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1. Being broke all the time, like all the time

2. Sleeping in dorms and never really getting any sleep … for months on end

3. Trying to find free wi-fi that actually works without resorting to buying another coffee you don’t want

4. Trying to work out the time zone difference when calling home – seriously a lot harder than it should be

5. Realising you should have brought a thick jumper with you, because Australia actually gets really cold in the winter, and then not having enough money to buy one (see #1)

6. Realising you are putting on weight at a time when you’ve never worn swimwear so much in your life

7. Becoming aware of how huge Australia is and how long it takes to travel anywhere

8. Getting lost on the way

9. Watching Wolf Creek the night before you start hitch hiking

10. Having brought way too many clothes, none of which are a) appropriate or b) fit anymore (see #6)

  1. Having to get a Tax File Number (TFN) when you’ve just got to the country, as you need to work because you’re already broke. But then realising you need a residential address to get a TFN, in order to work, in order to pay for the rent, in order to get a residential address ARGH!
  1. Being surrounded by couples in hostels all the time. Seriously, when did traveling Down Under become all about the lovebirds?
  1. Getting your head around the fact that you have to pay banks in Australia to let them have your money – WTF?!
  1. Trying to desperately find a farm that will actually give you 88 days of legit labour. Near impossible.
  1. Being so far away from friends … and everything else
  1. Understanding why people want you to put a thong on your foot
  1. Understanding how fishing suddenly became cool
  1. Trying to get your head around the fact that the capital isn’t Sydney or Melbourne but some weird place you’ve never heard of
  1. Realising the Great Ocean Road isn’t that great.
  1. Hearing everybody tell you everything is “too easy” all the time, when it clearly is not!

Steph Parker /

Hi there, my name’s Steph and I’m a travel addict! Never one for staying at home and working for too long, I’ve always had to make sure I can travel cheap to fund my nomadic lifestyle. Big World Small Pockets was created to share with you the highs and lows of happy, healthy budget travel – the sort of real, wild, global adventuring that fires up minds and sets hearts racing. I hope you enjoy it!



One Response to “20 Hardest Things about Being a Backpacker in Australia”

  1. Felix

    Thanks for the Info

    Reply

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