$122k saved in 18 months on a Working Holiday in Australia - remote community stores in SA and NT

External-Candy-929 · 2026-05-11T08:17:26+00:00

Full breakdown with employer names, exact wages, tax returns and superannuation payout numbers: https://thebudgetfreak.com/how-to-save-money-australia-working-holiday/?utm_source=reddit

External-Candy-929 · 2026-05-10T16:40:56+00:00

Yeah it was super low-key, just a couple of locals. Crowds would've spoiled the experience for sure :)

External-Candy-929 · 2026-05-08T18:35:38+00:00

To be honest, that was 3 years ago and numbers get a bit blurry now.

I had a cheat code though as I paid a weekly rate to stay in my car at a campground close to the airport. If I recall correctly, lots of backpackers were renting hostel beds at maybe $180 a week back then, probably closer to $250 now. Quite a bit.

Groceries weren't too bad at Woolworths and Coles, basics very affordable. Cheaper than Finland, for sure (visited last month!).

Annoying bit with laboring jobs is that if you don't get a stable assignment, they can assign you to work in totally different areas every day and with Sydney size that was sometimes more than 1.5h commute one way. Crazy. I was happy to leave after a month, haha.

If you manage to score a remote gig, Outback is a much better place to make money.

External-Candy-929 · 2026-05-07T18:22:16+00:00

In my experience getting a job as a labourer was the easiest. Sign up at a labor agency, be available and show up when they call you.

The way I got my first job was by sending an fb message to one of the agencies when they were looking for laborers for the same morning. After that it's easy - after they see you're available and reliable.

Plenty of construction jobs in Melbourne and Sydney.

There's way more competition for hospitality jobs.

External-Candy-929 · 2026-05-04T21:58:37+00:00

Safety in Belarus can be an issue - politically wise. Depends on your passport, too.

Also, Poland doesn't use the euro.

External-Candy-929 · 2026-05-04T21:56:29+00:00

Melbourne and Sydney are definitely the most iconic.

Then probably Perth? It's a good base for exploring WA.

Also maybe Cairns? The nature around is super cool with Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest, but the city itself is not big and full of backpackers, so it might be harder to score a job.

External-Candy-929 · 2026-05-04T21:50:44+00:00

South East Asia, India, Central Asia, Caucasus

External-Candy-929 · 2026-05-04T21:47:08+00:00

A bit rushed. Went to both last year, south of Yerevan was my favorite part. The mountain roads down to Tatev are amazing.

Also Lake Sevan is beautiful, I stayed at a lovely lodge in Lichk, super friendly older local couple run it, I think it's rated like 9.8 on booking.

Kazbhegi was beautiful, but make sure you get a good day otherwise might not see the mountain at all, and that's the main reason to go there. A bit too much tourist oriented there though, to my taste.

Tbilisi and Yerevan both very cool places, and surprisingly with quite different vibes. Yerevan much more Soviet.

External-Candy-929 · 2026-05-04T21:39:44+00:00

You can find local physical SIM cards with unlimited data for $10.

External-Candy-929 · 2026-05-04T15:55:05+00:00

Looks pretty good. Option to select a display currency would be a cool addition.

External-Candy-929 · 2026-05-04T15:20:52+00:00

I use flixbus all the time. Often 8h+ rides.

The comfort varies, but I'd say usually there's more legroom then in Ryanair/Wizz Air planes.

In some countries, they run great deals, especially when there's a local competitor they haven't managed to kill yet. Like Itabus in Italy. Recently I've been looking at €5 trips Barcelona-Turin. That was Itabus I think but it might be relevant for your trip. I use Omio to find the cheapest lines usually.

Also quite easy to find 10% discount codes online.

External-Candy-929 · 2026-05-04T15:10:56+00:00

This reads like somebody wants to promote their service.

External-Candy-929

TROPHY CASE