Travelling to Oz alone

nixey

Hi,

I am a 25 year old girl going to Australia on my own in July, I was thinking of going to Cairns
1st as it'll hopefully be warm there and then work my way down the east coast. Does anyone have any tips for travelling alone as I'm excited but fairly scared at the thought!!

hussey

Lots of people do this
the number one tip is to be friendly
even asking someone where they have been what they have seen could lead to a week friendship, which in turn gets you introduced to other people who are in same boat

lots and lots of people do this, more europeans in my opinion,
everyone has good and bad experiences .. just make the most of it!

sunflower_sal

Hey nixey
I'm heading off in two weeks to thailand for 4 mnths then on to oz alone!
Its a scary prospect but my mind was put at ease by the good people at boards,... check out my earlier post on travelling solo, some great tid-bits!

Who knows! Might even see ya on the flip-side

nixey

oh my god sal i hadnt even thought of doing volunteer work but i had a look at the usit site there and am totally interested! did u do much research before u picked usit? i'd love to hear any extra info u have on it, i'm gonna get on to usit aswell, def think i mite do that in thailand for 3 months before going to oz!

mrDuke

yeah im doing that too, heading to thai and ozz and im in england alone right now, so far so good on day one already got chatting to people, so i dont think it is too bad, i feel really wierd when im asked who are you travelling with and i say on my own, i feel people think im kinda wierd or a loner or something then, lol. thats what bothers me most

sunflower_sal

Cannot be said enough!
I researched a good bit bout volunteering, There are LOADS you can go through, most programmes cost A LOT more than my one... some are free.

I went through usit cause it seemed like the best for me.. i wanted to volunteer in Thailand, I wanted a certain amount to be taken care of for me i.e food accom etc, and the programme fee is not too bad at €700 inc accom & meals.

However.... I was a bit rushed and I think if i was starting again i would take a lot more time to MAKE SURE everything is covered an sorted with the volunteer programme. Usit i have found are slow to get back with info.. feedback etc, and it doesn't help when you've two weeks to go and NO VISA!!

Im in high stress mode now cause its so close to d-day but if i can do it anyone can so don't be afraid just go for it... i'll try post here while I'm away and let you know how it's working out... that is of course is i dont get scared on mu first day and come running back

Spud83

I dont know anything regarding the volunteer stuff, but regarding Oz itself. I wouldn't worry at all. After doing the whole Australia thing (not on my own though) I met loads of people who had gone on there own, and loads that had split from their mates so the could go off on their own, and they all loved and made loads of friends. The only thing I will say is Hostels Hostels Hostels, do not stay anywhere else unless you are planning on staying in one city for 2+ months. Their are many reasons for this firstly as soon as you walk into a room you will meet 6+ people, secondaly hostels organise many social nights out as well as day trips and stuff, thirdly they are cheap, fourthly the staff/guest know exactly the position you are in and can offer loads and loads of advise. So yeah honstly stay in hostels, talk to the staff/guests, find out peoples plans and you might even find yourself travelling with a whole group of new friends.

hussey

alanmurphy83 wrote: »

I dont know anything regarding the volunteer stuff, but regarding Oz itself. I wouldn't worry at all. After doing the whole Australia thing (not on my own though) I met loads of people who had gone on there own, and loads that had split from their mates so the could go off on their own, and they all loved and made loads of friends. The only thing I will say is Hostels Hostels Hostels, do not stay anywhere else unless you are planning on staying in one city for 2+ months. Their are many reasons for this firstly as soon as you walk into a room you will meet 6+ people, secondaly hostels organise many social nights out as well as day trips and stuff, thirdly they are cheap, fourthly the staff/guest know exactly the position you are in and can offer loads and loads of advise. So yeah honstly stay in hostels, talk to the staff/guests, find out peoples plans and you might even find yourself travelling with a whole group of new friends.

i++

looey

hey, im 22 and femal and myself and two friends are heading to thailand the end of june and then onto cairns a month later so dont worry bout bein on your own- we're goin dare cos of the weather too n im sure many are thinkin d same! we hopin to meet loads of new people too. if u wanna leave me your email or anythin n we could catch up wit u when we get there??!

andywix

hey im going to oz same time and looking for travel buddy u can mail me on andywix2000@yahoo.ie if ur intrested

fergalsmith80

Hey my brother did the exact same thing. I remember him leaving, was December 2005 I think, he was a nervous wreak cause he was afraid he would be mugged or worse as he was a lone traveller etc. I spoke to him 2 weeks after he left and he said he shouldn't have worried as he met SO MANY irish people on his trip in the same situation it was like a community center meeting most of the time so don't worry. He is still out there. He keeps in touch with home regulary. I was away travelling in Asia with mates last summer and I found this podcast www.getthecraic.com - it's presented by Ian Dempsey and is pretty cool - it's purely for irish people abroad - good way of keeping up with what is going on at home while your away! Good luck with your travels! You'll be fine!

gary the great

You'll end up up with loads of mates from all around Europe. I made my best friends from Oz on the Fraser Island trip, 11 people packed into a 4x4 for 3 days having the laugh is great craic. There was English, Welsh,Scots, Dutch and Germans all having the best craic! I actually stayed with that whole group for the rest of my time in Oz and am going over to Edinbrugh in a few weeks for a reunion!

shoogal

Hi There,
I'm in the same boat! Doing some travelling with friends for 3 months from September, but they're coming home at the end of November and I'm planning to stay in Australia for a while longer to work - slightly terrified as ill be on my own !!:eek: But I know someone who went travelling on their own and they had a fantastic time - and met loads of people , so you'll be fine - enjoy!!