5 Ways to Save Money While Traveling in Australia - Originally published by The College Tourist

Hacks and Tips to Help Keep Your Bank Account Intact Down Under

Australians are by far the most internationally well-traveled people I have ever come across through my own travels. This is because it’s literally cheaper for them to travel overseas for holiday than in their own country. Studying abroad for a semester in Gold Coast was by far the best four months of my life – I beached daily, went to new places every weekend, and I loved hanging out with the locals. However, all of this fun came at a price, and it was a hefty one – even the Aussies hate this. Here is a list of key methods to get more bang for your buck, and to save a little money while traveling in Australia as a college student.

1) Activities

Take a stab at surfing: if you want to live like a local, you must try surfing at least once on your trip to Australia, as it is practically a religion. It can cost between $15-30 AUD for a board depending on how long you’re renting it for. However, if you’re going surfing with one or two other friends, rent one board, and just take turns using it in the water. You’re going to want to take a break on the beach anyways, and this way you can take pictures of your friend who’s attempting to surf in the water! A group of my friends and I did this once and got 2 boards and divided up the money, and taking turns worked perfectly once we got to the beach.

Other activities: if you’re traveling by the coast, the beach is always free. They’re so beautiful that you can really kill tons of time just exploring one beach. Most of the time, there are great hiking trails around the beaches, and you can spend half of a day up to a full day just at the beach and hiking in the surrounding area. Just don’t forget to bring snacks and water! In Gold Coast, my friends and I would often take a bus down to Burleigh Heads for the day. The beach is stunning, and there is a national park right on the coast for a beautiful hike. We went there quite often, as well as Currumbin and Coolangatta. In Byron Bay, the beautiful hike up to the lighthouse, the most easterly point in Australia, is a must-see and you can beach hop along the coast for days. In Sydney, the hiking trail from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach is also stunning – and free!

Also take advantage of local activities taking place in the area. Doing a quick online search of what’s taking place that upcoming weekend will be worth it. The Quicksilver and RoxyPro surf competition takes place every year in Gold Coast, featuring some of the best surfers in the world. The competition was free for the public to watch, accompanied by a concert right there on the beach. We would have never known about this if it weren’t for looking online and by hearing through word of mouth.

2) Renting a Car

Getting a rentalcar for a day or two on the weekend is a great way to explore sites that are inaccessible through public transportation. Again, this is another investment that you will want to split with a group of friends because the fees and gas money add up. Being strategic about how long you have the car and where you go with it is key. When my friends and I rented a car for 24 hours, we hit a couple national parks that we couldn’t access by bus or train, and this made it worth it. We got the car on a Saturday morning, drove an hour to Mount Tamborine and explored a national park, and then the quaint town for the entire day. We drove home that night, got a few hours of sleep, then set our alarms for 1AM that morning to drive to Mount Warning in New South Wales, the first place to see the sun rise in all of Australia. After the 4 hour hike up and down the mountain for the sunrise, it was time to return the car and our timing was spot on. Again, being strategic about your timing and the activities you choose when you rent a car is important to get the most out of your money.

3)Local Markets

Gold Coast featured amazing local markets that we would go to a couple times per week. Again, we did a quick search of the days and times that each market was held as well as its location, then just made a list so we always knew where to buy fresh produce and shop. Some of the markets take place only twice a month, some are twice a week, so we would just plan around that. The markets would sometimes have food stands, so we would eat a cheap meal local to that area, and it was also a great way to meet the locals too. Other times, the markets would have inexpensive clothing, a great way to skip the malls and shopping centers and buy something more authentic. Our favorite market was in Miami, a small town outside of Gold Coast. They had inexpensive and delicious food, drinks, and live music every other week. Such a great place for free entertainment and meeting people.

4) Going Out to Eat

This absolutely killed me in terms of attempting to save money. Meals at local restaurants can cost around $15-25 AUD for an entrée and drink, and more upscale restaurants can be upwards of $40 AUD. I have a bad habit of eating out quite often, so I had to search for deals – I found this in lunch specials. They’re everywhere! You just have to know the correct time to go. There are usually signs outside of restaurants with days and times of the specials, usually on Sundays. In Broadbeach, a city in Gold Coast, I found a delicious Indian restaurant with a $9.95 deal for lunch one Sunday afternoon. I lived close to the campus that I studied at in a quiet neighborhood, and the surrounding restaurants all had dinner deals as well. One night we went to an Italian restaurant and for $15 AUD we got a glass of wine, an appetizer, and an entrée. Brunch is also very popular in Australia, and there are lots of deals too!

5) Nightlife

Spending money on drinks can seriously suck all of your savings and it’s by far the easiest expense to avoid. Nightlife isn’t cheap in Australia – beer and cocktails can be $8-12 AUD , and there is sometimes a cover charge to get into some places. For girls, drinking can be much cheaper because of Ladies’ Nights found all over the country. On Thursday nights, Club East in Broadbeach for example has free champagne for girls all night – I’m not making this up, take advantage of the deal! There are a couple other clubs in Surfer’s Paradise and Broadbeach that do ladies’ night deals on Tuesdays as well. If nightclubs aren’t your thing, there are always drink specials available at bars and pubs. Waxy’s in Surfer’s Paradise had $3 beers on Sunday nights, Jupiter’s Casino in Broadbeach had $3 you-call-it on Tuesday nights, and Melba’s in Surfer’s Paradise had $3 Corona’s on Thursdays. Just hearing about and finding the deal is the hard part, but once you know where you can save money, those places will be the usual spots for you and your friends!

Morocco - Adjusting to a Male Dominated Culture

As our 2 week loop around Morocco is coming to an end on Saturday, I have mixed emotions about leaving and moving on to the next adventure. First, this country is beautiful (benin in Arabic) by every definition of the term, from the hustle and bustle of the chaotic cities and medinas, the fresh air high up in the mountains, the deafening silence and feeling of being the only human in existence in the dunes of the Sahara, and the relaxed lifestyle of the Atlantic coast. Morocco has so much to offer, and I feel that it's a very underrated tourist destination. However, a central part to the Arab culture, which I'm having a very hard time adjusting to, is the overriding power that men have over women and how hidden women are both literally and figuratively in society. These ideals make leaving Morocco much easier, and even give me a twinge of excitement, because I'm so over feeling like livestock. 

Everything I've read and heard about this country have fascinated me forever - the lifestyle, the food, the city life, landscapes, the Sahara, etc. I was fully aware beforehand that this is a very conservative culture, and to be sure to pack and wear appropriate clothes (i.e. long skirts, pants, and sweaters even in the 85+ degree heat). What I didn't expect was the gawking, long gross stares, and crude remarks made by the vast majority of men every single time we stepped foot on the street.  There were so many amazing locals that we've met in this country, so open and welcoming, passionate about their country's people and history, and always ready to offer us a glass of mint tea with open arms. I loved that they wanted to create the best impression on two American female backpackers just eager to discover and learn about a completely different lifestyle. Many instances changed my opinion about this however. One night after taking a cooking class accompanied by a fantastic dinner (I'm now a pro tagine maker!) in Chefchaouen, a beautiful town in the mountains, we were walking in the dark just trying to make our way home, when we passed by a traditional cafe. Side note: around 7pm until late at night, it is traditional that men gather at outdoor cafes to drink mint tea with their friends with absolutely no women in sight at the establishments. There is really NOTHING for women to do publicly after about 8pm because restaurants start closing down, and what Americans would perceive as a bar is only allowed for men...unless you're a prostitute. Anyways, as we walked by a normal male-only cafe, one of the men called out "sluts!" as we walked by in English, not even in Arabic. I kept walking, but Michelle, being the instigator that she is, turned around and gave him the "what the hell?" look, to which he responded with the "yes, I'm talking to you" look. Yes we were out after dark and the only women on the street, but excuse me? We weren't doing anything suggestive except walking home. This really irked me and unfortunately will leave a bad impression about the country on me, despite all of the beautiful people we met.

Women are simply hidden all the time, behind their hijab scarves, in their homes, we rarely saw any female store/shop owners, no waitresses, only maids at our casbahs and restroom attendants. This seriously makes me cringe, I'm not a commodity.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm not the biggest kids person, but I feel that I connected with children we came across in Morocco more so than anyone else. While wandering through the absolutely insane medina in Fes, we saw a classroom of seven 2-6 year olds and all stuffed into the room to hear them sing to us. They sweetly chanted verses from the Koran, and sang twinkle twinkle, and Foire Joque. It was honestly an emotional experience because these boys and girls seemed so innocent, their minds not jaded by gender responsibilities and stereotypes yet. Another moment that struck me was in the Sahara Desert. After our camel trek to camp for the night, we hiked up a few dunes and sand boarded down and did this for a couple hours while watching the sunset from the top. It was gorgeous, the colors lighting up the sky and casting shadows in the sand that we could see for ages. Then a young boy and girl joined us at the top, but kept their distance. They played with a ball, and the boy had a bag full of small toy camels. They were part of the Berber camp down below (the indigenous people of Northern Africa) and I was immediately drawn to them. I went over to them and started saying small words in English which they didn't understand obviously, they don't go to school and only know the Berber language and maybe a little Arabic and French. I helped the boy line up his toy camels and preceded to take probably my favorite picture I've ever captured on my GoPro which is below. Again, it was their innocence to the world that captivated me, and I'm curious to find out how and when their lives will be shaped by their culture's ideals eventually. 

Traveling to another country that is different in culture, ideals, and religion is a step that many people don't take, but when you do, you must be sensitive to everything, including dress, customs, habits, and much more. Immersing yourself means becoming one with the culture you're in, and adapting to their beliefs. I've been trying since day one in Morocco, and I still am, but I just can't adjust to how aggressive the men are and the submissiveness of women. Leaving our hotels to explore the cities became a project of watching our backs at all times. Talking to locals in bars is one of my favorite things to do when traveling, and we weren't allowed to participate in any of this. My personality completely clashes with their cultural beliefs. Though I did come across some great people, it was hard to fully immerse myself here, simply because I just wasn't allowed to. At least the children we played with were accepting. Cheers to hoping that Portugal is different.