You want to travel to Australia but are wondering if travelling alone is a good idea? Worries, loneliness, experiences; many thoughts and questions cross your mind. We get it, we’ve been there. Here is an article where you will find 10 good reasons to Solo travel. You will see whether you are a girl or a guy, travelling solo has heaps of advantages!
Table of Contents
Independence
Travelling solo allows you to be totally independent and free. No need to chat or negotiate before making a decision! Hungry? Eat! Bored of the city? Leave and move on! You will avoid any kind of conflict which come with travelling with mates and won’t have to make any compromises on your wishlist. After all, you are in Australia for freedom right? Of course, a little company and help from time to time does not hurt. This can be the advantage of doing your road trips with your own vehicle for independence, but in convoy for the company.
Find a job easily
Finding a job in Australia can be complicated, even more so when there’s more than one of you looking. In fact, it’s less common for an employer to be looking to recruit two or more people at the same time (except on large farms). If you’re travelling with friends or as a couple, it’s possible that some people in the group will find a job more quickly than others. It will then be more difficult to make savings if everyone is not living at the same pace, and you’ll probably have to spend more time in the same place so that everyone can work.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for work on your own, you’re more likely to get hired and start straight away. Here’s to long, well-paid working hours and money saved 😉 If you want to do your 88 days on the farm to extend your WHP, don’t delay and be prepared to do them solo. You’ll have plenty of time to meet people in your new job.
Tip: Many Backpackers find a job on Gumtree or on local Facebook Groups.
Be more flexible
Being alone also means being flexible. It’s easier to arrange things last minute. Do you have an opportunity to work at 1000 km? No worries, you’ll be there the next day. You just met people and they offer you to join them for a Road Trip? You are IN! Flexibility is important when traveling/working for a long period of time. You can spontaneously choose what you want to do. Leave on a whim, or change your mind 5 minutes later. No one will judge you. It’s the travel game, right?
Resilience and managing alone
Going to Australia for a year can be quite adventurous. It is it an excellent opportunity to learn how to manage on your own with day to day or more ‘adult’ tasks. There’s no choice but to handle the challenges that present themselves on the road. And when you realise that you can manage.. well your confidence will increase dramatically!
Find a job, a place to live, open a bank account, lodge a tax declaration… So many essential things you need to become fully independent. You will see that if you are able to do all those things on the other side of the world, it is going to seem extremely easy when going back home. Finally, if you are female, don’t be scared of travelling alone in Australia, you will feel really safe here and therefore have more opportunity to try out your new independence.
Getting to know yourself
Travelling alone is often an inner journey as much as a physical one. Coming face to face with yourself allows you to discover yourself better, to better understand your desires, strengths and weaknesses. Going to Australia for a year gives many of us the opportunity to take a break in our lives and think about what we really want, whether from a personal, professional or even romantic point of view.
Taking the decision to move to the other side of the world is often the root of something deeper: a disappointment in love, family or work.
Searching for yourself, or someone else, can take time to understand and/or admit. Take this time for yourself. It’s the key to personal development and self-discovery.
Meeting new friends
When travelling solo to Australia, you generally don’t stay alone for a long time. It is true, being a solo traveller makes meetings easier (compare to travelling as a couple anyway). On arrival in Australia you will more likely stay at a Hostel, where meeting people is so easy. Then you might look for a share house and again, you will make new friends. Just like when you start jobs. The meetings are there, all the time. Traveling intrigues people, sparks questions, facilitates discussion, even involuntarily. You are not alone.
Fall in love and come home as two
Sometimes, Travelling solo can end up with you coming home in a pair. Many couples meet while travelling around Australia. Some of them move back home together, some move on to another country and some stay in Australia. Through travel, work, settling, or life projects, travellers often seek common goals. Life is full of surprises…
Book a ticket, get a tan, fall in love, never return
Assimilate into local society
Travelling solo makes it easier to meet locals and, eventually, assimilate better. Those who work as “Au Pairs” are a good example. They live with a local family, share house chores or look after children, while learning about the culture and the way of life, slowly becoming real Australians themselves! It’s a great chance to understand the young Australian daily culture. Having local contacts also makes it possible to make good plans for trips, work tips, cultural insights etc.
Avoiding the risks of incompatibility
Going to Australia as a couple or with friends means testing the bonds that unite you and possibly facing up to a few incompatibilities. You’ll find yourself in uncomfortable situations, having to make decisions that are the antithesis of your everyday life, and sometimes even having to impose your own choices or accept those of others.
Living together 24 hours a day isn’t always easy. Especially if you’re travelling in a van or 4×4, where your living space will be less than 4 m²! Some friendships and romances can break down during a long journey, because life here is very different from the comforts of everyday life in France. You have to hang in there, and sometimes relationships pay the price.
Inspire others
Travelling solo across Australia or other countries will definitely inspire your friends or the people you meet along your journey! It can also be a great opportunities for your friends to join you for a small part of a trip! They might even take their own journey once they see how much fun you are having.
Bonus reason: Get a taste for adventure
Routine is often hard to leave behind, especially once you’ve settled in. It’s hard to leave behind a stable situation, a permanent job, a flat, family and friends. But there’s something missing: adventure! Going to Australia alone means discovering a new culture and new landscapes. You’ll learn to fend for yourself, travel thousands of kilometres, meet kangaroos and koalas, build campfires in the middle of the desert, meet people of all nationalities, repair your own 4×4, build a solar shower… Adventure is what awaits you, because the country is so vast that you’ll experience many incongruous situations and quickly get a taste for novelty, discovery and adrenalin.
How do I prepare to travel to Australia alone?
If you’re going to Australia alone, we advise you to prepare your departure as well as possible to avoid any surprises or stress upon arrival.
Take the time to research the administrative formalities you need to do before your departure, and those you need to do once you arrive. Check that all your identity documents are up to date, especially your passport and driving licence. Book a hostel, hotel or airbnb for your first week in Australia, while you adjust to the jetlag. Join self-help Facebook groups and read up on the internet on various blogs. In short, take the temperature to get an overall idea of where you’re heading 🙂
To learn more, read our article: Things to know before going to Australia – Prepare for your work & travel
