When we get to a certain age, usually following graduation from uni, our thoughts start turning to other things and travel is often near the top of our to-do list. But something I always notice is that these conversations almost always focus on travel being an overseas experience. But is this assumption working against you being able to assess whether or not this is the best type of trip for you as there are plenty of travel opportunities closer to home as well? We can see that different nationalities travel more than others, and the ones that travel more also have more domestic trips. As with any decision, it’s good to make a good and fair comparison and so you should list all the pros and cons, even set up a scorecard to keep track. Yes, it sounds a bit geeky, but if it works then it definitely works!
Research what Australia has to offer, and you won’t be disappointed, our home country is a treasure trove of exciting adventures. This way you can avoid being dreadfully homesick and one of the big issues with overseas experiences can be getting the dreaded homesickness. Now most of us would never want to admit this is something we’re likely to have a problem with but if we are honest then it’s a real issue that most of us have experienced at one time or another. But these days we can get home TV and podcasts and there’s even a dedicated phone line to help with homesickness with sounds of back home, no jokes, it’s real!
What Can You Afford? We Say, Cairns!
Maybe a good place to start with how to make this decision should rest with your budget, how much do you have to spend? It’s not a good idea to get into debt to fund this before you’ve even really begun your working life. So if your budget is tight then consider closer to home travel plans, as not only will flights be cheaper for shorter distances, you can even keep working and do your traveling around on weekends and vacation time. According to priceoftravel.com Cairns is the cheapest city to stay in, and they are including New Zealand in that as well, this combined with it’s proximity to the Great Barrier Reef makes it not only great for your pocket but great for adventure as well.
Where’s The Party At? It has to be the Gold Coast!
If it’s party and nightlife you are after then all of the big Australian cities can offer you a stellar time, but we’ve got to say, overall that the Gold Coast has the rep of being the party zone and not without reason. It’s genuinely a surfers paradise by day but that’s not to say that you have to be a surfer to fully enjoy the area, but it doesn’t hurt. You can’t go anywhere without finding a whole range of lovely bars from the cozy little pub to the cracking nightclub, too many to mention in totality here, but this guide here shows some of the top clubs to go to, and we’d certainly not argue with this list, with Asylum and SinCity being two of our favourites!
Culture, Where is it At? Brisbane!
As we can see from this guide here Brisbane has been named as Australia’s most cultural city, now it’s not that we can’t see why as attractions such as the GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) have been attracting records numbers. But when it’s up against such iconic features such as the Sydney Opera House, we need to ask why? Well according to the awarding website it’s due to the depth and frequency of cultural events, we can see here the festivals, shows, theatre events, and even the world-famous marathon all make it an unmissable idea.
Travelling Around: On Your Back!
Of course, many of us are going to travel around and the classic Aussie way is to go backpacking, use this guide to get a good idea of what to expect if using this method of getting around. It gives you the freedom of going where you want when you want without the rigid structure of an organised holiday holding you back. So get out there and go where the adventure takes you.
Capital Idea: It’s Canberra of Course!
Everyone should visit their capital city at some point or another. Why is Canberra the capital, well there are competing theories, such as it’s inland and not near the other cities or that New South Wales insisted it was chosen or it wouldn’t join the union, whatever the reason it’s a fascinating trip. You, or anyone else for that matter, can visit Parliament House to see where our representative democracy is carried out. It’s an experience not to be missed so get there and see it!
The Big Two: Sydney & Melbourne
We’ve deliberately skipped mentioning the two biggest cities so far, partly because we assume that you are either familiar with them or at least are aware of the kind of things that they offer. As we touched upon Sydney has the Opera House and famous harbour area, and is a lovely city to visit with features such as the Botanical Gardens. In contrast, Melbourne is a little less touristy but still an absolutely fantastic place to go and visit, the nightlife and music scene are amongst the best in the country. It’s a friendly and accommodating city where you’ll always find something to do.
Who Are You Travelling With?
If you are going to be traveling with a companion then you must consider that decision making will not be as straight forward on this trip as you need to keep the peace but also get to go where you want to go as well and keeping your companion or companions happy. It can be an upside as it’s less lonely but be sure that you take timeout for yourself as well.
.jpg){kind=tracking}