Going to Australia for a year or two on a Working Holiday Visa? From applying for visas to opening a bank account, here’s everything you need to do before you leave to prepare for your year abroad in Australia.
1. First things first: APPLY FOR YOUR WORKING HOLIDAY VISA AND DON’T PUT IT OFF YOU LAZY C*NT (Sorry for the language, just prepping you for Oz). Before you even book your flight, get this shit sorted. I was lucky and got mine almost instantly, but others had to wait weeks.
There are two Working Holiday Visas for Australia (417 & 462) depending on what country you’re from. Here’s the OFFICIAL government website to apply for it: WHV 417 and WHV 462 (If you see your country on the list under 462, apply for that visa).
It’s super easy, and costs $440 AUD. Don’t pay for an agency to do it for you, they’re a waste of time/money. You have one year to activate the visa once you received it, and it doesn’t activate until you enter Australia.
2. Book your flight!
There are a lot of websites out there that offer cheap flight deals, just be cautious and read reviews for the website just in case. During my travels I always stuck with Kayak (usually had cheaper deals than Expedia), but definitely check out other websites such as Skyscanner that show which specific days are cheapest around the time you want to fly. Rule of thumb is avoid weekends, and try to fly on Tuesdays for the best deals!
3. Travel Insurance, don’t risk going without!
I researched a lot of Travel Insurance websites before we left and ended up going with a local one for my Canadian province through TuGo. We paid $335 every 6 months and were able to keep extending. Expect to pay anywhere from that to $400 at least. I noticed a lot of travelers go with World Nomads, which also allows you to renew while traveling, definitely a bonus! Other insurance companies require you to be in your home country to renew the insurance so keep an eye out for that (unless you are super sure of your return date).
You’re probably noticing that you haven’t even left the country yet and all your savings are already slipping away. Don’t worry though! Honestly the hardest part of leaving, IS THE ACTUAL LEAVING. Once you’re gone, things have a way of sorting themselves out. I saw it happen over and over again with different people, just put yourself out there. Australia is full of backpackers and it’s easy to get a job and make money quickly if you’re not looking for something professional.
4. Open a bank account.
Again, SUPER easy to do online before you even get to Australia. Don’t bother paying an agency. The four main banks are ANZ, Commonwealth, Westpac, and Australia National Bank (NAB). I looked into all of them before making a decision and they all seem to be fairly similar – the first year you’re with them you don’t pay a fee as a backpacker, and the second year it’s $4 a month. I went with Commonwealth (They have the most branches in Oz) and was really happy with it throughout my trip. When you sign up, let them know which branch/town you’ll be going to when you first arrive, and your card will all be ready for you to pick up! (Tip: Take your passport with you).
Bank account open? Time to transfer some funds! You can do this through your bank, but the fees tend to be pretty high, so I used Transfer Wise (Seems that most backpackers I met used it too).
Tip: Do NOT use Paypal if you’re sending over $1000. My partner tried this at one point and his account (and money) was locked for over a month until it was finally verified.
According to the WHV rules for Australia you need proof of $5,000 in your bank account if you do not have a return flight booked. Neither my partner or I were checked, and I’ve heard it’s pretty rare. Do your best, BUT DON’T STRESS about this part, get a parent to put some money into your home account that they can take out once you’ve entered the country or something.
Not sure how much money to transfer over? Definitely depends on the person. You planning on working first or traveling right away? I sent over $2000 while my partner sent over $500 since he had just finished uni and was broke. We found jobs within the first 2-3 weeks and never struggled.
5. International Drivers License
Chances are, you’re either going to buy a car at one point, or rent one with friends. Figure out if you need an international driver’s license for your country. We decided to pay the $20 and get one just in case (We’re from Canada), but any time we were stopped, they only asked to see our regular license. Seems that if your license is in English, that’s good enough for them.
6. Unlock your phone!
Don’t forget to call your provider and make sure your phone is unlocked before you leave the country. It may cost a fee for them to do it, but it is NECESSARY if you want to use your phone oversees with an Australian provider.
7. Download some apps!
A few apps really helped us out while we were traveling, all FREE. Here’s a list of our favorites:
- Campermate – You doing any road trips? This app is ESSENTIAL. Shows you everything from free/cheap campgrounds, public toilets/showers, water fountains, and all with reviews from fellow backpackers. It works offline as well and is a godsend.
- Field guides – You a huge flora and fauna nerd like us? Each state in Australia has it’s own field guide made by the Museum Network. You can see just how poisonous that one snake you saw was, what type of fish you saw snorkeling, or what the hell type of bird keeps waking you up in the morning.
- Fuel tracker – Going on a long road trip? You’ll thank us for this. It shows all the gas prices in the area you are in/are going, so you can plan when to stop and help you save a few dollars! While traveling the west coast, we noticed prices can change drastically from town to town as some places are very remote.
- Your bank account of choice. We loved the Commonwealth app, so easy to use and way better than Canadian bank apps.
And there you have it! Everything you need to do before you leave for your year abroad in Australia to get a head start and relieve some stress. Think I missed something? Leave a comment down below!
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