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Cheapest Ways to Get to Australia

The Cheapest Ways to Get to Australia Australia is a must see stop on most people’s globetrotting itineraries – but getting there can be expensive and prohibitive for those on a lower budget. However, travellers attempting to tour the world on a shoestring should not despair as there are arrange of ways to travel to this [...]

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The Cheapest Ways to Get to Australia

Australia is a must see stop on most people’s globetrotting itineraries – but getting there can be expensive and prohibitive for those on a lower budget. However, travellers attempting to tour the world on a shoestring should not despair as there are arrange of ways to travel to this marvellous antipodean destination without having to splash out so much that they won’t be able to afford to do anything once they get there.

The first thing that budget travellers such as backpackers may wish to consider when looking for a more inexpensive way in which to reach Australia is working their passage. There are a range of options available to those who are willing to work in return for their transit, with something on offer to suit all kinds of skill sets.

Those with an interest in sailing with a sailing background may wish to consider crewing yachts across the globe with the eventual destination of Australia in mind. While crewing jobs are more readily available to those who already have experience in this field, many competitive crews need “movable ballast” during their crossings (essentially people who can run quickly from one side of a deck to another) to help them gain an edge on their opponents. Even unskilled sailors may be employed as “rail meat” as this job is known, and those who are lucky may pick up some sailing skills along the way making them even more employable for the next section of their crossing. Crewing yachts is a casual affair in terms of finding a ride, and can be seen as something akin to waterborne hitchhiking, with boats picking up casual crew in many ports of callas and when necessary.

For those willing who are not in a hurry and who are willing to make the trip by sea, there is also theoption of over launch travel, where rides are hitched between ports on industrial vessels before being delivered to shore in a ship’s launch to look for the next ocean going lift. Both of these options offer a real “getting there” experience and are great choices for the traveller who believes that there trip is as much about the getting there as it is about the arrival in destination.

For those who, for whatever reason, are not able to travel by sea there is always the option of air travel with flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and other major cities available at cheap prices if you know where to look and are flexible about when you travel. Travelling midweek will almost certainly reduce the cost of flights and travelers may find that they can get a better deal by looking at the journey in a series of stages rather than as a whole. Less well known carriers may offer less costly air travel tickets and taking an nontraditional route may mean more time waiting or in the air but can also help to cut the cost. Travelers should use the internet to research possible routes and carriers and experiment with various options to find the one that is lowest on price.

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Filed under: Australia

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3706 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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VBJ is currently in: New York City

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