Every backpacker will have their own experiences on their travels. The following 15 things are based on our own experiences as well as from friends and other backpackers. They don’t have to apply directly to everyone; they are simply fun events and facts.
1. Nothing white
Everything you put in your backpack actually makes sense – using as little white as possible. The washing machines in the hostels are so good that your laundry gets discoloured. Nice and yellowish when you wash white clothes.
2. "Nobody knows me anyway"
As mentioned above, only pack the most sensible things. Things that are allowed to get dirty when you work on the farm. Maybe a blouse for hospitality jobs, for example in a restaurant or café. But basically you always wear what you feel like wearing, no matter how stupid it might look. It’s not about being particularly pretty. You’re also not going to have a shower available every day when you’re travelling. So what? Nobody knows us here anyway!
3. Free breakfast in hostels
You know that feeling where you’re down to every penny and you end up in a hostel with free breakfast? How cool is that? You’ll happily eat two toasts more than usual.
4. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere
Yes, we backpackers often live without a network, but you know what? It’s actually good for you! But there are also exceptions: You don’t know where you are and Google Maps no longer works. You’re stuck in the sand and can’t reach anyone, or you just want to let your travel buddies know that you want to take a little break to pee, but you can’t reach anyone. Yes, this has all happened to us, even though we had the best provider in Australia!
5. Commission only
We don’t really know what to think about these job offers either. However, if it really is the case that you are supposed to do door-to-door sales, for example, we would not recommend it. Commission only means that your salary depends on how much you sell. On some days you can of course be really lucky, but on many days you can also be very unlucky, so that you sell little or nothing. Especially with door-to-door sales, the residents can quickly seem annoyed and can sometimes react somewhat angrily. It’s different when you get a weekly minimum wage for this type of job, which can be increased with a bonus. So keep your eyes open and look carefully at the jobs you are offered.
6. 160 kilometres straight ahead
Actually, driving is a lot of fun here! It’s a matter of getting used to the fact that you have to drive on the left, turn left into the roundabout and that the indicator and windscreen wipers are on the other side of the steering wheel. Nevertheless, road trips in Australia are always fascinating. Unless it’s ONLY straight ahead. No turns, no roundabouts – just straight ahead. That can get a bit boring. You can find such routes on the west coast, for example, or sometimes from one big city to the next.
7. 1$ hamburger
If you are low on money, go to McDonalds! It sounds strange that we recommend this, but it’s great if you’re hungry and short of money. As you can see from the title, a hamburger costs only 1$ (= about 66 cents). In the backpacker group, people often arrange to eat at McDonalds, but you shouldn’t do it too often!
However, prices may have changed by now.
8. New travel mates you've known for years
You are never alone. As a backpacker, you’ll soon find that out. You meet people everywhere and it doesn’t take long to make new friends. After just a few days together, it feels like you’ve known each other for ages. You talk to each other and experience new adventures together, which bonds you. Often you have something to bond over right from the start – and that’s travelling!
9. Toilet paper
Interesting headline. The backpackers among us will now know what we mean. Single-ply toilet paper. One will learn to appreciate having multi-ply toilet paper.
10. Saving, saving, saving
Australia is expensive, very expensive. You always try to keep an eye on the money and not spend too much and especially not on useless things. When you’re working, it’s still different from when you’re travelling. Travelling can cost a lot of money, so you should always try to balance travelling with working. However, one thing that is much cheaper compared to Germany is petrol.
11. Pasta today?
Yey, now we finally come to the main meal of backpackers – noodles! You can find ready-made noodles or even 5-minute ramekins at every backpacker’s. They’re super quick to make and easy to eat. However, you shouldn’t eat too much of it, because you can gain weight really quickly.
12. “Data is less than 5 MBytes”
The worst thing that can happen to a teenager. The data volume is used up. Of course, if you spend a lot of time in a hostel, i.e. in a place with Wi-Fi, then you rarely experience this problem. The people among us who are on the road a lot know it all the better. No Wi-Fi means that your data volume runs out faster than you think. And don’t think that downloading a Netflix episode is okay. Just don’t!
13. “1 d 12 h”
Do you know the feeling when you finally arrive at your destination after 36 hours of driving and over 3,000 kilometres? Fantastic. As much as you like driving, you can’t stand it any more – even as a passenger. Your bottom hurts, you can’t concentrate any more and it’s boring. With enough breaks, of course, it’s more bearable than driving most of the day. We had to cover this distance in a short time because of a job and were glad to have finally arrived after more than 3,000 kilometres.
14. Flip Flops
Our beloved flip flops. Whether at the beach, in the shower or at the mall, they are our most faithful companion. It will be hard to get used to the fact that these shoes are not typical everyday wear. In Australia everyone wears them, but at home we will probably have to adapt to our home country again.
15. “Experience is essential”
The job search can be very frustrating. Even if you’ve worked in a café back home, it doesn’t really do much good here. Most employers require Australian experience in Australian restaurants or cafés. Well, you can’ t get that if every employer only hires people with that experience. The barista job in particular is often only for people with over two years of café experience. It gets funny when it comes to fruit picking. Of course, there are also enough job offers that don’t favour this experience over character, which is why you should never give up hope of finding the right job.
