Australia is a travel destination that should be on your bucket list. And one of the best ways to discover Australia is via an road trip. A roadtrip through Australia with a car of van is just awesome. We’ve xx tips for your roadtrip through Australia on a budget.
Buy or rent a van in Australia?
Australia is big, very big. Like Europe big. So you’ll need a couple of months to see everything has to offer. And even then, you don’t be getting enough of Australia.
One of the best ways to see Australia on a budget, is a roadtrip with a van. Renting a van for a couple of weeks / months will be expensive. That’s why it’s better to buy your van and resell it when you’ve finished your trip.
Public transportation as good alternative
Not in the mood of a self driving road trip? Then using public transportation is a very good alternative. And it’s good for your budget. In Australia, you can travel cheap via bus / train. And it’s good for the environment.
We recommend you buy a bus pass for a longer period. This way you’ll save up a lot of money.
Wild camping
In Australia it’s not official allowed to do wild camping. However, in many regions the authorities do allow wild camping. There are a couple of rules to follow:
- Don’t stay where there is a ‘No camping’ sign
- On the side of the road
- In towns and cities
- On private territory
There are a lot of farmers where you can spend the night for free or for a very cheap price.
Need a good night rest? Book a hostel
Spending every night in your van could be getting hard. That’s why we do recommend to book a hostel or hotel once in a while. So you can recharge your batteries, do your laundry, take a bath, …
Did you know that in some hostels, you can sleep for free? In return you need to do some chores like helping at the bar. It’s a fun way to start learning new people and don’t spend too much money for a good night of rest.
Cheap fuel? Use an app
Getting fuel to hit the road in a budget? Download a find cheap fuel app. Use the app if need to fill up your tank. You can compare the prices of the nearby gas stations and pick the cheapest one. This could save you a lot of money by choosing wisely.
Look for a compagnon
When you’re solo traveling through Australia it’s clever to look for a travel compagnon. it’s cheaper. You can split every bill (food, gas, campings, …). While you’re traveling together, you have much more things to do and explore.
Do your homework when you’re looking for a travel compagnon. Don’t just pick the best guy/girl you can find. You’ll be spending quite some time together. So make sure you 2 (or more) get along!
Cook your own meals
Cooking your own meals it a budget saver. in Australia you have a lot of supermarkets and there are a lot of free “Barbies” (Australian languages for barbecues). If you can’t cook? It’s the best time to learn. Especially when you’re on a road trip on a budget.
Get a dual sim smartphone
One thing you need to avoid (you really need to) is roaming in Australia. It’s quite expensive. If you have a dual sim smartphone, you can get a local prepaid sim card like Telstra. Thanks to the dual sim, you can use your own telephone number for Whatsapp but use the Telstra internet connection.
Where to go in Australia on a road trip?
Like we said, Australia is big. So you can go wherever you want to go. The East Coast of Australia is perhaps the most popular region. But it doesn’t mean it’s the only region anything but that. If you’re still fingering out where you want to go? Check our map of Australia post. It will give you a nice overview of things to do and see in Australia.
Then you can start choosing where you want to go on a road trip.