I genuinely would say that van life was one of my favourite experiences and changed me in so many ways. The space in your van is so limited and crowded with all your belongings, you really learn to use the outdoors as your personal space, without any concerns. The van doors turn into a drying line for your clothes, the public showers by the beach turn into your own and you get comfortable doing your skincare in front of other people. You wash your dishes with the ocean water and use sand as scrubs. Van life can be amazing, but it can also have a totally different look on other days. When you are on the road, you can go days without access to a shower, so you have to really be comfortable with the person you are with. Sometimes the distance between each petrol station is greater than the distance your car runs on one tank, so you have to take extra along with you and be prepared for all scenarios. Sometimes you don’t know when you will have next access to a food shop, so you ration the food you eat. Some days your meal is on the beach while watching the sunset, some other days it’s in your camping chair on the side of the highway. Learn to appreciate and see the beauty in both scenarios, because they are both inevitable. To get to a nice sunset meal, you have to drive many kilometres.

Van life forces you to be minimalist because your space is limited, so you learn to only care about the things that are an everyday use for you. I got to appreciate being so minimalistic with my belongings, which led me to not put any importance or value to my basic belongings. Some will get lost, broken or stolen, and once again, this is not something I have control over, so the easier it is to let it go, the easier your life will be.

Van life allows you to go places, to see views and immerse yourself in the landscape like you never have before. If you are not driving through a certain road or driving through the desert, you might never see it. I also like that when you are living in your van, you also live in connection with the world. You fall asleep when it’s nighttime and you wake up when the sun starts shining in the morning. Learning how to do van life is a real skill and takes experience, but everyone can find their own way of adapting to van life.

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I spent most of my time in Australia in Western Australia and have not had the chance to visit the east side of the country so this is probably why I can easily say WA is my absolute favourite. I am a true beach girl at heart, I love the sun, I love sand and I love sunsets, which is exactly what WA provides, all day long. WA has the whitest sandy beaches, it’s got world class surf and heaps of wineries, along with a huge expanse of outback. I lived in my van and when we were not driving, I was outside everyday, spending my time on the beach, cooking, reading, tanning, playing volleyball and jumping in the waves. It has some of the clearest water I've ever seen with the finest sand you ever walked on. The outback was incredibly eye opening and something I had never experienced before. You can really see a different perspective than the rest of Australia, and you drive through it for days at the time. Being the largest state with only 11% of Australia’s entire population living there, it makes everywhere feel empty and almost to yourself.

The people are so laid back, they take their time to do everything and don't really care about anything at all. They seem to enjoy fishing and cooking fresh food often, long days on the beach and the pub. I met some of the nicest people in WA that have welcomed me in their home and to Christmas dinners with open arms.

The Northern Territory is known for its rugged landscapes, including vast deserts, tropical rainforests, and rocky gorges. The territory is also home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including many species that are found nowhere else in the world.

Indigenous Australians have lived in the Northern Territory for tens of thousands of years, and the territory is home to many important cultural sites and traditions. Today, Indigenous Australians make up approximately 30% of the population of the Northern Territory.

The Northern Territory is also known for its mining industry, particularly the extraction of gold, uranium, and natural gas. The tourism industry is also an important part of the territory's economy, with many visitors drawn to the natural beauty and cultural heritage of the region.

If you are from a country that is within the commonwealth agreement, Australia is very likely to grant you a working holiday visa. The step by step application form and all necessary information can be found on the government website. As with any other countries, you might not get it if you have criminal records or are banned from entering some countries. The working holiday visa is granted for a year, and 3 months of farm work has to be done within that year to be granted the second year.

Farm work qualifies work in rural areas, but does not necessarily have to be done on a farm. By looking up the area code on Google, you can determine whether or not the work you have in this area is considered as farm work, and if it can count towards your farm work.

From the date your visa is granted, you have 12 months to activate it, which means that you have a year to enter the country and start your visa. Keep in mind that this is only to activate the visa, and that your year visa starts when entering the country, and not from the date you were granted the visa.

The processing time for the visa depends on case to case and the answer provided in your application, and can take up to 3 months. In my case, I received it within minutes of applying.

If you are not from a country that grants a working holiday visa, you can also apply for a student visa, or simply a tourist visa, but this will not allow you to work in the country.

The cost of life in Australia used to be extremely high compared to the rest of most countries, but I thought that it was honestly not that bad, not that I have lived in Whistler I would say that it's pretty comparable.

First of all, the tipping culture isn't really a thing in Australia. The prices are a bit higher at first glance, but when you keep in mind that the tax is included and you don’t have to tip, it comes out to be pretty similar. The most expensive things I found in Australia were cigarettes and tobacco. They are trying to be a smoke free country, so every 6 months or so they increase the price of these items, making it around $50 a pack.

Also, I would like to point out that I never had to pay rent in Australia since I was living in a van, so fuel was my most expensive spending, being around $1.60cad a litre.

The hostel prices vary between $20 and anything above, depending on the city, the type of rooms and the season. Shared dorms are always cheaper but sometimes if you are with a few friends, private rooms or even airbnb’s turn out to be cheaper.

Overall, for a single person living in Australia, the monthly cost adds up to about $1500, without the rent/accommodation.

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