I Spoke To Other Brits Travelling Australia To See What It's Actually Like

While for me it's been my work that's got me exploring this wonderfully vast and varied country, that's not the case for the many Brits between the ages of 18-31 who have been granted their working holiday visas.

With #wanderlust in our hearts, and grandiose visions of 24/7 sunshine kissing our pasty skin, we flock from the UK ready for an adventure down under.

But what is it really like travelling around Australia? I chatted to some of the Brits I've met along the way who are doing exactly that, to find out what they've learned.

Deanne from Leicester, James from St Albans, and John from Cumbria I all met on a trip around Queensland. Declan and Nicole, both from Southampton, I caught up with in Sydney... side note: Declan's actually my cousin, so it was an easy interview to bag!

Here's what they told me:

"You don’t need to plan. If you plan too much I don’t think you’ll have a good trip," Deanne says. "It’s better to be more spontaneous."

This is something that crops up in my other interviews, too. I hear story after story of hidden gems people have visited that they otherwise wouldn't have, had they not changed their plans according to people's recommendations.

"You won’t be alone if you come out here on your own," James says, and he's right! He and John met in their dorm room just an hour before the three of us speak.

"When you meet people travelling, the friendships are a lot more intense," John tells me. "You build them very quickly, and that makes having to say goodbye even harder."

It's pretty typical of people to work for six months in the UK, before jetting off to travel for six months. But Deanne doesn't think that's necessarily how you have to do it.

"I would say save enough [before you come] but you don’t need to have loads," she says. When she got to Noosa on her own travels, Deanne ran out of money. She easily got herself a job in a hostel (which is how we met) to fund the rest of her trip.

If Five-star resorts float your boat, or if you more get your kicks from hitchhiking in between hostels, you can easily find a way to do Australia that suits you.

"We bought a campervan because we thought that was going to be the best way for us to travel," says Nicole. "We've been travelling via free camp spots using the WikiCamps app, and just been exploring whatever's in each area."

It's easy to get stuck in a rut of monotony when you're going through the motions of daily life back home. But travelling Australia can shake things up and leave you feeling pretty liberated.

"I was a bit more cautious at home," James says. "One thing I've learned is to just enjoy the freedom and independence that I've got here."

"Back home we are fed this narrative that as soon as you get off the plane there’s going to be spiders, snakes, and whatever else there ready to get you. But that's just not true," Nicole tells me.

"There are animals to be found everywhere," Declan adds. "That doesn't mean you come across them the whole time."

"It’s so much more expensive over here just to live," Nicole says. "The cost of food and alcohol for one, is just a lot more."

Now, I agree with Nicole on the food and the alcohol. Australia does seem a bit more pricey for those. BUT. If you're used to London prices, like I was, then the cost of living over here really doesn't seem that different to back home... especially when you take into consideration that salaries tend to be higher in Australia! Winning!

"We've done nearly our whole trip for free," Declan and Nicole tell me. Granted, they did buy a campervan... AND they have to pay for the fuel. But other than that, their costs have actually been pretty minimal.

A lot of the national parks and beaches in Australia cost nothing to visit by yourself. All you have to do is rock up and enjoy them!

"In England I would never go out for dinner by myself. It just wasn’t the norm," says Deanne. "There are loads of museums and things to do in London but I would always go with a friend. Since I've been travelling, especially in Australia, it’s just been so easy because I can speak the language, and now I just go and do stuff!"

It's such a cliché that people are going to "find themselves" when they go travelling. Whether you do or you don't, apparently you can still change for the better!

"When I first came out here, I was really unsure about everything," says James. "Now I'm much less shy and less introverted. I've completely changed. I'm confident and more motivated to enjoy my travels."

"If you’re in a make or break relationship, go and live in a campervan together and that’ll just give you all the answers," says Nicole. "Travelling has made me realise that I don’t want to leave Dec. Living in a campervan together the other side of the world, away from everyone we’re close with, has sort of put into perspective what our aims and goals are in life."

I KNOW, I KNOW! WHAT ARE THESE LIES?! Lies they be not, my friends.

"For my farm work I picked and packed avocados," John says. "I was sick of looking at avocados! I still eat them now, I just don’t like paying for them any more."

"We had this idea that the grass would be greener on the other side," Nicole says about coming to Australia. "When you get to the other side, you realise that actually you still have the daily runnings of life. It also makes you appreciate England. I think you almost don’t appreciate England until you go to the other side of the world!"

This is one I can vouch for... it IS worth it! But if you don't believe me, here's what the others had to say about it.

"I’m definitely glad I came. I love England, but I’m so happy I’m here," Deanne says. "You may think you don’t want to go to Australia, but you’ll regret it when you’re older. Just do it!" James concludes.