So you’re off to the land down-under on a Working Holiday Visa (WHV). You have your visa, your flights, travel insurance and may have even booked your first few days accommodation, well that’s everything sorted then isn’t it?
Sadly not.
It’s time to look at your finances, which can be slightly depressing if I’m honest. Let’s face it, even if you had double what is in your bank account you would still be able to spend it on awesome experiences and making memories of a lifetime in a fairly short time period. Accommodation, food, partying, travel, tours and things like skydiving or bungee jumping soon add up.
A WHV does exactly what it says on the tin. You will find work as you go on your travels, which will fund your living expenses and your onward journey across the country/countries that you’re visiting. There needs to be a balance between the two. Too much work and you will miss out on exploring and experiencing the beautiful country you have journeyed to; too much travel and you will find yourself having to count every cent and panicking that you might not have enough for somewhere to sleep that night, or food to keep your rumbling tum at peace. You don’t want to have to cut your travels short because you’ve forgotten to budget, manage your finances effectively, or left it too late to look for work.
Start to manage your finances before you leave home soil. The following are a few things that I have done already in the UK, even though I still have just over a month before I leave:
Nomadic Matt has a great blog post I suggest you check out on how to avoid paying bank fees.
So these are just some of the steps you can take to get your finances sorted before you leave. I’ve done these for peace of mind but also because I have worked damn hard for my money and I want to be able to enjoy my trip and keep travelling for as long as possible!
I hope you have enjoyed this post and found it helpful, or have any other top tips please feel free to leave a comment below,
Happy Travels!
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