Filling the void jitters for upcoming trip

[quaid]

Hey all, so I'm sure this is pretty common but it is driving me nuts. Hopefully I can find a little reassurance here.

I am planning a 4 month trip to New Zealand and Australia starting October. I have wanted to go for so long, and I'm really excited, but at the same time these damn fears keep popping up in my thinking pattern. It is the same worry as I always have regardless of my situation; money.

Now I don't have an active muse to manage from the road. I have saved up for a while though. I will have a strict budget, but part of me worries that with so much time on my hands I will have to spend above my budget to find entertainment.

The only thing I can base this on is when I traveled solo to Costa Rica a few years ago. It was truly lovely, but the combination of traveling solo, and a language barrier made me feel pretty isolated at times. This time I'm going to an English country, but still I worry.

I could use some inspiration; if you were headed to Australia and New Zealand which (cheap) activities would you take up to make the most of the time?

[AlexMoen]

Anybody I've ever met from New Zealand or Australia isn't too different from anyone from another western type of country. What do you normally enjoy? Sports, visiting beaches, hanging out? They do all of that there, too, you know.

A better question is why have you wanted to go there so badly for so long? Just treat the areas like a new home, integrate with the community (bars, hobbies, etc), and do what you came there to do.

[officer_dibble]

The other thing I would suggest is to give yourself a few weeks to find the cheap stuff. It takes time to find the cheapest bars, food places, places to stay etc - and you often need to get to know some locals to find out as well. Try not to beat yourself up too much about going over an average daily budget when you first arrive.

Lastly, you might consider volunteering. In many places in the world, volunteers will often get at least lunch and perhaps some local travel costs paid. And the chances are that you'll meet some frugal people doing the same too.

[basd]

I'd go running and hiking a lot as I'm into that. Volunteer work is a great option as well, gives you something to, gives you the feeling you're actually DOING something instead of just hanging about..