How to Travel Australia on a Budget

Australia, the land that is both adorable whilst simultaneously trying to kill you. If you've been following along the Adventures in Aussieland journey, you'll know Australia is not the cheapest country to visit. Depending on your country of origin, an Aussie holiday can set you back quite a bit. However, this doesn't always have to be the case. There are plenty of ways to travel around Australia and not break the bank. We've done the work to help you plan the most affordable Aussie holiday so you can spend more time relaxing and enjoying this fabulous country.

Discounted Travel
Domestic travel throughout Australia can be quite pricey. In comparison to domestic US travel, it's cheap as. But if you're travelling on a budget, flights can quickly eat away at your overall budget. Luckily there are a couple of ways to travel the country for cheap. 

Many of the airlines run specials. Jetstar and Tiger Air often run buy-one-get-one specials to help you score cheap flights. I Know the Pilot is a great site that emails you the best flight deals. If you're flexible with your travel plans, you can't go wrong with their deals. 

Another option is utilising various Facebook travel groups to hitch a ride to your next location. It's a great way to meet new people and save heaps of money. Most of the time, the driver is only asking you to help pitch in for petrol. 

If travelling with strangers isn't your jam, you could always look into hire return deals. A lot of travellers drive hire cars one way. Dealerships will allow renters to hire the car to return it to its original destination. It's often free or insanely cheap to hire a car this way. If you're looking into one-way legs of your journey, this will save you heaps!

Budget-friendly Accommodation
Cheap accommodation can be hard to find in Australia, but not impossible! There are a number of budget-friendly hotels in all the major cities around Australia. If you're on a super tight budget you may want to look into couch surfing or short term rentals on local rental groups. 

Cheap Eats
Dining out in Australia can easily destroy your budget. Alcohol is stupidly expensive here so even having 1 drink with your meals can add up fast. If your hotel doesn't have a kitchen and you don't want to eat at Macca's for brekkie, lunch, and dinner, there are a number of ways to help save when eating out. 

One is Groupons. This is a great site for finding discount meals. Another is an app called EatClub. EatClub shows discounted meals and drinks around your area. It changes every day so you won't be eating at the same places over and over! 

$1 Daily Coffee
Melbourne is the coffee capital of the (possibly) world. Before moving to Australia, I NEVER drank coffee. The US has a very skewed idea about what good coffee actually is. 
If you're in Melbourne, going for the dollar coffee at 7/11 is a bit of sin. However, if you're American, you're used to drinking coffee with a very similar taste. You may not want to skip on some of the delicious coffee Melbourne has to offer. 

Seeing Aussie Wildlife
Going to places like the zoo gets expensive incredibly fast. Even if you have a concessions card, you're still easily looking at spending $20+ dollars. Australia has some incredibly unique wildlife and unless you're visiting one of the sanctuaries, you're probably just going to be met with the same animals you could find at your local zoo. 

So instead of spending the money at the zoo, do one of the following. First, visit the sanctuaries. They're normally significantly cheaper and give you a more intimate experience with the animals. Many of the sanctuaries are open range which means plenty of opportunities to get close to a kangaroo or two. 

If you don't have the budget for the sanctuaries, that's ok! Your best bet, get out of the CDB around sunrise or sunset and chances are you'll find heaps of Aussie animals. If you're in Melbourne, travel down to St Kilda Pier during sunset. You'll get to see heaps of fairy penguins without the trip to Philip Island (or the price tag). Find basically any oval and you'll probably see some roos. There are definitely plenty of free ways to see all the Australian animals. 

Embrace Nature
Australia is known for its gorgeous landscape. No matter which state or territory you find yourself in, there will always be some beautiful natural wonder. The best part, it doesn't cost a cent to be able to enjoy the beautiful sceneries. 

Whilst some of these amazing locations are a bit of drive from the major cities, there are always low-cost accommodation recommendations. Options like camping and camper vans will help you stay on budget without having to sacrifice on experiences.  

Free Sights
No matter which city in Australia you choose to travel to there will always be freebies to take advantage of. If you haven't checked out our 9 Free Activities to do in Melbourne post, we've compiled a list of some of our free sights that everyone should see. 

Most major cities throughout Australia will have a list of free activities on their website. Most of these sites can be found at visit[insert city name].com. Be sure to take a look to see the unique sights the various Australian cities have to offer. 

What are your tips and tricks to travelling on a budget? Have you ever done an extended holiday in Australia? How did you save money and stay on budget? Share your stories in the comments below!

And until next time...

Stay Curious!