The three pillars of a successful working holiday

Many young people dream of a working holiday in Australia - freedom, adventure, and lots of money. Many arrive with a hopeful spirit, but it isn’t always as easy as it seems. I can tell you from experience: during my first six weeks in Australia, I was miserable, even though I was housesitting (free accommodation) and had the company of a cat.

That’s why I’ve written this blog: to share my experiences and help you prepare for yours.

What makes a successful working holiday?

There are many things that contribute to a successful working holiday, but if you boil it down, in my opinion it comes down to three essentials: work, friends, and freedom.

Work doesn’t necessarily come first, but it often leads to the other two. You didn’t come here on a tourist visa, you came on a working holiday visa, and work is a central part of that experience. Friends are just as important. Moving to a new country, often for the first time, means building a new life and social community from scratch. Without that, it can become lonely very quickly, and the inevitable struggles will feel much bigger.

Freedom is essentially why you travel. Freedom to see the world, to explore Australia, and to make your own decisions. A working holiday offers a lot of that — sometimes even more than you’d wish for.

Below, I’ll briefly explain why these three aspects are so important, and point you to pages that can help you prepare for each of them.

Work

Work can mean very different things to different people. In general, I think there are three important aspects to consider. Not all of them need to be met for a successful working holiday - compromise is often part of the experience - but ideally at least one or two should be.

• meaningful or tolerable work
• fair pay and conditions
• work that fits your lifestyle (farm vs city, FIFO vs hospitality, outdoors vs indoors)

Finding work that ticks all three boxes is not easy. Many people - myself included - struggle to find work when they first arrive. Some try to arrange something beforehand, which sounds smart but often turns out to be harder than expected.

In more difficult situations, compromises might have to be made. That could mean doing a job you don’t enjoy, but at least it pays the bills. Or working in a rhythm that’s unfamiliar, like Fly In Fly Out (FIFO), where you work intensively for a period and then have extended time off. Some people even end up in jobs with poor pay or unfair conditions.

That last one is something I personally would never compromise on. Accepting unfair work conditions doesn’t just affect you — it contributes to a system that makes things worse for others as well.

And then, sometimes, you get lucky. Or you look very hard. And you find work that ticks all three boxes. Those moments make a huge difference.

Friends

Friends are an essential part of a happy life. As humans, we all crave some sense of community, whether big or small. For some, one good friend they see once a week is enough. Others prefer different friends for different activities. Either way, some form of connection is needed — someone to share the fun moments with, but also the challenging ones.

From experience, I can say that it’s often easier to make backpacker friends than local friends. Backpackers are usually in the same situation as you: new, open, and actively looking for connection. Locals often already have established social lives. That doesn’t mean you can’t become part of them, but it can take more time and effort.

I ended up making local friends mainly because I was housesitting and didn’t meet any backpackers for two months. It wasn’t easy, and it felt lonely at times, but it also pushed me to connect in ways I might not have otherwise. More on that later in this blog.

Freedom (and why money isn’t the point, but still matters)

Freedom is often what people imagine when they think of a working holiday, but it doesn’t mean endless travel or unlimited fun. In reality, freedom usually looks like:

• having enough money (not heaps)
• flexibility
• choice
• not being stuck in the wrong job or place because you’re broke or stressed

Money plays a role here, but mainly as a tool. It gives you options. It allows you to say no to a bad job, to take a break when you need one, or to travel when the opportunity arises. Too little money limits your freedom; too much focus on money can limit the experience itself.

Freedom on a working holiday is really about balance:

• working and travelling
• saving and living
• being social and resting
• planning and spontaneity

Finding that balance takes time, and it often shifts throughout your stay. Some periods are all about work and saving; others are about exploration and connection. Overall, if one of these three elements is missing, the experience can feel off. If two are missing, it can become very hard. But when work, friends, and freedom align - even imperfectly - a working holiday can become something that stays with you long after you leave Australia. A successful working holiday isn’t about getting it perfect,  it’s about adjusting, learning, and giving yourself permission to change course when needed.