Travelling to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa can be a hugely positive, life-changing experience. But there can also be challenges and problems that you have to face. These include running out of money, not being able to find work, getting home sick etc. You can either give up and fly home or be adaptable, flexible and willing to learn new skills. Read on to find out 6 ways living and travelling in Australia will change you forever.
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Living in Australia means new priorities
Australia has no shortage of activities for backpackers. However, the country is very expensive, so you will not be able to do everything. Because of this, you will learn to become more disciplined with money, how to budget effectively and you will have to work out what your priorities are. You won’t spend as much money as you used to in the pubs or shopping if you want to discover the country! It requires being very honest with yourself and making some sacrifices. Both of these are life skills that will stand you in good stead moving forward and valuable lessons wherever you are.
New work environments
Back home you may have tended to work in office environments. But once in Australia, it will be a different story. You will be able to try new jobs, in new environments! Working in a pub, with animals, in a restaurant or on a farm – the possibilities are endless. Changing your work environment gives you the opportunity to acquire new skills and allows you to reflect on the direction you want your career to go. You may realise that in the future you want to do a completely different job that you had in mind before leaving home. You may realise you never want to set foot in an office again, or you may come home with a new appreciation for your old job.. who knows!! Either way, you will have a new perspective on work, work/life balance and your future.
Develop new interests
Going travelling also allows you to discover new hobbies and interests – for examples, a spontaneous trip to the Grampians in Victoria completely changed the direction of my trip. Where you may have always lived in cities before, you may find yourself only excited to see the National Parks instead of big cities once you realise they are so similar to home. There are almost infinite coastal walks, hikes, trails and viewpoints no matter where you are in Australia. You will be able to see plenty of breathtaking scenery in Australia, very different to what you see at home and potentially even visit the neighbouring countries (New Zealand and Indonesia). In a space of a month, you can go from walking in a desert to hiking a glacier – you will see so much.
Become independent
You are going to become more confident, self-assured – and chatty! When you are sharing rooms and dinner tables with new people every day, you simply cannot block out the rest of the world otherwise you will quickly become lonely. You will also miss out on a lot if you approach your trip thinking you are not open to mucking in with others or being flexible. However, because of the nature of travelling, there will also be plenty of time spent alone or having to figure things out for yourself. Quickly though, you will see that you will happily climb mountains and wander around new cities on your own. It is okay for it to be daunting, and it won’t always be fun either, but you will only learn from such experiences and become extremely happy in your own company – a crucial life skill no matter where you are.
You will also realise that being independent does not always mean not asking for help. Australians are such a friendly nation, you may find yourself offered help even when you don’t realise you need it. You may be invited to a barbecue, or to stay with someone, or be offered directions without having to ask. You will also find Aussies often love to have a chat, so you may even make friends or meet new people just by sitting watching a sports match, waiting in a queue or on public transport. Be open to these interactions, you never know where they may lead…
Be inspired
While travelling in Australia you will meet people from all around the world. You will hear countless backpackers discussing stories from their travels through South East Asia and New Zealand. You will connect with these people and forget about the naysayers back home who are telling you to ‘get a real job’ or ‘join the real world’. These other backpackers will inspire you to think in a big bold way and continue to follow the path that feels right for you. It will renew your certainty that this is the right thing for you to be doing, and help quash any worries or doubts.
New, lasting changes
When you do short trips around Europe or India for example, you usually book a return flights before leaving the UK. In addition, you usually also have a detailed itinerary for your trip. In general, you have commitments to come back to and after your trips and once you have returned, you quickly settled back into your old routine and habits. For example, you may quickly forget about the poverty in India and soon go back to complaining about ‘first world problems’.
If you go to Australia for a long period of time, you usually have to quit your job and therefore don’t have commitments to come back to. This vague, open-ended way of travelling will have a lasting impact on you. You have the time to reflect on what you truly want out of life. You are able to assess whether your home is where you want to spend the rest of your life. You can re-evaluate your short-term – and long term – goals. Your new perspective can have real influence over the direction you decide to go in.
I am on a working holiday visa here in Australia and while I’ve just arrived, I’m already missing home and struggling to find the meaning of actually being here. With difficulties in accom and job search, I kind of forgot the enthusiasm that brought me here. But after reading your post, I felt more at ease and decide to take a step at a time, enjoy the moment and really embrace what this experience will offer. so, thank you Ross!