First time travelling

[Gems345]

Hi i'm Gemma, I shall soon be departing on my travels and the closer it gets the more scared I get. Everyone keeps saying to me 'You must be getting so excited now' and 'I bet you can't wait to leave' well actually no the fear is taking hold and there's no room for excitement with all the worry there. I know i'll have a fantastic time and I know I'll love it as soon as I get settled in but i'm hating the fact of leaving all my friends and family, kinda wish I could bring them all with me. I'm off to Australia for a year on a working visa and would be grateful of any advice I have no idea where to start. My flight is booked and I arrive at 10.30pm in Sydney...nothing else planned from here. What would you do? I don't know where to start, whether to get a hostel or hotel for the first few nights because surely i'll want a decent sleep after that flight! What do i need to look for in a hostel (other than cost) should I get a dorm or private room for first night if I dont know what time i'll be arriving? Any beginners advice would be appreciated...

[jennychavez]

You should spend as many days in each place as will allow you to do what you want to do in each place. Presumably there are some reasons why you have chosen those destinations?,.

[mikeinoz]

First of all relax! You will be fine and don't worry about being on your own, you will find that you are about to join the backpacking community. It's great that you are just turning up and taking it from there regarding what to do and where to visit, nothing planned means you have a clean sheet to just find out on the spot what to do from people that have just done it themselves. I would suggest going online and just searching a few back packers hostels in Sydney before you go. Book into one for a couple of days and leave yourself the option of staying for longer or moving on to another hostel. A good hostel in Sydney is the Bounce Hostel, Wakeup and YHA Hostels are also good but all three are slightly more expensive and there are cheaper options depending on your budget. Staying in a mixed dorm or female dorm means that you will straight away be mixing with other backpackers, and every night is backpacker night at one bar or another in the city so there will be plenty of nights out to mingle and make friends. Darling Harbour is a good place to go at night for bars and clubs, Kings Cross is also good but a little seedier. If the hostels don't appeal to you then look into the option of sharing a room, there are sites online that advertise rooms, this could be more expensive but you would have more privacy.

Get a bank account and a tax file number when you arrive and sign on to a couple of good agencies such as Hays Australia for work opportunities.

It may seem daunting now, that's only natural, but after a very short while you will be fully immersed in the back packer way of life making great friends and having a great time.

[T_walters54]

Hello Gemma, I know that you replied to my post so I thought I would read yours too! I have the exact same feeling about going and I still have about 6 months to wait! When abouts are your flights booked? I have a few friends who travel who have already advised me that the best thing to do is book the hostel that you will be staying at for the first couple of nights so you definitely have somewhere to sleep and a base where you can get your bearings from. I searched for a hostel months ago and found this one http://www.wakeup.com.au/ which I liked. Whether you book a private room or dorm depends entirely on how you will think you will feel after getting off the flight! I would suggest possibly booking a private room for the first night and then going for dorms (best way to meet people!) When your a little more settled I suppose the best thing to do is go where other people recommend as its the best way to find somewhere good and less pricey... Hope this helps, Natasha