📍9 Crazy Brilliant Australian Travel Hacks To Keep Costs Down. (That No One Talks About.)
LOOKING TO SAVE SUBSTANTIAL MONEY TRAVELLING AUSTRALIA?
Australia is one of the best countries in the world to visit. An enviable bucket-list destination for many, it is home to revered architectural icons such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and spectacular natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru, which millions of people travel across all parts of the globe to see. The only problem? It’s also one of the most expensive places to travel. But it doesn’t have to be.
With some savvy planning and a few of the tips I’ve culminated here from my years of travelling, mixed with extensive web research, you can explore even more of this breathtakingly beautiful country without burning a hole through your entire savings.
Best of all, this isn’t one of those run-of-the-mill, cookie-cutter budget guides that repeat all the same old stuff. Instead, I’ve packed with clever, under-the-radar travel hacks you’ve likely haven’t heard about, such as honing in on places with cheap or free public transport and $1 camper rentals that’ll help you stretch your currency-exchanged Australian dollars as far as they will go.
So whether you’re a local looking to explore more of our incredible country, an overseas visitor planning your first big trip to the Land Down or a repeat visitor looking for ways to cut costs on your return visit, these brilliantly low-key Australian travel hacks might be some of the best ones you’ve ever come across to help you see more and spend less, especially when stacked together, no compromising required.
👉 My top 3 picks for obscure money-saving travel hacks:
- Make destinations with cheap or free public transport a priority.
- Looking after houses and homes.
- Take advantage of abandoned carts.
Top Australian Travel Hacks Before Arriving.
1. Make Researching Cheap Cities To Travel Around The Priority.
When people don’t have their heart set on a specific destination, it’s pretty common for them to haul ass to wherever the cheapest route takes them. This is always a great way to start the budget spending strong, but if you want to really capitalise on saving money even further, it’s well worth doing some extra pre-planning to find places that are both insanely affordable to reach AND get around once you arrive.
Do this by treating public transport as one of the first things to consider when figuring out where to visit, and not an afterthought you deal with after booking the fares. Start by monitoring the places that are most frequently on sale via your preferred way of getting there (planes, cruises, trains, buses, etc.), then dig into the government-run public transport options to see which of them have the cheapest, or even free, networks you can use to your advantage. If there are a couple of places you’re umming and ahhing between, pick the one that has the most extensive network to get the most bang for your buck. This way, you’re nailing one of the biggest outright spends and one of the sneakiest money drainers while you’re there, all in one fell swoop.
One of the best places you can make the most of this South East Queensland (SEQ), which has Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast, three of the country’s biggest destinations, all nestled together. It’s an excellent region to visit because it has a solid public transport network that runs entirely on a 50c flat rate fee to travel on ferries, trains, and buses. (Plus, Brisbane also has a few free services, including the City Hopper ferry, sweetening the pot for that city even more.)
And it’s not just that corner of the state that’s covered. This initiative also applies to all of these local city networks in Queensland, including other revered destinations like Cairns, the Whitsundays, and Rockhampton, allowing you to reach many unforgettable destinations and attractions for next to nothing.
Psst: You can use many of these tips elsewhere around the world, but I’ve just honed in on stuff for Australia.
2. Use VPN + Incognito & Price Alerts For Booking Flights.
Booking flights isn’t just about when you book; it’s also about how you search. Flight prices are frustratingly dynamic, meaning they change based on your location, search history, and sometimes even the device you’re using. It’s a bit crazy. But if you’re clever about it, you can dodge some of these traps and save a nice chunk of change just by tweaking your browsing behaviour. It doesn’t work every time, but here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Use Google Flights + Skyscanner to Spot the Best Routes.
Start by using Google Flights and Skyscanner to get the lay of the land. These tools are excellent for comparing routes, carriers, and date combinations all in one place to see which ones offer the most competitive prices and most favourable options.
- Google Flights is fast, clean, and shows you pricing trends, flexible date charts, and direct links to book with airlines. It’s not heavily affected by dynamic pricing, so it’s a solid place to start your search.
- Skyscanner is great for discovering low-cost carriers and budget airlines (especially for domestic and short-haul routes), but it is more sensitive to your location, which is where the next hack comes in. –
Once you’ve narrowed down a few top-flight options and airlines that you’re seriously eyeballing, it’s time to switch to stealth mode and see how the prices they’re offering change.
👇Ready For Adventure? Search For Flights! 👇
🥷 Step 2: Turn on Incognito Mode.
Incognito (or Private Browsing) keeps websites from tracking your cookies between sessions. If you’ve ever been frustrated by a flight ticket suddenly hiking after you’ve searched it a few times, it’s not necessarily because all the allotted seating for that price has sold out. It’s actually an industry tactic some companies use that targets repeat searchers to encourage them to book quicker before the cost goes up again. Searching in incognito mode (every web browser already has this option included) helps prevent this by giving you different cookies and making it look like you’re searching for the first time.
Step 3: Use a VPN to Unlock Location-Based Pricing.
Now, to see if you can hone in on the best prices even more is the VPN (Virtual Private Network) trick. This goes a step further than going incognito as it sneakily masks your computer’s IP address and location, allowing you to browse the internet like you’re in another country.
This allows you to tap into the region-specific pricing that many airlines and booking platforms have, meaning that people in one part of the world might see cheaper fares than those residing in another, despite the flight being the exact same everything!
First, you have to get a VPN service. I use the one that’s included in my Norton 360 subscription, which also protects my computer in many other ways, but there are plenty of options for this specific use, such as Nord VPN and Express VPN. Once you get that, try this and see what results you get:
- Switch your VPN to the airline’s home country. For example:
- Australia’s QANTAS Airlines? Try Australia.
- Singapore Airlines? Use Singapore.
- Alternatively, try countries with lower average incomes — like India, the Philippines, or Indonesia to compare. You might find some deal that are significantly cheaper this way.
- Lastly, try your destination’s country too. Some carriers offer local discounts when booking from within that region.
💡 Pro tip: Test a few countries using your VPN and compare. You’d be surprised how much prices can shift depending on where websites think you are.
Bonus Tip: Set Flight Alerts + Monitor Routes.
If you’ve got a rough idea of when or where you want to go, you can also go one step further and set price alerts using:
- Skyscanner & Hopper – Great for tracking general trends and sudden drops.
- Google Flights – Excellent for flexible travellers; alerts work even if you’re just browsing dates.
- I Know The Pilot – Crowd-favourite for Aussies; they email out error fares and limited deals.
- Secret Flying
- OzBargain
These tools will notify you automatically when prices drop or sales are on, so you will always be aware of all the best deals. But you will have to move on these quickly and be pretty flexible with travel dates if you want to nab them as they usually fly out the door! No pun intended.
Big Experiences Without Big Spending.
3. Take Advantage Of Abandoned Carts.
Now for my personal favourite. The activities and experiences! This is what we travel for! And we go to substantial lengths to make those dreams come true. It’s where we want to spend the most money: making memories that will last a lifetime!
But it quickly adds up and can be one of the hardest things to rein back in because there are so many, many incredible things to do and not enough dinero to do it all, especially as budget travellers.
However, there’s one excellent way I love tapping into to save money on these unforgettable adventures, especially those that aren’t on sale. It’s a bit sneaky, but using the abandoned cart feature on some online travel marketplaces, such as Experience Oz, can save you a bundle of $$$.
What you do is search for activities and experiences in your destination, put some of your favourites in your cart, and then just bail for a while…Then bing, bang, boom, there’ll be an email from them two or three days later saying you’ve left something behind and enticing you to come back and finish the purchase with a discount code for 10% off. Done, easy!
Get Your Guide even offered me a discount when I started signing up and then clicked out of it, when others might give it to you WHEN you’ve signed up. I’m not sure how well it would work with other aspects of travelling, or just everyday online shopping, but it’s definitely worthwhile trying!
How To Make It Work:
- You usually need to create an account or be signed in before adding something to your cart.
- If the site has an abandoned cart feature, you’ll often get an email within 24–72 hours offering you a discount to complete the transaction. However, some might just say you left something behind.
Find A Place To Stay For Next To Nothing.
4. House Sitting & Home Swapping.
Want cheap accommodation that doesn’t involve sleeping in a dorm room with a whole heap of random people you’ve never met before or pitching a tent in the rain when it’s dark? Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’ve done both and have had some great experiences, especially with the latter, but fair enough if that’s not your thing.
However, if you want to level up and stay somewhere significantly closer with all the creature comforts you’ve come to know and love, two of the best ways to do that is by house sitting and home swapping, which is like squatting, but with permission. 😅
With house sitting, you’re essentially looking after someone’s home while they’re away — feeding pets, watering plants, checking the mail, making sure that the neighbour doesn’t get their petty revenge on some minor inconvenience from 6 years ago or that the place doesn’t get robbed by people in environmentally friendly Al-Gore masks. You know, all that regular home ownership stuff, minus the bills and repairs. In return, you get a free place to stay, often in a proper home (with a kitchen, laundry, and maybe even a pool or ocean view). This would cost you at least $150 per night for a hotel, so it’s a pretty sweet deal that only gets better the longer you stay.
With home swapping, it’s a similar deal, only you’re trading your place with someone else, with them staying at your house while you reside in theirs for the duration of your trips. It’s like the literal travel version of “Mi casa su casa (my house, your house.)” It’s ideal for couples, retirees, digital nomads or even families wanting to stay in real homes and live like a local instead of hotels.
Where To Look:
- Aussie House Sitters: One of the biggest platforms in Oz for trusted house sitting gigs. Great for long-term travel or slower trips.
- TrustedHousesitters: A global platform with tons of listings in Australia and abroad. Great for pet lovers and frequent travellers. – Annual membership fee, but unlimited house sits.
- Home Exchange: Trade homes with someone either simultaneously or on a points system. It’s like Airbnb, but without the bill.
Psst: Build up your reviews early by applying for short, easy gigs in your vicinity, then once you’re verified and trusted, you can get access to better homes in top destinations.
5. Volunteer For A Bed.
We’ve all heard of working holidays to fund your travels with hospitality and fruit and vegetable farms some of the most popular ways people make money on the road, but one of the lesser-known and more obscure travel hacks out there is doing volunteer work in exchange for a bed, which goes a long way cutting down on costs for one of the most traditionally expensive parts of travelling: accommodation.
Platforms like Workaway, WWOOF, and HelpX connect travellers with hosts who offer free stays (and often meals) in exchange for just a few hours of help each day, which is usually around 3–5 hours. And that’s it. There are no hands exchanging money or anything.
This is also great for those who enjoy slow travel and more authentic experiences while giving them a great opportunity to make new friends and keep their money for the epic expensive adventures who have travelled across the country, or the world to undertake, especially solo travellers who have to deal with the single supplement fees BS on some tours and activities.
Where To Look:
- Workaway – Great variety of listings across Australia; popular with international travellers.
- WWOOF Australia – Focuses on organic farms and sustainability-focused experiences.
- HelpX – Old-school but still kicking — good for less competitive listings.
Examples of volunteer work:
- Gardening or landscaping on a property in the bush
- Cleaning at an eco-lodge or glampsite
- Helping families with childcare or school runs
- Assisting with creative or building projects
Psst: Not all gigs are created equal. Some hosts are super chill, others expect a lot, so make sure you dive deep into reading the reviews, have a clear understanding of what to expect, and don’t be afraid to high-tail it if it’s clearly not what you signed up for.
Cheap Ways To Get Around.
I already mentioned above about honing in on visiting places that have super affordable and expansive public transport networks, such as Brisbane and the Gold Coast, to kick-start your budget-friendly Australian adventure, but another expense that quickly adds up is getting to and from all the other places that are outside walking distance or capability. So here are some incredible schemes and initiatives that’ll help you save on those in-between trips and further destinations that are much further out.
6. Free/ Cheap Bike Schemes in Cities.
I’ve already mentioned how honing in on visiting places with super affordable and expansive public transport networks, such as Brisbane and the Gold Coast, is a great way to kick-start your budget-friendly Australian adventure. But another expense that quickly adds up is getting to and from all the other places that are outside walking distance or capability because while maintaining the momentum by stacking that with a super cheap flight and a cheap or free bed, you might end up blowing half your day’s budget just getting across town, and not on the actual good stuff that you want to be spending your money on.
That’s where bike and scooter share schemes come in. These nippy little two-wheeled vehicles, designed for public use, are popping up in cities all over Australia, offering visitors a cheap and flexible way to get around that’ll also save you heaps of commuting time (not to mention your legs at the end of the day.) And usually, all you have to do is download an app and rent it out from there.
Brisbane, once again, is one of the best destinations in Australia for this. This is because not only can you reap the most benefits from Queensland’s epic 50c flat fare across the entire government-run public transport network scheme, such as also visiting the Gold Coast, but using that in conjunction with the capital’s use of Neuron e-bike and e-scooter is just a budget-travellers dream, making getting to a significant chunk of its inner-city attractions of both these destinations dirt cheap. Plus, it’s a spectacular way to explore its iconic and extensive River Walk network!
Click here to see where global e-bike and e-scooter companies, Neuron and Beam, operate by clicking the links.
Other Major Aussie Cities with Bike Schemes:
- Sydney.
- Canberra.
- Adelaide – Offers free bike (not e-bikes) hire through the Adelaide Free Bikes initiative. Pick one up from the Port Adelaide Visitor Information Centre.
- Melbourne – This website says there’s a one-year trial, but I’m not sure if it’s still available.
- Darwin.
- Perth – Plenty of private hire companies.
Psst: These power-assisted vehicles are on trains and ferries (but not buses), so it’s an all-around winning situation.
7. $1 Car/Camper Relocations.
There’s that age-old saying, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” More often than not, that is the case, but just like everything else on this list of crazy Australian Travel hacks, you really can hire out cars and campers starting from the extraordinarily low price of $1. Yep, just one buck! Here’s the deal, because I know that’s what you’re asking. And when you figure out the why, you’ll realise the genius behind it all.
Vehicle rental companies often need their vehicles relocated to a different city. You know the people who hire out cars to do massive one-way journeys across the country? Yeah? Well, the places they got them from need them back so they can rent them out to the next person; otherwise, their fleets are going to get thin.
Or sometimes they just need to move some cars to cater for a place that temporarily needs more of them. Perhaps, there’s a huge event that sees an increase in people needing vehicles over the period. Those kinds of things.
And here’s where that genius comes in (and so do you). Instead of paying someone just to haul its a** back to Texas, they hire them out for basement bargain prices for budget travellers like you and me to do it for them. So you get a car or campervan for an insanely low price, and they get their car back! Talk about a win-win!
It’s an epic way to road trip for cheap, and some of them even come with bonuses, such as free fuel and ferry trips. However, it’s also all sunshine and roses. There are some big glaring caveats that you should thoroughly consider.
They don’t usually list the vehicle far in advance, so you’ll need to be flexible with your dates and routes. Most relocations pop up just a few days or a week before the pickup date, which makes them challenging to incorporate into itineraries or lock things in early, especially accommodation, where you’re leaving from and going to. And if there is any that you can get at the last minute, they’ll likely be dearer, negating your budgeting.
You’re also on their timeline, not yours. There’s usually a strict deadline to get the vehicle to its destination — sometimes with mileage limits too, meaning that you have to cover substantial distances each day, leaving little time for seeing attractions and doing experiences along the way and virtually none for detours, which is usually where the best stuff is, especially the epic landscapes.
But if you just want to get from A to B for next to nothing or you’re up for a fast-paced mini-road trip adventure, then it’s an absolute steal. Either way, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on if you’ve got open-ended plans or love the idea of filling in the gaps with spontaneous driving adventures.
Psst: You usually have to put down a bond like you would any hire car.
Where To Look:
- Imoova. – One of the biggest relocation platforms in Australia. Listings change constantly, so keep checking.
- Transfercar. – Also offers $1 deals, sometimes with fuel or tolls covered.
8. Rideshares.
On the move but don’t want to fork out for a full tank of fuel, or buy a pricey plane, train or bus ticket? Well, if you’ve got a flexible schedule and are interested in making new friends, ridesharing is one of the most underrated and affordable ways to get around Australia.
Whether you have a set of wheels and want to split petrol costs or don’t have a car and are looking to hitch a lift, there are many platforms and online groups where travellers post available seats, road trip plans, and cost shares. Some even include scenic detours and pitstops, making it like the epic old-school carpooling road trips that you see in the movies (hopefully with no murder like the horror genres love to portray), but with more digital convenience and an online paper trail, and excellent opportunity to meet new people and makes new friends.
Psst: Always check if people are sharing costs or profiting as a side hustle. Most rideshares are super chill, but make sure to agree on fuel money upfront so it’s not awkward. Always trust your gut and read profiles or reviews before committing to long trips with strangers, and have a plan of action prepared just in case.
Where To Look:
- Coseats. – Aussie-specific rideshare platform where people list trips and spare seats. Good for longer distances and backpacker hotspots.
- Facebook Rideshare Groups.
Obscure Aussie Travel Hacks.
9. Use Browser Ads to Your Advantage.
All right, we all know that ads can be annoying, especially during movies, when you’re so entranced by the story and then boom! They completely take you out of the experience. shakes fist
But while those are always random, the ones online aren’t, and you can get them to work in your favour, particularly on Facebook. As you may know, these are tied to your browsing history, so whenever you look up anything on the internet, related companies pop up on your feed. Most of the time, you’ll doomscroll past them.
However, you don’t want to be doing that as much if you’ve been searching for anything related to upcoming travel plans, as you can get sometimes get fantastic deals from companies and brands that you might not be able to find otherwise as they are only offering it as part of this platform’s promotion.
What’s also great about these targeted ads is that they don’t just reflect what was researched back to you with incentives. They also display ads from competitors that you may not have heard about before that might offer you something even better than the original company, such as a better price/sale, longer duration, or more inclusions. So even if you’re 90% sure you’ve found what you want, give it a day or two to let the algorithm work for you to provide you with even more options and opportunities to make the most out of every dollar you spend.
Conclusion: Best Travel Hacks To Save Money In Australia.
Combining crazy cheap flights with a destination that’s cheap to travel around, while looking after someone’s home and taking advantage of abandoned carts, with the other excellent low-key Australia travel hacks will save you tonnes of money while discovering one of the most expensive countries in the world.
If you are planning to travel, consider looking at these other posts.
