Your auntie’s next door neighbour’s son spent £2000; your best mate’s older sister spent £5000; and the guy in the coffee shop said you’d only need £3000. So how much money do you need to travel Australia and New Zealand, for three months?

There’s never going to be a firm answer. Some people will eat more, drink less, give hitch-hiking a go, refuse to share a dorm, hire a campervan. Everyone will have their own — and very different — expectations of what they want from a trip to Australia and New Zealand, but we believe it’s possible to calculate a rough budget guide.

I’ve broken down the three months into eight weeks in Australia, including two weeks in a campervan, and four weeks in New Zealand. Remember, this is just a rough guide, and prices can (and do) fluctuate. If you have some information on the cost of travel in this region, add to the conversation via the comment thread below this post.

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Today’s blog post comes from Flora Moffat, a Travel Expert in the STA Travel Goodge Street store, in London.

I remember the exact moment I found out that STA Travel were giving me the opportunity to go to Peru, I screamed the store down with excitement!

Peru had always been a country that I wanted to visit. A trip to Brazil earlier in the year really opened my eyes to South America, and how amazing and deep the culture is.

I began to research all the individual places and sites that we were going to see, and the reality of how beautiful and interesting Peru really was began to set it; and it was an easy 15-hour flight from London.

There were so many reasons I wanted to travel in Peru: it has so many natural and cultural treasures, and a deep history, as well as amazing food, handmade crafts, interesting cultures, and the yummy drinks.

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Welcome to our Spotlight series, where we shine a light on an individual STA Travel store, whether that’s within our familiar shores, of beyond, to the big wide world of the STA Travel family.

Today, we’re having a laugh with the crew from Bath, who have a thing or two to say about their own adventures, in and out of the store. Rumour has it, that these beautiful people have been in Bath so long, their fingers and toes are permanently wrinkled.

Store Manager, Joe Robinson (better known to long time blog readers as Joe King) heads a team of four Travel Experts: Sarah. Sophie, Nick, Louise, and new boy Rob (who isn’t involved in today’s interview as he was off travelling in wilds of Austria. Yes, Austria our distant European cousin.

Left to right: Sarah, Nick, Joe, Sophie, and Louise. Together, they are STA Travel Bath

Together, they’ve been quenching the people of Bath’s incredible thirst for travel for over six years, so they know a thing or two about sourcing the best deals on the market, to even the most obscure of destinations. Continue reading →

Before I go any further, let me say this: Sydney is AMAZING. It’s a legendary traveller hole – people come here and kind of get stuck, they love it so much they find it hard to tear themselves away.

Yes, you must climb the Harbour Bridge, yes, you must take in the view of the Sydney Opera House from the Manly Ferry and yes, of course, you must learn to surf on Bondi Beach. A trip to Australia would feel a little unfulfilled if you didn’t do those things.

That said, there’s so much more to New South Wales than just Sydney. So whether you’re flying in, or just passing through, whatever you do, make sure you hang around long enough to explore, otherwise you’ll be kicking yourself when you hear everyone else’s stories later on – trust me.

The ‘Other’ Best Bits to be Found in New South Wales

If you’re still hankering for some Sydney action after reading this, then make sure you check out our tips for making the most of Secret Sydney. It will show you an entirely new face of what is undoubtedly one of the best cities in the world. Can you tell I’m a fan?

Now, back to what you came here for, here are 10 amazing things to do in New South Wales that will take you beyond Sydney…

The Blue Mountains offer amazing views of dramatic landscapes just a few miles north of Sydney.

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It’s that Ask the Experts time of the week again and there’s a pretty juicy question for Amy to get her teeth stuck into…

Gemma wants some advice on a big tip through the Americas, which will be a pretty epic experience in anyone’s book. If you like what you hear, and want to challenge our Experts to answer one of your own burning travel questions, send us an email and we’ll put it to them right here on the blog.

Let’s see hear Gemma’s question before we put it to our trusty Experts…

I’m 28 and am looking for a multistop ticket that will take me on a few stops through North and South America, can I book a multistop flights with STA Travel if I’m not a student or under 26? If so, can you suggest any routes that you think would be good and not too expensive? Gemma.

Sounds like you’ve got some pretty exciting times ahead of you Gemma! Ok, Experts it’s over to you!

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