Hi - can I just check whether I am budgeting correctly. Excluding all flights but including buses to get around the country etc, does £50 a day seem a reasonble budget for OZ/NZ? I initially budgeted £30 but then a bloke at STA said it was more like £50. I've also budgeted a separate £500 for activities.
I've got a horrible feeling I might have overstretched myself! I'm planning on staying in hostels.
Thanks
Claire
Reply to this Tricky one to work out! Hostels in Oz are roughly around $24 oz dollars a night, (about £10), sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more (more like $30+ in the major cities) NZ hostels are slightly cheaper (prices look similar but the kiwi dollar is worth more against the pound). You can eat fairly cheaply if you shop at supermarkets. I can't remember or work out exactly buses, depends how far you're going and what kind of bus pass you have - in Oz you pay by km, in NZ you pay by hours (ie how long it takes to get from a - b). If you research the best bus passes, it'll keep your costs down - eg Greyhound go all over Oz, but Premier do the East Coast and are cheaper than Greyhound, so you could get a Premier pass for that leg. I think you could maybe do it on slightly less overall, and allow more instead for activities - again, depends what you're thinking of doing, but if you want to do stuff like 2/3 days on the Whitsundays, that'll be $3-400 (then again, your accommodation, food etc will be included for that time), and stuff like white water rafting will be about $150. 😊
Reply to this Hey Claire, I worked on 50 quid per day and managed to get through NZ & Oz, with quite a few indulgences & adventures thrown in. Although I did cook alot in our camper or hostel kitchen or free BBQ's - they're great! (we stayed in a range of rented campers, hostels, hotels, with family & friends) & try to plan flights ahead to get the best deals. I managed to get some flights 'on sale' on jetstar website, look for promotions or special times to book.
S
Reply to this Hello Claire 😊
I moved this to the Oceania forum.
Mel
Reply to this excellent - thanks guys- that makes me feel much better. I've changed budget to £50/day with £1000 for activities on top and just shortened trip a little bit. It's amazing how the trip adds up. Can you believe if I was 6 months younger my flights would have cost me £500 less! I like the sound of free bbq's - I plan on eating as cheaply as possible - the upside is i lose weight. South America definately bumps up the total price but I'll never have the chance to spend so much time there again. I'm doing a GAP tour called Altiplano so will let you know how I get on - it's 31 days so fingers crossed it's a good group! I decided on a tour as I've never travelled before, am on my own and can't speak spanish. But I'm travelling on my own from then on.
That Jetstar website is amazing - so cheap. Did you get a bus pass for Oz or is it better to get separate cheap tickets? Someone told me about nakedbus.com in NZ which is great for cheap bus tickets.
Cheers
C
Reply to this wow $100/day, that's living pretty good. I'm budgeting $30-40 a day US$. I don't think you'll have to worry about over stretching yourself! Have a good trip!
Dana
Reply to this I live in Australia an it is a very expensive place. Make friends ... find anyone who is a friend of a friend/relative (if your from england there must be someone in your circle who has relatives in OZ 😉 I have hosted people from all over the world friends of friends for this reason.
Camp, do WOOFING (work in exchange for free board/food, sleep on trains, buses while travelling, hostels and you should be fine.
Reply to this Your 50 pounds equates to $NZ120-125 a day. Hostels are $20-25 a day. You could hire a car for $25-30 a day depending on when and how long you want it. Fuel at $2.25 a litre will cost another, say, $20-25 a day. On the other hand, with a car you can stay in cheaper, but harder to reach places.
If you are travelling alone a car can be expensive but at hostels just post a notice looking for a travelling companion to split costs.
There are lots of Dept. of Conservation camp sites or local authority-run campsites where you can camp for as little at $5 a night. (Rent a station wagon for a few dollars more and sleep in it). They usually have bbqs with wood supplied. Food is cheap here - you can buy a chinese takeaway for $8-10 = 3.50 to 4 pounds. They are cooked from fresh ingredients and are as healthy as anything else. Buy a box of cereal and some milk, some bread and tomatoes/lettuce/bananas for lunch sandwiches. I doubt you'd spend more than $10 a day on breakfast/lunch.
There are heaps of free things to do here. If you are into walks then you won't spend a penny on entertainment - there's hundreds of them. It all depends on what you are interested in.
Reply to this hmm...ive only budgeted £18-£20 a day for NZ and OZ, but thats just food and accomodation. transport is sorted for both (intercity and greyhound passes) and ive included extra for activities i might want to do. Reading this has made me think that maybe this isnt enough...
Reply to this You should actually be ok for £20 for food & accom especially if you have budgeted extra for activities (there are SO many to do in Oz & Nz) and your transport is included. When are you going? I'm in NZ sept 23rd so I'll let you know how expensive things are. If you think you're spending more then enjoy your time there and shorten your trip a little bit. Or do what I'm doing and 'if in doubt - get the credit card out'! If I need to spend more then Mr Visa will supplement me and I won't regret paying back money for an adventure I've had. I know that's bad money advice but you only have one life!!
Reply to this phew...i was worried for a bit there. Mr. Visa does have his uses, just not sure if i want to get one... it's the begginning of my trip anyway, so funds shouldnt be a problem, and a phone call home solves all problems when im running low at the end of my trip :p
I'll be in NZ from the beginning of november for six weeks.
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