in Australia, and some passenger rail services as well.

THIS! THIS RIGHT HERE! thank you

[Robotic]

Originally Posted by Oliwa

Thanks man! the problem I am most worried about is the money but if I have to I just wont drink and i'll eat in moderation.

I went to Oz with $7,000 for a year and the same mentality with not drinking. I was sucked into the bar scene and drank my money away. It's to hard to say no. Enjoy your trip as it will go by way to quick.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Oliwa

Thanks man! the problem I am most worried about is the money but if I have to I just wont drink and i'll eat in moderation.

HAHAHAHA. You crazy kid.

Honestly if you're staying in hostels and have $100/day you should be fine to do most of what you want, especially if you have a bit of extra cash to pay for things like buses etc. It's been a few years since I was there, but prices weren't much different than Calgary so grab a bottle of bacardi for pre-gaming and you should be fine (be careful not to get too carried away though, lots of places will turn you away if you're glassy eyed). Food can be had pretty cheap, either hit the market and make yourself sandwiches or find some of the cheap spots in Chinatown. There are also usually a few pubs with specials on, we used to hit a $5 steak night every Sunday at a pub.

[ma-skis.com]

from sidney, there was to be a 5 or 6 day surf school / bus that took you from sidney to byron bay (which you should not miss), while stopping here and there at little surf spots and spending a couple nights at there surf home base location.

Pretty enjoyable to spend a chunk of your time, particularly when food and accomodation is included with the price.

http://www.surfaris.com

Pretty sure that's the one

once you get to byron, it's pretty easy to spend a few days there and easily get to surfers paradise for a couple more days.

[Oliwa]

These are all great! haha the only problem I have now is getting my boss to give me the time off!

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Oliwa

These are all great! haha the only problem I have now is getting my boss to give me the time off!

You're really working backwards on this whole trip planning thing huh? An approach like that will almost certainly guarantee that you have an awesome time.

[THE SCUD]

I can't be the only person interested in how you came upon 'free' tickets to Sydney?! Do tell!

[Buff]

I have a friend from Australia. He has been living in Edmonton but is going back on December 6. You should try to sit next to him on the plane. He's really nice and could probably give you a lot of info. Don't worry, he isn't a serial killer or anything.

[Oliwa]

Originally Posted by THE SCUD

I can't be the only person interested in how you came upon 'free' tickets to Sydney?! Do tell!

My cousin bought 4 tickets to australia. She and her husband and her husbands cousin are all going on a cruise. I guess someone ended up not being able to go. So I got the last free ticket. Im unable to go on the cruise because it's too much money. But that's okay. Cruises are for retired people. And I'd rather travel the country.

[THE SCUD]

Originally Posted by Oliwa

My cousin bought 4 tickets to australia. She and her husband and her husbands cousin are all going on a cruise. I guess someone ended up not being able to go. So I got the last free ticket. Im unable to go on the cruise because it's too much money. But that's okay. Cruises are for retired people. And I'd rather travel the country.

Damn, I was hoping for some more intrigue. That's a pretty nice cousin - go, enjoy yourself. Any opportunity you have to travel, go for it.

[Northendzone]

there is no sbarro's in australia - why go?

[Mista_Incognito]

Originally Posted by Oliwa

Thanks man! the problem I am most worried about is the money but if I have to I just wont drink and i'll eat in moderation.

I went to uni in oz where students are always on a tight budget and are also looking to drink.

The secret to drinking on the cheap would be to get used to goon (aka cheap boxed wine). It does not taste the best but it comes cheap and its also the Australian tradition for younger people.

Take the bag out of the box and drink away... when you are done with your bag you can inflate it and use it as a pillow... dont forget to slap the goon as you drink!

I also would highly recommend Byron Bay (my fav spot in Aus, I would spend as much time here as possible)... lots of girls... backpackers... easy to travel solo... and the best sand your feet will ever touch in your entire life and a great place learn how to surf and easy to do body surfing... Nimbin is cool to check out if you like your smoke.

Gold coast and sunshine coast... and the rest of QLD are pretty cool but nothing beats Byron Bay... When I go back I will spend as much time as possible there.

Good Luck!

[Regular_John]

I went to Australia solo back in 2007 and stayed in hostels the entire time.

You can read about my trip here.

I have decided I will be staying in Hostels but another problem is what the am I going to do there?
I stayed primarly in Hosteling International hostels and they were great.

Assuming it's beach weather, go to the beach! Check out the Opera House in Sidney, eat the street sushi, try the local beer.

But don't just eat out, get some groceries and cook for yourself at the hostel, you'll meet fellow solo travelers that you'll end up tagging along with on their trips or just knocking back pints around the corner.

I was just given these tickets yesterday without any planning. Im going to be pretty tight with my money because im not going there with much on hand. Think around 2 thousand to three thousand on me.

$2,000-$3,000 is way more than you'll need for 2.5 weeks. Don't keep it all in cash. Keep it in your Canadian bank account and call the bank to let them know you'll be using your card in Australia. I personally paid for all hostels/flights on my Visa while I was there, but used my CIBC card at the ATM's and typically took out $200-$300 at a time. Basically an amount that was sufficient to buy food/souvenirs/drinks but not enough that I'd be screwed if it were stolen/lost.


Also is there any trips I can take there? like a grayhound bus that travels the country? I could really appreciate some help on this as I am completely clueless.

I flew Quantas between city's in Australia, but I was also there for a month, so I spent about a week in Sidney, 2.5 in Melbourne and a weekend & change in Cairns snorkling with a ski buddy of mine. I should note I had friends in Melbourn as well that I stayed with a couple nights in addition to the hostel there.

Honestly if you can, EXTEND your trip. The flight is a killer & the jet lag can be brutal, so the more time you spend down there (within a reasonable budget) the better. Traveling solo & staying in hostels can streatch your budget quite a bit.