If I had known everything that I know now, I probably would've done it all the same... minus the flesh eating spider bite - Julia

Its been a little over 2 years since I lived in Australia, and it's a little over 5 1/2 months until I move to Germany to study abroad for a year and a half. Moving abroad is not nearly as simple as people make it seem - "throw some underwear in a backpack," they say, "You don't need that much" they say, and to that, I call BS. Sure, you don't need to pack your entire life with you, but you do need to plan - or at the very least have a loose plan.

As I am getting ready to move across the pond for the better part of 2 years, I am trying to recall everything I did when I moved to Australia. So, for my sanity - and your perusal - here is everything I wish I knew before moving abroad. This list includes everything, from big lessons and even on how to get a phone plan.

Enjoy!

1. If you haven't used it in the last 6 months, don't bring it with you.

I'm an over-packer, I admit it. In most cases, I'd like to think my overpacking comes in handy, but more often than not, I just cause myself pain - literal back pain. Please see below.

Julia circa 2016 in an Australian Hostel, pre-chronic back pain.

However, with that being said, you want to bring the essentials. Make sure to bring clothing for the types of weather conditions you think you might encounter. Bring a decent amount of "nice clothes" and "casual clothes," that you don't mind getting dirty. And always bring more than enough of the essentials - boys, close your ears for a hot sec. Ladies, just cause you're abroad doesn't mean mother nature also takes a break to chill on the beach, she still comes once a month. When I went to Australia I literally brought 6-months worth of tampons. Someone had told me that they mainly only sell the Tampons WITHOUT the applicator - gross, I know - and the ones that do come with the applicator cost a lot of money $$$. So, I diligently packed enough to sustain me... they're pretty lightweight, so it's not a big deal. That was probably one of the best decisions I ever made. Stalking up at Costco saved me a lot of money and a lot of discomfort. If there's something you don't think you can leave home without - don't. You're going to be far away from home, and little luxuries - aka tampons with an applicator - can make all of the difference.

2. Determine your travel style

When I went to Australia I was going to, as they say, "live my best life." I wanted to travel around Australia, get a tan, surf, and just have fun - I brought a giant suitcase with me... not ideal. Wherever you're going, you need to determine your travel style. Are you going backpacking, where you will be moving around frequently? Are you studying abroad, where you will most likely be doing short 3-4 day weekend trips? Will you be staying in hotels, hostels, or Airbnb's? These are important questions to ask yourself when you're deciding what & how to pack.

Like I mentioned previously, I brought a giant (I mean, GIANT) suitcase with me to Australia. It was my first time travelling for such an extended period of time and I wanted to make sure I had everything and mitigated things that I might have needed to buy. While it was comforting at first to have literally everything with me, it eventually became a pain - it didn't suit my travel style. I wanted to move around frequently and the giant suitcase was not getting any lighter.

I didn't understand my travel style when I went to Australia. It would have been impossible for me to lug around a massive suitcase across the Outback. Luckily, my friend Claire let me borrow her backpacking backpack when I went travelling. Good friends are good.

Knowing what I know now, I still would have brought my 6-months worth of tampons... I just would have packed them in a backpacking backpack instead.

Determine your travel style, and you will be set!

3. Take a step back... how much is this actually going to cost you?

While dropping everything to go live your best hippy life on a beach is tempting, you need to figure out what you're actually capable of - there's a price tag attached to every amazing Insta pic.

It's cliche to say "make a budget" - so I'm not going to say make a budget. I hate budgets and budgets are BS. Their only purpose is to make you feel like shit and make you look at your excel spreadsheet in shame, then cause you to overspend.

In lieu of making a budget, just determine how much you're going to need, then multiply it by the exchange rate, then multiply it times 2.

Stop.

Breathe.

You can do this. It's not that hard.

There are always going to be unexpected hiccups while travelling - like, having to spend $800 AUD on your melting knee cap thanks to a flesh-eating spider - and there's always going to be amazing opportunities that you can't turn down - hello, skydiving! If you're not going to be working while you're travelling, it's important to bring more than you think you'll need.

Start off with the easy stuff. How much will your rent/accommodation cost you? Food? Travel? Activites? etc. Be realistic too - is it actually going to cost you that little? Is it actually going to cost you that much?

On to my next point.

4. You can do it for cheap, I swear.

If you're really dying to go travelling, and have zero $$$ - you can do it, I promise.

There are so many ways to do things on the cheap, and so many ways to earn money while abroad.

In full transparency, I went to Australia with $5000 CAD for 8 months on a work holiday visa. I knew that I was going to be working while abroad, and so I felt comfortable with my 5k. A crucial step for me was to start working almost immediately as soon as I got to Australia. I didn't want to travel beforehand and then feel the stress of needing to get a job because I had run out of money. I did a short 1-week trip to Cairns, and then I started working a few short weeks later. For me that was crucial - I don't like worrying about money, especially while travelling. Always set yourself up to feel comfortable, there's no worse feeling than being on the other side of the world with a massive time change, and running out of money.

Remember, determine your travel style.

When I was in Australia I was 18. Young, innocent, and with a super fast metabolism that allowed me to eat white bread with tuna and cheap noodles, and not feel like shit afterwards. Please see below.

Oh to be 18 again...

Now, if you don't want to single-handedly destroy your metabolism I really, really, don't blame you. But, that's how I saved a ton of money while travelling. I tried all the delicacies, of course, but for the most part, I ate as cheap as I could.

Again, it all depends on your travel style. Clearly, I had low standards for my sense of well being, but I've got some great stories to tell! Have I told you that I've been bitten by a flesh-eating spider yet? Gnarly eh.

Other than cheaping out on food to save money, you can cheap out on accommodation! What an idea!

In Australia, it's free to camp in state parks - and it's free to camp anywhere if you don't get caught, safe or otherwise. Please see below.

My non-existent lawyers are telling me to tell you: "I Julia Baird-Oryschak do NOT, under any circumstances, advise you to put your own life at risk by cheaping out on accommodation to the point of putting yourself in harm's way."

But, I mean... get creative.

5. New friends are fun + they save you money! It's a win-win

One of the best parts about travelling is the people you meet.

How the hell do you find these people, you ask. Good question. Facebook groups work wonders.

Wherever you go, there's bound to be a Facebook group dedicated to travellers in that area. When I was in Australia I joined two Facebook groups, and that's pretty much how I met everyone. The groups were "Australian Backpackers" and "Goldie Girls - on the Goldcoast." If you're nervous about meeting up with "strangers," then newsflash hunny! You're travelling! Literally, everyone is a stranger. My favourite part about travelling is realizing first hand, that most people are truly good people.

Storytime.

I was nearing the end of my travelling portion in Australia and I was supposed to end with a trip down the East Coast with my friend Claire. Scuba diving, skydiving, hiking, snorkelling, the works. We were going to do everything. Five days before our trip, Claire decided to up and fall off a motorcycle, thus breaking her ankle. Suddenly, scuba diving, skydiving and everything else that we had planned didn't seem so ideal for her. I was all of a sudden up the creek without a paddle, literally. I had no way getting back down to Brisbane from Cairns - which, for reference is a comfortable 3-day drive or a 10-day drive like what we were planning. So, I messaged in one of the Facebook groups with a post saying that I essentially need to get from Point A to Point B in this time frame - and lucky for me, one of my soon-to-be good friends, Kelsey, (and fellow Canadian) sent me a message! She and a guy from Amsterdam were moving a camper van down the East Coast, right in my time-frame. Yes, moving.

Pro-tip: Typically all travellers like to take the same route. Travellers who take camper vans, typically all end in the same place. Therefore, the campervan company somehow needs to bring their excess inventory of vans back down the coast. Be those people.

All of a sudden, what was supposed to be the most expensive leg of my trip, suddenly became the cheapest. The camper-van company was giving us one free tank of gas and charging us $50 AUD for 10 days - as long as we brought the van back down to Brisbane clean and in good shape by the deadline. Sure, I had to make a few sacrifices in terms of my initial plans, but it was honestly the best part of my entire trip! I made friends for life and had THE best time ever.

6. Are you still reading? A few last tips

Honestly, kudos to you. If you've gotten this far, you're either being pressured to read this as I watch you, or just a genuinely good friend. Without further ado, here are some final nuggets of wisdom.

1. Don't leave home without your credit card

Make sure your card has a good limit on it. When we 'rented' the camper van we had to put a deposit of $3000 AUD down just incase something happened. We didn't spend anywhere close to $3000 on our trip, but we did need to put a hold on our credit card for 10 days. You want to make sure you have a high enough limit incase you rent something, or shit hits the fan. Have I told you I paid $800 in medical bills when I was bitten by a flesh eating spider?

2. Visa Visa Visa

No, I'm not talking about your credit card.

What Visa's do you need for the countries that you are visiting? Are you able to work on your Visa? What kind of work are you allowed to do? How long can you work for? My inner-mom is telling you to make sure you have your shit together.

3. Tell people where you are - COMMUNICATE

I did a lot, A LOT, of ride sharing in Australia. I mean the kind of things you're told not to do - aka getting into cars with strangers. However, I always made sure to tell my mom where I was going, who I was with, expected timeline etc. I ALSO told my friends who were in Australia - I mean, what's my mom really going to do when she's on the other side of the world with a 15-hour time change? As a girl, I'm naturally a little more cautious. When getting into cars with the majority being men, I ALWAYS (sneakily) took photos of their license plates and sent it to my mom/my friends. You can never be too safe, especially if you're alone.

4. Julia, how do I communicate? What's the deal with my phone?

A lot of my friends asked me what I did about the whole phone situation when I went abroad. Simply enough, I just called my service provider and ask them to unlock my current phone - I think it was roughly $60 CAD. I then just bought a pay as you go plan in Australia and switched out the SIM card. When I returned home I just put my old SIM card back in. Easy Peasy.

Okay, that's most of it. I still have more, but I'll save that for another post. If you have ANY questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. I bore people who unwillingly listen to this crap, so I'd love to chat with you if you need any advice, willingly.

All the Best,

Julia

Everything I Wish I Knew Before Moving Abroad to Australia