Achieving More in Your Retirement: 5 Tips for Traveling Australia on a Budget

Many Australians dream of traveling Australia in their retirement and work towards achieving this goal during their working years. Traveling our country is a rewarding experience and as it easy to become immersed in the array of sunny beaches and diverse major cities. Most future retirees plan to fund their home country trip using a combinations of their age pension and superannuation. If you are interested in achieving the most out of your trip with the budget you have available, then this article is for you. Here are 5 tips for traveling around Australia on a budget:

1. Combine Accommodation and Mode of Transport

Hotels and hostels can very quickly drain your budget in Australia. If you are willing to sacrifice the luxury factor out of your sleeping arrangement you will be paid back exponentially in the extra time you will be able to spend exploring the many tourist attractions our country has to offer. Australian grey nomads thrive on the idea of hitting Australia’s open roads in a motorhome, caravan, bus or camper-trailer and this is an excellent way to combine travel and accommodation into one low cost expense.
If you still want to stay in hotels or hostels there are many very affordable hotels available if you search around for the best deal and travel in off peak periods.

2. Go Natural

A country rich in natural wonders, there is more reason than ever to forget about paid tours and simply experience the many natural features which our land has on offer. There are hiking groups online that can be joined in order to meet and socialise with other like-minded travellers. If you intend to complete the hike over the course of a few days, or longer, there are plenty of parks around that offer great camping areas often complete with covered shelters, gas barbeques, fireplaces and fresh rainwater.

3. Use the Share Economy

If there is a place in your itinerary where you have a rest day and want to spend some time indoors relaxing and recharging for the next part of your trip this is the perfect slot to book in a house or room. Air BnB is a great way to utilise the share economy in Australia and gain access to a fuller set of facilities such as a bathroom, kitchen and laundry while still paying budget costs. The prices depend on time of year so if you are travelling at a quieter time of year there are big savings to be made here too.

4. Clever Itinerary

When you are trying to minimise costs while traveling around the country it is usually best to focus on just one or two regions in order to get the most out of these places and avoid acquiring unnecessary traveling costs to places you may not have time to properly explore and enjoy. Writing up an itinerary for an isolated region makes it is easier to include absolutely everything you would like to do there without having to worry about missing out before you move on to the next region. There are many online groups and forums where fellow Aussie explorers share a thorough account on their favourite places to explore in every region of Australia. Reading these posts and interacting with these online communities is a great way to hear about great places to visit that you may have never heard of before from those who share your passion for exploring the country.

5. Prepare Your Own Meals

A major expense of any holiday is meals. Most restaurants and even takeaway places can be quite expensive, particularly in popular tourist destinations. Eating out too often during your trip can quite literally eat into your budget. A more frugal idea is to grab some supplies from the local supermarket and utilise the facilities at your hostel accommodation, campervan or even head down to the local park for a barbeque. If you do want to experience the restaurant cuisine it is usually cheaper to eat out for lunch rather than dinner.

If you would like further financial advice to help you fund the trip around Australia that you’ve always dreamed of, get in contact with Elliot Watson Financial Planning 02 4038 1623.

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