Saving money on your Sydney adventure doesn’t have to be too difficult with the right amount of preparation and planning. Like any overseas budget holiday you will want to consider staying in Sydney backpackers as this will always be the most affordable option. However, there are many other ways to save money on rental cars, flights and even tours around the city and beyond.
Saving Money on Accommodation
Saving money on your accommodation doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice quality and cleanliness. Luckily, Australia has some pretty strict guidelines for both hotels and restaurants so even budget options can’t cut corners on health and safety. If you are going to stay in Sydney hostels be sure to find online reviews and testimonials from people who have stayed there. Quite often there will be a facebook page with a lot of comments from people who have stayed there or perhaps are staying there now. Your hostel option will depend entirely on what you want to do on your stay – enjoy the sights, party like there’s no tomorrow, or, like most people, a little bit of both!
Saving Money on Transport
Transport costs can quickly blow your budget without some careful planning. Taxis in Sydney, for example, are pretty expensive and quite often hard to find so you are better off sticking with public transport. If you are going to see a lot of the city be sure to buy a daily or weekly public transport pass (a multipass), which will allow you to travel by bus, train and ferry to pretty much anywhere.
While there are student discounts available on Sydney transport, do your research that your overseas student pass is eligible for discount in Australia. Be aware that you can simply walk onto trains on many stations but there are guards that patrol stations and trains and the fines are steep.
Saving Money on Airfares
The biggest saving you can get is on your airfare before flying to Australia. Depending on where you are coming from it is likely that the trip is going to be a long one with at least one stop over. It is a great idea to make it a two for one trip and enjoy a stopover in a country along the way.
Asia is finally getting its own versions of European and American discount airlines so there are cheaper flights on offer. Unfortunately, the big carriers still dominate and use their power well to keep flight costs high. Avoiding big names like Qantas is a good idea as you will probably end up paying a massive premium and not even flying on a Qantas plane (as they usually use partners to fly around Asia).
Remember to plan and budget well before you travel and make sure you have some extra money put aside just in case something happens.
