When someone mentions Australia as the best place for traveling in a blog post or a forum thread, your heart stops. You always wanted to travel to Australia. It’s a beautiful country with breathtaking nature. Its cities are lovely. Should we even start talking about the animals?

According to The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 by the World Economic Forum, Australia is in the bottom 20% for price competitiveness.

Australia is remote from Europe and America, so you’re most likely to pay more for a plane ticket. When you get there, you’ll face a higher living standard, imposing higher prices on everything.

Okay, but you always wanted to try scuba diving in Australia and you’re not willing to wait to get rich. How do you travel there on a student budget?

1. Start Saving Money

You’ll have to save a lot of money to make this happen. In fact, you’ll have to earn some, too.

Do you have a job? If your full-time studies prevent you from taking a traditional job, try freelancing. You can offer services in programming, graphic design, freelance writing, photography, or anything else you’re skilled at.

When you start earning, you’ll have to stop spending money on unnecessary things. Maybe you’ll stop going to the gym and work out at home. You might want to cancel your subscription to different online services, or even Netflix. You can live without all those things for a few months. This trip is worth it.

2. Use an App to Get the Best Deal on a Flight

Tiger Airways is the best choice for affordable flights within Australia. But if you have to fly in from another continent, you should use an app to land the best deal.

Skyscanner is a good one! It searches through thousands of flights, compares their prices, and offers you the cheapest possible deal. The app will also help you search for affordable accommodation and car rental deals.

While we’re on the topic of booking flights, it’s best to be flexible with the timing. Maybe you’ll find an amazing deal before the semester is over, and you have an important assignment you can’t skip. In that case, don’t hesitate and look over at this website and pay for an essay! You’ll get to submit it on time, and you won’t miss the most affordable price.

3. Make a Detailed Plan for Your Trip

One of the most common travel tips that students get is to let go of the perfectionist in themselves. Does that mean you shouldn’t plan? Should you just go with the flow? Absolutely not!

There are a few important places to see during trips to Australia:

● The Great Barrier Reef
● Uluru
● Sydney
● Melbourne
● The Whitsunday Islands

You don’t go to Australia every year, so seeing as much as possible is important. Check the prices for each spot you intend to visit. How much do tickets cost? What about the food and drinks? Book affordable accommodation as soon as possible. Early birds get discounts!

4. Track Your Spending All the Time

You have a limited budget for your Australia travel. How will you allocate it? When you cover the tickets, accommodation expenses, and car rental, you’ll be left with a certain amount of money. That’s for your daily expenses. Divide that amount to the number of days you plan to spend in Australia. If you have $50 for food, drinks, and tickets per day, you don’t want to go above that limit. If you have to go above because a certain ticket is more expensive, you’ll have to balance out that expense with the rest of your days there.

Try not to spend on cigarettes and alcohol. At least try to spend less. Cigarettes are crazy expensive in Australia, so that might be your motivation to quit smoking.

Keep in mind that you should always have extra money aside, just in case.

Start Making a Plan!

The prices of flight tickets will determine the best time to go to Australia for a student on a budget. You want to start saving money from this very day, and start monitoring the flight and accommodation prices. Be ready to take action! Early booking usually gives you the most affordable price.

Be convinced: it’s possible to travel to Australia even if you’re a student on a budget. You don’t have to be rich to make your dreams come true. You’ll just need to plan things well.

BIO: Sandra Larson is a freelance writer, who travels without being tied to a 9-to-5 job. She loves Australia and would love to go back there at some point. Sandra writes inspirational blog posts that encourage people to reach for their dreams.