# Travelling to Sydney from UK alone, advice?



## smoothes_91 (Apr 12, 2011)

I'm travelling to Sydney alone in a month on a working holiday visa. I'm meeting up with friends but will be on my own for the first week or so. I'm a 19 year old female and I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice?

Information on good hostels, staying safe, and dealing with jet lag on your own would be a massive help, as any advice at all would be!

Thanks


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## aliasjanedoe (Apr 16, 2011)

*Some help for you (hopefully!)*

Hi smoothes_91!

What an adventure! I'm sure you'll have a fabulous time! There is so much advice that can be shared with a newcomer to Australia but I'll stick to the main stuff.

(Others might be able to help with the jetlag thing as I've never dealt with jetlag on my own before).

One thing you'll notice once when you get here is the sheer number of tourists. Sydney has so many visitors, many of them young and here on a working holiday visa, too (you may even think you haven't left the UK!). So even though you're arriving on your own, it's highly likely that you'll meet some cool people in your hostel quickly.

*Hostels: *
There are plenty of hostels in Sydney, but if it was me, I would be staying in a YHA hostel (yha [dot] com [dot] au - sorry, they won't let me post links yet). They're well managed, clean and well located.

I would also book one or two nights accommodation before I left my home country. The comfort of knowing you have somewhere to go when you get off the plane is invaluable. You can book online with a credit card from their website.

There are a few in the Sydney CBD, 2 at or near Central Station (Railway Square & Sydney Central), one in the Rocks, overlooking the harbour (nice!). They also have hostels in Bondi Beach and Glebe (inner west, really cool!).

A friend of mine recently stayed in Railway Square and said it was about $40/night.

There are other hostels in Sydney but I haven't had experience with these. Can someone else comment on this please?

*Transport*
You can get to all of the hostels listed above on the either the train or bus. You can take a train straight from the airport to Central Station and go from there. The airport line is a private line so it's a bit more expensive (around $13 one way, I believe) but they leave every 10 mins to the city.

For Railway Square and Sydney Central, get off at Central Station. For the hostel in the Rocks, take the City Circle line to Circular Quay. For Bondi, go to Bondi Junction and then catch the 381 bus to Fletcher St bus stop. For the Glebe hostel, take bus 431/432/433/434 from George St and Railway Square. Bus 431 and 434 stop at front of YHA hostel.

If you're anxious about missing your stop, ask the driver to let you know when it's your stop.

If you have heavy luggage, I would recommend you take a shuttle bus to the city instead. They are around $14-16 and can take you to the door of your hostel. When you arrive in Sydney, you'll see the desk where you can book a shuttle, and they pick up from outside the terminal.

Just a couple of other things about transport:

*131500 [dot] com [dot] au is the Transport Infoline in NSW. It has timetables, trip planners and network status info (and more!) for the whole of NSW. Put it straight into your phone! 

*131500 is also a phone number, so if you're lost, you can call this number and some very helpful people on the other end of the line will help you find your way. Again, put it in your phone before you leave the UK.

*The 555 bus is free between 7am and 6pm (check 131500 [dot] com [dot] au for exact times!) and this goes all around the CBD. You can download the map from the website, but it takes in all the main areas of Sydney you'll need to get to in your first week.

*Safety*
Sydney is a big city and I would say a safe city, but you do need to keep yourself safe. Things can happen. In the daytime I feel completely safe on my own. At night I would walk/travel with friends, just to be safe. And I would keep to well-lit areas.

Be careful if you go to the pub because drink spiking is an issue. If you're buying beer, get it in a can or bottle, if possible, and hold on to it at all times.

If you're carrying a laptop/ipod or anything that's easily stolen, I would check with the hostel whether they have a safety deposit box you can use. The last thing you want is someone stealing your stuff when you first arrive! Make sure you bring a padlock for your bag, too. Anything that makes it more difficult for a would-be thief.

Is there anything else you specifically need help with? There is so much I could write, but hopefully this has helped.

Feel free to post follow-up questions and if not, hope you have a wonderful experience here in Aust!


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## Arrows Travel (Apr 21, 2011)

smoothes_91 said:


> I'm travelling to Sydney alone in a month on a working holiday visa. I'm meeting up with friends but will be on my own for the first week or so. I'm a 19 year old female and I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice?
> 
> Information on good hostels, staying safe, and dealing with jet lag on your own would be a massive help, as any advice at all would be!
> 
> Thanks


Hi Smoothes_91,

Australia is very safe. You do not have to worry. All the hostels are safe. I would recommend to find a hostel in the city itself.

Try not to go out late on your own.

You'll make friends in the hostel. Personally I recommend YHA, it is a hostel with a nice view but there are hips of hostel.

Simply make a few research online and see which one suits you better.

You'll be fine. Keep in mind that there are thousands of young travellers like you in Australia. You'll love this country.

Please do not hesitate to contact me for further assistance.

Warm Regards,
JP from ArrowsTravel


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## smoothes_91 (Apr 12, 2011)

Thank you so much for the advice, it's a big, big help and has made me feel a lot more assured and relaxed.

I can't think of anything else to ask off the top of my head but I know where to come if I do! Thanks again


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