Your visa has been granted. You’ve booked your tickets and possibly have even packed. A year-long holiday, you’re coming with all the nerves excitement to the Land Down Under. So what now?
If you’ve decided to go for your work and holiday visa and be on your merry way in your one year-long travel, the next thing you should do is planning. And you really do need to plan well. Because no matter how much you prided yourself on being a spontaneous traveler, coming on a long-term visa to a foreign land without any semblance of plan whatsoever often only leads to regrets.
But you’re here and that means you’ve got some sort of willingness to find out better. This post would be divided into two parts to be able to cover more details and information on each point we’re going to talk about. So, what are the stuff you need to do immediately once you arrive in Australia?
Get a SIM card that accommodates your needs
Getting a SIM card should logically be the first thing you do once you arrive in the land down under. There are generally three most-known mobile networks in Australia. They are Optus, Telstra, and Vodafone.
From what many backpackers have said, Telstra has the largest coverage. However, it can also get more expensive compared to the rest. Telstra is usually the provider both locals and travelers use if they’re going or living in rural areas of Australia.
Decide whether you need a sim with a large network coverage or not. If you’re planning on getting a second year work and holiday visa, then you’ll be expected to work in rural areas with possibly little to no coverage. This is where you’re going to need a provider with a lot of coverage. However, if you only plan on staying in the cities, then you probably would not need it at all. Do your research on the smaller telecommunications companies as well because they often offer cheaper rates for their data, text, and calls overall. It may help you save on a recurring fee.
Finding your accommodation
if you’re on a longer term visa such as the working holiday (subclass 417 and subclass 462), then finding accommodation would not be as straightforward as when you’re in Australia simply on a visitor’s visa. How do you plan on your accommodations and find good ones?
Booking your accommodations before you arrive in the Land Down Under
Book your accommodations online before you arrive in Australia. Have it booked for the first few days to a week of your stay in Australia. This is the best way to go about this, instead of finding accommodations only once you’ve arrived. Having a place booked and ready for you to crash in will relieve you of the added burden that you’ve already gotten on top of just arriving in a foreign land, and quite possibly, jet-lagged.
The next part would talk about this topic in further details. How many travelers have found their accommodations, and more. We’ll also touch upon how you should open a bank account immediately once you’ve arrived in Australia.
