Australia advice needed....

Spider_Baby

Hi,
Ok...
At the mo I am 4 months into a RTW trip with friends. Come March I'm on my own though and in Australia. This will be the first time I'll be travelling on my own. I have 1-2 months in Australia depending on how long I wanna stay really (and how long the money lasts!).
I'm just wondering, honestly, is it as easy as everyone says it is to meet people and make friends? Depending on how it goes I'm considering staying longer and working, but thats not defo yet. Also if its not going so well I'll cut it even shorter.

What would people recommend for a lone female traveller in Oz?
I'll be flying into Brisbane. I'm thinking of then getting a cheap flight up to Cairns and starting from there and working my way down. (My flight out of Australia is from Sydney so I may only be able to afford the east coast, dont think I can afford a flight to Perth etc).
So..would people recommend an overland organised tour like the contiki ones, aimed at solo travellers? Or the Oz Experience bus and hop on and off as I like? Or something else?
My research on Australia in pretty minimal at the mo so all tips, advice etc are really appreciated!!
Also any personal experiences of travelling alone there would be great!

Thanks loads

dSTAR

Kontiki tours are great for meeting people who are on holidays. But there is a lot to be said for going solo. Sometimes the people and places you come across are totally unexpected and you can occasionally make friends for life when you are on the road.

Spider_Baby

Yeah if I go it alone without the Kontiki tour I'm hoping I meet people along the way...hopefully! Its just all a bit nerve-racking at the mo. A wee bit scary! I know myself that I have met loads of solo travellers in the past few months that I've been away myself, but its still a bit scary.

Any advice on best ways to meet people, hostels etc?

Also, are you travelling alone too and if so how have you found it?
Thanks dStar.

Thomas the Tank

SB you'll have no problem travelling on your own up the east (or west) coast. I did it myself about two and a half years ago and to be honest by the time it came to heading off I couldn't wait to be on my own for a while!! It had been a while since one had some personal space if ya know what I mean...:)

Anyway Australia is so well equipped to deal with backpackers that the whole experience is a complete doddle. YOu book your hostel and there's nearly always a shuttle bus to pick you up from your stop and take you there, you stay in dorms where you'll find almost all your room mates are travelling on their own too and only dying for someone to talk to. I sailed the Whitsundays with a small group of strangers and I can honestly say it was the best experience from my year travelling. It is what you make it - if on days you want to be on your own you can be! It's really liberating to be able to go at your own pace, do whatever you want to do and not be trying to keep everyone in your group happy.

Enjoy it!

datk

I spent a year in Australia a few years ago. I met up initially with a friend then went my own way. I got on fine and I'm a wuuus!!

Once you start doing your research you'll see how good the backpacker network is. I travelled for a while, then worked for 7 months in Sydney then went travelling again. If you wanted to see Uluru then fly from Brisbane to Alice then fly to Cairns. I did the Oz Experience down the east coast, it's great for meeting up with people because you visit a few places on the way so there's more interactiton with fellow travellers whereas McCaffertys just deliver you from Point A to Point B. The hostels are a great way of meeting people to. Basically travelling on your own makes you more likely to mix and for people to invite you to join them. If you're with a group you tend to stick to the group.

I don't know what the work situation is like now coz it's been a while but that's a great way of meeting people too if you decide to stay on.

Good luck, you'll have a ball.

Spider_Baby

Thanks for all the advice! Really looking forward to it now. Still haven't decided whether I'll go for a working visa and work for a few months, or just the tourist one and stay for 1-2 months (depending on how long the money lasts!) but either way I'm looking forward to it

hussey

Is it easy to meet people?? ... depends on you. Simple as that.

If you can walk up to someone in a hostel and ask "hey how are you? what did you do today?" or something similar then yes you can easily meet people. sometimes that's all it takes

Alot of people start travelling on their own in Oz and quickly meet people so it only appears they are not alone. You just have to make an effort.

I really wouldn't bother with Oz experience (this is just me now) as they are expensive and you can meet as many people in hostels etc.
Greyhound and Mc Caffertys just drop you off at stops yeah, but then lots of people do that and you are never really alone.

Also you'll meet so many Irish people, and you can easily start a convo by asking - Where in Ireland are you from?

the east coast is probably easier than the west, as there are more places in shorter distance. while the west is more sparse.

I started off with a friend in sydney and travelled up east on my own. and meet lots of people either via greyhound/hostel/day trips etc, at the start I was nervous about being on my own, but after 1 day I meet people and after that I realised most people are in the same boat.