Backpacking Negatives

It would be very unprofessional of us to paint a perfect picture without discussing some of the con’s that come with the Pro’s of backpacking Australia.

Climate – Australia’s climate is perceived to be extremely hot all year round, however this is not entirely correct. In fact Oz can have some very changeable weather with extremes that can be far in excess of the UK. If you don’t plan your trip to coincide with the seasons you could find yourself exchanging a 30 degree London for a 10 degree Sydney. Having said this with a little bit of forward planning you can enjoy temperatures well in excess of 20 degrees for your ENTIRE trip.

Culture – The Australian culture comes from a huge mix of many ethnic groups and although this adds to the diversity of the country it can pose a problem to some backpackers. It can be difficult to understand some cultures especially those of the indigenous aboriginals and can therefore be easy to offend. Remember that some areas in Australia you must observe and respect the wishes of the aboriginal people and their rights, so do your research.

Distances/travel – One factor that many travellers fail to take into account when backpacking Australia is the immense distances involved while travelling between destinations. It’s hard to contemplate just how far places are from each other and how long a journey will take. This can frustrate the backpacker that is pushed for time as these huge distances can equate to equally huge travel times.

Money – Depending on the length of your stay in Australia and how much funds you have brought with you money is a huge worry for all backpackers. Although Australia is relatively cheap it can be easy to overspend or underestimate the amount you may need for your travels. The problem is that many backpacker jobs are poorly paid and you would do well to get out of the habit of converting your earnings back to GBP as it can be very demoralising.

Accommodation – Backpacker hostels will most likely be the choice of residence for travellers while backpacking Australia. These hostels will most likely be what will make or break your stay at any one destination. Choose carefully as some hostels have rules that can take away from your experience. Also it can take a while to become accustomed to the sheer lack of privacy which is inevitable when staying in budget backpacker hostels.

Nobodies backpacking experience will be the same, all our staff here at backpacker pages have been to many of the same destinations and taken very different perceptions away with them.