EmmaSo, you’ve decided to go on a working holiday… great minds think alike! The reason I made this page was that I couldn’t often remember the silly little things that you need to do before you set off on your working holiday. So, I went onto Google but I couldn’t find a relevant source… so I made one instead!
I’ve been on my working holiday in Australia for just over a month, and I thought I’d share with you the things that I did before I made the move.
Cancel All Subscriptions
Netflix, Disney+, Amazon… you name it! Before I hopped on the plane I made sure all of these were canceled. Apart from Amazon; this is an annual thing and it expires later this month. It helped to keep it a bit as I sent off some surprise Christmas Presents! Also, Amazon in Australia ain’t on par with England, so it’s not worth it.
*A little reminder to myself to make sure my mum doesn’t accidentally activate my Netflix again like she did last month!
Car
You won’t need your car overseas! I had/have a mini in England, I’m too attached to it so it’s still mine but if you’re not as attached, make sure to sell it and cancel unnecessary insurance.
Book Flights
Top tip with booking flights for your working holiday? Keep looking well in advance for a better price. Search on a private browser, or even try with a VPN. I think Liam did this, can’t quite remember but we got our tickets in August for our November flight with Qatar for around £700 each one way. A friend of ours was looking for February time and it was quoting her £1300!
Get Your Working Visa
If you haven’t already, get your working visa sorted! For Australia’s 417, you will need a copy of your passport, and proof of funds. The requirement for this visa is $5000 in your bank account which is £2,846.04 today. I also needed to send off a copy of my birth certificate and adoption certificate as I was born with a different name, so keep this in mind.
Budget
Since the requirement is $5,000, I recommend a lot more than that if you want to travel comfortably. For example, if you want to buy a car, ours cost $11,000 so that was split between us, and we had all the renovations on top. However, everyone’s experience is different.
We haven’t really eaten out much but food shopping is generally a bit more expensive than the UK, but petrol prices are a lot cheaper, yet then again it’s a huge country so you’re going to need more of the stuff to get around.
If you don’t want to get a car, you could also get a bus. I’ve heard a lot about the Greyhound Buses, so it might be worth looking into that.
Plan your Route
This only applies if you plan on traveling! In our experience, this wasn’t necessary until you get here. We knew that we’d be pretty much stationary for December, so we just planned it then, and we still are! We’ll be heading south first from Perth and hoping to hit these spots on the way:
Sort Out Your Living Situation
We’re lucky to be living with Liam’s family for the first month who are letting us stay at theirs until we get the car sorted… It’s nearly done! Literally, Liam’s just fitting some panels in the back for our alternative bed. I won’t tell you too much as I’m leaving that for another blog post.
Apply for Medicare!
This is something we wished we had sorted before setting off. We’re taking everything steady at the moment because our Medicare still hasn’t come through. The UK has an agreement with the NHS/Medicare so we’re lucky enough to be eligible for this. It’s not all completely free but some things are covered by medicare and it can reduce the price of some things.
Print Important Documents
Just to be on the safe side, I made sure I kept a copy of the following in my hand luggage:
- Bank Statement
- Employment Contract (proof of address)
- Letter from Ex-Employer confirming job role and how long you worked there
- Medicare Sheet Filled in (We didn’t send it off because we’re silly)
I also made sure I had the boarding passes screenshot just in case the internet didn’t work.
Join Working Holiday Groups on Facebook!
Although we haven’t started traveling yet, we know we’ll probably make friends along the way just from these groups! I have to say there aren’t a lot of people who seem to be Perth way, but there are a couple. There are a lot of people on here who have free seats available and who invite other cars to convoy with them, and they’re generally just out to help each other!
Here are the groups that I’m in:
- Australia 🇦🇺 Backpackers 2022 (if admins are reading this, the year needs updating)
- Australia Backpackers 2023-2024
- Working Holiday Australia 2023
Do you have any other suggestions? I hope I haven’t forgotten anything! Otherwise, let me know if you’d like me to cover any more topics down below 👇
