Reddit mentions of Let's Go Australia 10th Edition

I am from American and spent 6 weeks traveling Australia last year for fun and I got to see the entire east coast from the Daintree Rainforest to Melbourne.

One HUGE difference that I had the most problems with were airline restrictions. Luggage flying within Australia can only weigh 23kg (50lbs) and carry-ons have to weight less (I think like 10kg.) They certainly weigh your check-in and have the right to weigh your carry on. Every kilo you are over in weight, you have to pay something like $10-15. On my flight over from the states, my bag could weigh some ridiculous amount but my flights within Australia, the bags had to weight a lot less. I threw away or gave away absolutely every item that I did not need or couldn't replace for my last domestic flight before I flew internationally. I still ended up paying some for my bag weighing too much. I crammed as much as I could into my carry on and just prayed they wouldn't weigh it. They didn't. But as I got on the plane, the flight attendant eyed my bag and asked if she could hold it to see how heavy it way. I could tell she was thinking of having it officially weighed.

For the electricity, when I got to Australia I found a very cheap adapter in a post office that allowed me to plug my ipod into an Australian socket to charge. It didn't convert the voltage so it could have fried my ipod. But it didn't.

I would follow other people's advice and travel/work. Many farmers are always looking for work. People I met along the way said they were able to work for a month or two and then take nice vacations and travel. Plus, if you work as a harvester for 3 months (I think) you can extend your visa for another year.

Get a Bank of America account before you go and put your money in it. A major bank, Westpac, is partnered with BOA so you will get better exchange rates when you take money out of ATMs. I don't know how it is now, but last year for every $500 Australian I took out of an ATM, it withdrew about $400 American from my account.

There are certain things you should do once you get there before you start actually working. Like get the Australian equivalent of a SSN. Otherwise, your paychecks will be taxed about 50%.

Hostels in Australia were really nice and clean. Everyone I went to provided sheets and a blanket. I made a sleep sack before I left just to have that extra layer or cleanliness. I included a built in pocket so I could sleep with my money and ipod where someone wouldn't be able to steal it. http://www.ehow.com/how_5515194_make-sleep-sack.html I never had any problems with safety in a hostel. That being said, I didn't carry a laptop or anything expensive with me. Also, many hostels will give you a cheaper rate if you rent by the week instead of by the night. So if you know you are going to be somewhere for at least a week, pay by the week.

You don't need a computer. There are cheap netcafes everywhere. Even in small little towns, one of the shops will have a computer that you can use for a small fee.

Another bigger-ish change is the cost of food. Food is more expensive and there is not as wide a selection in grocery stores. Carry around a water bottle, too. Drink sizes are A LOT smaller and there is no such thing as a free refill on a soda.

A good travel guide is must. I used http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Go-Australia-10th-Inc/dp/0312385757/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1278728530&sr=1-1 because it focused on some of the cheaper options out there.

I flew United internationally because it was the cheapest ($1000 roundtrip from Washington Dulles to Sydney.) However, people I spoke with who flew Quantas internationally seemed to have a much easier 14 hour flight from CA to AUS (There were individual TVs just like jetblue.) To bring the cost of your flight down, try to fly out of a major city to a major city. It might be cheaper to drive to Atlanta and fly from there than fly from Orlando. It is also probably cheaper to fly to Sydney then arrange to fly domestically within Australia to your final destination. The bonus of that is also if you have a roundtrip ticket, you can travel around and make your way back to Sydney instead of having to go back to the Gold Coast first. It gives you a lot more flexibility.

If I ever make it back to Australia, I would break up the flight with a stop in Hawaii or Tahiti. From the time I left my home near D.C. to the time I arrived in Cairns, I had been traveling 36 hours. (Surprise bonus, the flight home over the Pacific was only 12 hours due to winds helping out.)

You and your friends are in for a great adventure. Minimum wage there is a lot higher than here so as long as you aren't buying expensive items, you should be able to work a little, travel a little. I would recommend going with some money saved up for your initial expenses. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to arrive with 1,000 or 2,000 each. You'll also want to budget a few days to get over your jet lag and swollen legs.

If you have some money (not sure of your budget), I'd do a tour of the country at some point. I did a 2 week Contiki tour and it was a great decisions. I saw a lot with very little effort on my part. (I recommend the Reefs and Rainforest.)

Have a great time!

My favorite places were the Daintree Rainforest (but there is very little work up there) and Melbourne. If you make it to Melbourne, make sure you take a tour or drive yourself along the Great Ocean Road. I like Cairns but it was small. Surfers Paradise was a little too much like an American city. Do at least a week in Sydney.