So you’ve decided to start your adventure in Australia:  amazing!  Australia has an abundance of opportunities when it comes to travel, adventure, finding friends, finding yourself and earning some money!

If you’re visiting Australia on a Working Holiday Visa this gives you a great advantage in that, as well as travelling around this fabulous country, you’ll be able to do a bit of paid work as well to either fund future travels or give you a bit more spending money in Oz.

So what do you need to know about working in Australia?

1. You need a Tax File Number

Whether you’re an Australian resident or just a visitor you need a Tax File Number, or TFN, but you can’t apply for it until you’re actually in Australia.  By law you don’t have to have one, but it means that you’ll get taxed properly (ie. not too much!) and when it comes to applying for your taxback you’ll find it much easier.

The most annoying thing about applying for a TFN is that, even if you apply online, you still need to provide an address to have the document sent to; if you’re getting yours sent to your hostel, try letting the manager or front desk know that you’re expecting something important so it doesn’t get mislaid.

Or you can kickstart your working holiday visa (including TFN and bank account setup) with our Australia Working Holiday Visa Packages!

2. It helps to have an Australian Bank Account

If you’re going to be in Australia for an extended period of time (and with a working holiday visa this could be up to 2 years) it helps to open an Australian bank account.  This way you’ll be able to get paid from an Australian employer without losing any of your wages to transfers and exchange rates and you’ll always have free access to your hard earned dollars.

Again, this is something that you can only do once you’re in the country so once you’re settled hop into the city and choose your bank!  You’ll probably need to take some documents with you like your passport so check with the branch what you’ll need beforehand,  but the great thing is that most banks will happily have your card sent to a specified branch instead of an address so you can just go and pick it up!

3. Beware the Gumtree curse!

Gumtree’s a great way to start your job hunt but for every good, genuine, ‘not-selling-my-soul-for-a-sale’ job, there are usually 10 other jobs promising you the world and more in return for working for their company.  There genuinely are some great companies out there looking to hire backpackers short or long term, pay them a decent wage and reward them with treats or commisions but it becomes really difficult to find them between the less-genuine companies who, in return for a couple of free drinks at the nearest hostel on a Friday night, will treat you like crap for the rest of the week.  Also, check where the company is actually based before you hit ‘apply’ – sometimes the advertiser will pretend to be based in the CBD just to appear in the most search results.  Smeeky sneeky!

My advice?  Steer clear of any Gumtree advert titled “New Funky Company Seeks Loud, Outrageous, Confident, Crazy Party Animals/Sales Guns’ or similar…

4. Expect to get paid between $15 – $24 AUD

There are many deciding factors when it comes to what your employer chooses to pay you (job classification and your age are just two) but if you’re over 20 years old you shouldn’t get less than $15/hour.  When I first arrived in Australia in June 2010 I was earning $22/hour which in comparison to what I was earning back home in the UK, was loads!  But generally things are a bit more expensive in Oz too so it’s all relative!

5. Seek.com.au is a good website for jobs

As we’ve already established you have to be a bit wary with Gumtree, but with Seek you can let you guard down a bit; yes it’s usually the go-to job website for professionals but that’s not to say that you can’t find jobs for backpackers on there too.  I found my first ever job in Australia on Seek!  Be aware that a lot of the  jobs you apply for will be through an agency and use this to your advantage by asking your point of contact if they’ve anything else suitable for you when they get in touch.

6. If you want to serve alcohol you have to learn about it first

Back home in the UK, as long as you can pull a pint, work a till and string a sentence together you can work in a bar but in Australia for some reason they’re way more strict about it so you

need to do an RSA (or equivilent) and get a certificate before you can legally serve alcohol; a typical RSA course costs about $70 and it only takes a day.

The worst bit?  Each state in Australia has a different set of rules when it comes to serving alcohol so you can expect to have to resit your current RSA online before finding work in another bar when you move cities.

7. You get paid superannuation

Superannuation (or Super) is money that your employer sets aside for you (in a Superfund) every time they pay you and it’s usually about 9%.  The great news is that, even though Australian residents can’t access their superfunds until they’re at retirement age, visitors on working holiday visas can claim back the money in their superfund when they leave the country for good.  Think of it as a savings account for when you leave and Oz and go home or continue your travels!

My advice? You might work for a few different companies while you’re in Oz – to make it easier to claim back when you leave, have all of your Super money paid into one Superfund.

8. You can claim back some of the tax you’ve paid

Unfortunately everyone has to pay tax but you can claim some of it back at the end of every financial year. In the UK, you might be lucky to receive a tax rebate from the Government without really having to do much but here in Australia, you have to file the tax claim yourself.  The tax year ends in June each year so you can claim back your tax then or as soon as you leave Australia. And with an average refund of $2,500AUD it’s well worth it!

You can quickly and easy claim your Australian tax back direct with us using this link.

9. Personality and willingness to learn trumps experience

This is a pretty sweeping statement but from my experiences in Australia personally, I’ve found that as long as you can show that you’re keen, friendly and willing to learn employers will give you a chance.  Some people come from the school of thought that backpackers are terrible employees and can’t be relied on but, as fas as my experiences go, Australian companies know that you want to earn money, work hard and get the job done so you can keep travelling.  Obviously experience helps but I wouldn’t let it stop me applying for job where I didn’t any in that field.

10. There are lots of opportunities!

Whether you want to work behind a bar, behind a desk or even behind a tractor, there are loads of job opportunities for backpackers in Australia.  Some hostels will even let you stay rent free for working for them!  You can find jobs on websites but make sure you check out adverts on hostel noticeboard and ask people you know are already employed if there are any openings at their company.

Australia’s a great place to work (and play!) and I hope these tips have given you a bit of an insight into what you can expect if you’re planning on working here.

Heading to Australia soon?

Check out our Melbourne Working holiday Visa Packages and kickstart your time down under!

Also Download The Ultimate Guide to Working & Travelling in Australia by award winning blogger Backpacker Banter here!

The post 10 Things You Need To Know About Working in Australia appeared first on RTW Backpackers.

As a little background story my past 4 years of working experience has been within the SEO field. I’ve been an SEO manager for some high-end companies and have seen some amazing results within the travel industry… I’m not trying to brag I’m just trying to show I’m not plucking this information out of the air. I’m also not trying to say I’m the expert who knows everything because I certainly don’t… I just know enough. For my next few posts I’ll be doing a mini-series on some of the basics of SEO that hopefully you will be able to use and put to good use on your own sites.

The first myth I want to expel from the dark arts of SEO is that it’s hard… because it’s not. SEO is something a lot of you do without realising it. I’m going to try and explain what I know in a very basic and general manner so I’m sorry to those of you who know what you’re doing.

In a nutshell Google has these little things called spiders. Google uses these spiders to crawl through every web page on the internet and record information about that page. Once Google has all of that information it will assess what that webpage is about and will then show that page in its search results if it is deemed relevant to the search being made. This is why when you search for something like “Weather in the UK” it will show web pages that are related to showing you what the weather is like in the UK rather than a website about sausages. Occasionally you will get a webpage showing in the results that don’t match what you’ve searched for and this is usually down to bad people using nasty black-hat SEO techniques to gain top places in Google for money-making keywords… but that’s a whole different topic.

With this in mind the most basic principle of SEO is to make your site as relevant as possible for the keywords you want to show up for. What I mean by this is if you’re writing about sausages and nothing else then don’t expect to show up for searches in Google from the keyword “travel” – it just won’t happen. However if you’re hoping to show up in Google for the keyword “Australia Travel Blog” then you need to show Google that your website is a good resource for somebody that may be searching for a Travel Blog about Australia. To show Google that your travel blog is about Australia then you need to mention it somewhere on your site… this could be in the form of a few sentences on your ‘about’ page or even post tags and categories… whichever way you do it you need to make sure it’s there. If you don’t mention ‘Australia’ anywhere on your blog then how can you expect Google to recognise your blog as a resource for Australia?

If your blog is more of a general travel blog then you’re more than likely going to be relying on your posts to do the work for you. Currently 70% of my traffic comes from Google searches and that’s because I’ll make sure to have information in my posts that I know people will be looking for. As an example one of my older posts about Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary receives searches for terms such as “Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary opening times” and “How much does it cost to hold a Koala at Currumbin”. My personal blog is one of the top results for these terms because I’ve included lines in that post that refer to searches that would be made.

Googles spiders have crawled through my posts, recorded information that shows those posts having the information about the opening times and then has shown them in their results pages because they are relevant to what is being searched for. I’ve not deviated away from the post topic by putting the opening times in there… I haven’t blatantly spammed the post with keywords as they are useful bits of information for somebody reading it, but I have made it relevant for something that I know will be searched for.

As I’ve said there are many ways to make sure you’re showing up for keywords and making your site relevant is just one of them. As this is part of a mini-series I won’t dive in too deep just yet but if you’ve any questions so far leave them in a comment below and I’ll either answer you on here or send you an email if the response is too long!

The post A Basic Travel-Blogger SEO Guide: Keep it Relevant (Part 1) appeared first on RTW Backpackers.

Spend just a few days in Australia and it becomes clear that language barriers do exist….you just have to know how to get round them!

It all starts with a visit to the pub, of course., or  hotels as they’re sometimes called in Australia.  You’re ready to order a pint of whatever it is you’re drinking and suddenly notice something rather alarming;

Wait, those aren’t pint glasses!

No, they’re schooner glasses and it’s basically the norm in Australia for a lager or ale to be served in one.  A schooner is 425ml, about 3/4 of a pint.  A friend told me a few weeks ago that beers are served this way as, if you were to sit in the Australian sun with a pint you’d probably get halfway through and find yourself drinking warm beer (never good) but I also sense it’s something to do with the stricter alcohol rules which Australia also has in place.

There are some pubs where you can buy a pint but you can also ask for something called a pot which holds 285ml  – you’ll often find that you’ll get a free pot of beer with a meal in some pubs as a meal deal.

The above applies to Queensland and Victoria but in New South Wales for some reason a pot is called a middie.

In South Australia and pot is a schooner.

In Western Australia a pot measures 575ml which, being slightly more than a pint, is usually just called a pint by all the English people living there.

Confused yet?

Maybe it’s time for a lie down……but not on the duvet.  Nope, in Australia a duvet is called a doona.

Maybe you wanted to drink at your hostel though instead of at the pub?  For this you’d need to go to the Bottle-O or bottle shop, generally an off license where you can buy 24 bottles or cans in a carton called a slab, a few stubbies (small, 375ml bottle of beer) or a tallie (a long-necked bottle of beer.)

Ooooh and don’t forget the goon; yes, it’s a gross cheap wine in a bag but it’s cheaper this way to get blotto, loose or magotted!

At some point you’re going to have to eat though right?

In Australia a pepper is a capsicum and an aubergine is an eggplant.

A courgette is a zucchini and if you want a toasted sandwich you need to ask for a jaffle.

A chicken is a chook and a lolly is what we’d probably refer to as sweets or candy.

tasty cheese is cheddar cheese and cheddar cheese is that plastic cheese normally reserved for barbeques and kids lunch boxes.

Want a sausage from the barbeque?  Ask for a snag and if you’re having it in between two pieces of bread it’s a sanger.

Many of the food names though are just shortened versions of the original.  If a word can be shortened you can guarantee that it will be in Australia:

Avocados are avos

Brecky is breakfast

Throw another shrimp (read prawn) on the barbie and get a stubbie from the Esky – an esky is an insulated container for food and drinks, usually taken to the beach to keep your beers cold!

That famous Australian dessert, the pavlova?  Call it a pav.

Need to pop to the corner shop?  Here it’s a milk bar.

And there’s no need to waste your breath asking for a cappuccino, that’s far too much effort, just call it a cap!

And these are just a few of the many ‘Australianisms’ I’ve come across!  Can you think of any more?

The post The Beginner’s Guide to the Australian Language appeared first on RTW Backpackers.

But how can you travel Australia’s East Coast and see everything it has to offer?

1. Take a flight

There are two main budget airlines for domestic flights in australia are Jetstar and Virgin Australia (formerly Virgin Blue), both will get you pretty much anywhere on the East Coast, providing you’re not fussy about having to get a bus or taxi from the airport.

How about flying from Sydney or Melbourne to Ballina where, after a 30 minute bus journey you could be exploring Byron Bay or fly from Brisbane to Prosperine where you can sail, dive and snorkel your way around The Whitsunday Islands?

You can easily plan your trip to Gold Coast with Expedia and try your hand (or feet!) at surfing in Surfers Paradise, touch down at Cairns airport to explore the Great Barrier Reef, stick around Sydney to find the perfect balance between beach and city-living and while away your time in Melbourne with coffee and cake in one of its many cafes.

Flying isn’t always the cheapest option but if you’re looking to get somewhere quickly and conveniently then it’s definitely the way to go.

2. Book a bus journey

Greyhound Australia and Oz Experience both have different packages you can use to travel Australia’s entire East Coast in one go or, if you’re planning on working in Australia or just staying longer in places you like, you can opt for a 12 month pass – just use the calculator on their website to work out how many kilometres you’ll need over the year and you’re away!

The great thing about travelling by bus is that it actually stops at the most popular destinations – you can see the entire East Coast by bus easily without the hassle of airport transfers and departure lounges and you’ll easily make friends along the way.  Prepare for a bumpy ride though!

3. Hire a Campervan

Ah the traveller’s dream!  Riding around the country in a campervan, getting back to nature, cooking on a camping stove, beers on the beach – perfect.  Thankfully there are a huge amount of companies in Australia who want to make this dream come true, for a price of course.

The most popular choices are Jucy, Wicked Campers and Spaceships but there are smaller companies as well.  This is when your negotiation skills come in handy as your try and play one of against the other in a bid to get the best deal: to be honest, it works!

You can also check to see if there are any relocation deals available too – this means that, usually for something ridiculous like $1/day, you can ‘relocate’ a campervan to a specific depot in a certain amount of time.

Campervanning is the ultimate adventure and ensures that you get to see, stay and do whatever you want in your own time frame.

4. Hitch a Ride Part 1

This one takes a bit of courage but once you’ve stuck your thumb out a few times you’ll get used to it.  Obviously hitchhiking your way up the East Coast isn’t the most conventional way to travel and so you’re going to have to get used to being flexible.  There won’t always be someone driving where you want to go and you’ll have to change plans – it could be the best thing you ever did though; meeting new people and living one day to the next without any plans can be exciting!

Obviously if you’re going to hitchhike it goes without saying that you need to be careful and stay safe especially if you’re travelling alone.  Stay in contact with friends or family via text, keep your wits about you and don’t try and hitch a ride in the dark.

5. Hitch a ride Part 2

Wait, didn’t we already cover this?  Well, no.  Scour the noticeboards in any Australian hostel or even just pop onto Gumtree and you’ll find heaps of people already driving somewhere who want a road trip buddy or are willing to take a passenger, usually just for the cost of petrol money.

Again, this requires a lot more planning and a flexible approach but it’s definitely a fun way to meet people, have an adventure and catch a cheap ride!

How did you travel Australia’s East Coast?

The post 5 Ways To Travel Australia’s East Coast appeared first on RTW Backpackers.

Sapa – Right up in the North West of Vietnam, Sapa is most famous for it’s trekking and home-stays, most visitors spend at least a few days exploring here before heading to Hanoi for some home comforts after some hard work.

Hanoi – It would be wrong to visit Vietnam without checking out their capital city. It’s a busy and noisy city because there’s always something going on just like any good major city. Why not book a Hanoi hotel for a few days to enjoy some of the best tourist attractions in Vietnam. There is plenty to do during the day and a thriving nightlife you really can’t go wrong.

Ha Long Bay – Chances are if you’ve spent more than a minute looking into South East Asia you’ve come across the spectacle that is Ha Long Bay, a must visit for anyone in the area.  This amazing seascape made up of thousands of limestone pillars is often visited via arranged 2/3 day trips from Hanoi but can be done independently. There are both sightseeing orientated trips as well as options for those looking for a bit of a party at the same time.

Hue – A small town located just above Hoi Ann does not receive nearly as many visitors as it’s close neighbor but if  it’s you’re sort of thing its well worth a day or two to explore the Imperial city.

Hoi Ann – One of the more popular stops in Vietnam famous for it’s tailors. Hundreds of shops offering to make just about any item of clothing you could want, out of any material you want.  Very well made and at ridiculously cheap prices it’s no wonder  so many people chose to get suits and dresses for all occasions made here and sent home.  Hoi Ann has far more to offer than shopping and is arguable one of the nicest towns in Vietnam to explore on foot.

Nha Trang – The must have beach stop along the route, Nha Trang is a typical tourist town.  Sit by the beach all day, take advantage of drink offers at night and maybe squeeze in a day at the waterpark.  What more could you want?

Dalat – Your gateway to the mountains, Dalat is the most visited city in the Central Highlands and offers great adventure activities in the stunning surrounding areas. Easy rider tours are also a popular way to explore the often overlooked mountains of Vietnam.

Mui Ne – Another tropical beach stop, this town is often visited for the main attraction of sand boarding on the nearby dunes.

Ho Chi Minh City – Despite not being the capital HCMC is possibly the most known city in Vietnam.  It truly never sleeps and usually mesmerises its visitors instantly with the constant cramped flow of traffic that fills the roads. HCMC is huge and has tonnes to offer both during the day and at night, you’ll need at least a few days to even scratch the surface.

Mekong Delta – Where the famous river of the SE Asia, The Mekong, meets the sea at the southernmost point of Vietnam, this watery world is easiest seen via a guided tour and if it’s your cup of tea well worth the money.

We loved our time in Vietnam, and with great, regular, cheap transport available from The Sinh Tourist throughout the country it really is easy to cater your trip to exactly what you want.

The post Vietnam’s Backpacker Trail appeared first on RTW Backpackers.

So without further ado, here are our 7 Super Shots;

The picture that…..takes my breath away

The picture that….makes me laugh or smile

The picture that….makes me dream

The picture that….makes me think

The picture that….makes my mouth water

The picture that….tells a story

The picture that….I’m most proud of

We hope you enjoyed looking at our pictures and now it’s your turn…….

Our nominees

We nominate…….no-one!

If you want to show off your 7 Super Shots with Hostelbookers on your own blog, go ahead and say we nominated you then hit us up on Facebook or Twitter so we can see your pictures!

The post RTW Inspiration; Our 7 Super Shots with Hostelbookers appeared first on RTW Backpackers.

For those of you who aren’t in Thailand, quite simply, you should be!

What is Songkran?

Songkran is the celebration of the Thai new year; a three day festival that takes place between the 13-15th April each year and also just so happens to be around the hottest time of the year as well.

It’s mainly known now to tourists for the water fights that take place almost nationwide however the biggest celebrations are still found in the north of Thailand.  Chiang Mai is known as the place to be with Bangkok being a close second.

Last year I experienced my first Songkran and had so much fun that I made sure to still be here this year to get in on the action again. So once again I’ll be filling up my supersoaker and heading out onto the streets en route to Khao San Road.  Although every night is a party on Khao San Road, nothing comes close to the buzz it has during Songkran.

The festival is like nothing I have experienced before, everyone gets involved and everything is fair game. Thai’s and tourists enjoy a good old fashioned water fight. What are you waiting for?

A few pictures from Songkran in Bangkok last year.

If those pictures aren’t enough to convince you that Songkran should be on your must do list for next year then you’re beyond help.

Happy Songkran Festival!

The post Happy Songkran Festival – Thai New Year appeared first on RTW Backpackers.

Before we continue I have to be clear. This is aimed at the English folk out there. Not that weird in no way similar but similarly named game they play in the US or OZ.

So here is the thing, you need not worry – At least if you’re backpacking SE Asia.

It turns out despite the game being played in our own country, we have some of the worst TV coverage of the sport you could ask for.

It’s true living in Bangkok I don’t have the luxury of Soccer AM to soothe my hangover on a Saturday morning but that I can (just about) live with.  What I do get is every single premier league game, live on my television.  Not just the lunch time and late games like in the UK but every single game played across a number of channels.

It gets better still.  Despite meaning getting up in the middle of the night I also get all of the Europa and Champions league games as well.

Meaning since March this year I have not missed a single game of my beloved Tottenham Hotspur (Apart from a few friendly games, most of which were also shown live.)

But how was it when I was travelling?

SE Asia has been brilliant for the backpacking football fan. Often the first thing I’m asked after “Where are you from?” is “What team do you support?”. Football is huge over here it’s just a shame they all support Man U, Chelsea or Liverpool.

The big games are always easy to find, bars are always advertising the next games to try and draw the crowds in and many games are shown on channels available in hostels or hotels.

I remember once in a Cambodian hotel, after talking about football to the night staff he instructed me to wake him up at 3am to let me in the lounge for a game, can you imagine that back home?

The people in SE Asia have a real love of the game and makes keeping up to date with your team very easy.  Unfortunately it’s not going to be quite this easy all around the world. I found games a lot harder to come by in China despite the presence of shops selling merchandise of that horrible other team in north London. Luckily Internet access was often good enough to stream the games from the Internet.

That horrible moment is always inevitable with the internet though, your team is about to kick off and you can’t get a stream or find anywhere showing the game.  My best tip for this scenario? Throw stuff at the wall and blame your girlfriend while praying when you check the scored in the morning your team won.

Have you been able to keep up with your favourite sports teams while travelling? 

The post Watching the Beautiful Game Abroad appeared first on RTW Backpackers.