Departure preparation for your working holiday (the full guide)

To start your adventure under the best possible conditions, it’s a good idea to plan where you’re going to sleep (and adjust to a new time zone) for the first few nights.

Some working holiday makers would rather have the keys to their own place when they arrive. However, we don’t recommend signing a lease without visiting the place for several reasons:

• Housing scams abound—read Common scams to avoid during your working holiday abroad to avoid them (and learn about other popular scams targeting travellers!)
• It’s best to explore the city and various neighbourhoods first to figure out where you’d rather live for a few months.
• If you plan to work and hate long commutes, you may want to find a job first and then sign a lease.
• If you’re looking for shared accommodation, it’s always better to meet your roommates in person.
• Your plans may change and you could eventually settle on another city shortly after starting your adventure.
• In the age of AI and Photoshop, it’s often a good idea to visit a few places rather than sign a lease because the place looks perfect in pictures.

You don’t have to book the first few nights before you leave but it can give you some peace of mind—after all, nobody feels like looking at Airbnb or hostel options from the airport’s arrival hall.

Here are the short-term accommodation options most travellers choose.

Hostels

Most hostels are ideally located in the downtown core or close to public transit options—just as well, considering you will have to open a bank account, visit apartments or maybe even look for a car if you can’t wait to start your road trip.

As well as often being the cheapest option, hostels are friendly places full of like-minded people who may be looking for a job, a car, a place and adventures—just like you, so just as well! Staying in a hostel is a great way to meet other travellers from all over the world and get tips about the city, the country and more. Who knows, you may make friends, find a road trip partner or even your future roommate!

Depending on your budget and the level of comfort you are looking for, you can book a single room, a double room (if you’re travelling with your loved one or a friend and want some privacy) or a bed in a dorm. Hostels can offer 4-, 6-, 8- or 12-bed dorms—the bigger the dorm, the lower the price is, of course.

Dorms don’t offer much privacy and certainly, no guarantee of a good night’s sleep, especially if partygoers come late at night or if one of your neighbours snores. Dorms are the cheapest option, but not necessarily the most comfortable.

Keeping your belongings safe can be a challenge in dorms—it’s best to choose hostels offering lockers or safes that can be locked with a padlock or code. Some hostels lend or hire padlocks, others don’t (bring your own or buy one!).

Other than that, hostels are pretty safe… definitely safer than Hollywood horror movies claim!

Hotel

Booking a few nights in a hotel when you arrive will be more expensive than sleeping in a hostel, but this solution offers other advantages:

• • You’ll be able to enjoy peace and quiet if that’s what you need when you arrive. Starting a working holiday adventure can be emotionally intense and some people will need to be in a calmer environment.
  • You will be able to leave your belongings safely. It may still be a good idea to leave your valuables in your padlocked luggage.
  • Depending on the location and the standard of the hotel you choose, you may have access to higher or lower rates.
  • As with hostels, if your hotel is in the city centre, it will make things easier (opening a bank account, finding a rental, etc.).

Short-term homestays

The idea of sleeping in a 12-bed dormitory doesn’t appeal to you all that much, and booking a hotel will stretch your budget because, on top of the cost of the room, you won’t be able to cook?

Booking a room, an apartment or a house for a few days could be a good compromise for you!

Websites such as Airbnb or Booking.com list a wide range of accommodations, from self-contained studios to rooms in private homes. If you want to meet local people, booking a private bedroom and sharing the rest of the place with your host is an option.

Homestays may also be a better value than a hotel if you’re travelling as a group.

You could also sublet a place for a week, a month or more. Many working holiday makers (especially in Canada) sublet their rooms or their entire apartment when they’re away. You can find ads on the many XYZ Rentals Facebook groups (enter your city instead of “XYZ,” of course!)

Couch surfing

Couch surfing is sleeping on the sofas of perfect strangers who love hosting travellers from all over the world—if you’re lucky, you may even get a spare bedroom.

But this global community offers much more than a free place to spend the night. For instance, after registering on Couchsurfing, you can browse for hosts in your city of choice or look for locals who are willing to give you a tour and share a few tips. These random strangers can be a lifeline when you’re new to the city and the country—it’s a great way to meet people and explore areas off the beaten track.

If you’re looking for accommodation, focus on potential hosts. Make sure to check how many people hosts are willing to open their door to—this is important if you’re travelling as a couple or with friends.

On their profile, hosts typically share their hobbies, their profession, the trips they have taken, etc.

Once you’ve found a profile that could be a good match, send an email with your dates and introduce yourself. The “spray and pray” method doesn’t work here—it’s a good idea to be personable to get a positive response. Try to mention a shared passion or something in their profile that you liked, for example.

Take the time to fill in your profile and add a nice photo. Hosts in big cities get many, many requests. Make sure you stand out from the crowd.

Note that you can have your account verified by the CouchSurfing site for around €56 (verification valid for life). However, you can still find hosts anywhere in the world without being verified.

If you’re using Couchsurfing, remember to return the favour once you’re back home—if you can’t host, show newcomers around!

By arranging accommodation for yourself, you are suggesting that when it is possible for you to do so, you too will welcome travellers on a tight budget who are keen to meet locals or other travellers like you! If you don’t want to host other CouchSurfers, don’t forget that you can walk around your town with them or take them out for a drink!

Women can also use the Host a Sister Facebook group, which shares the values of CouchSurfing. It’s a great way to meet new people, see the sights with a local and not be alone when you arrive in a new town. Pretty cool!