I’m a Brit who travelled to Australia – here’s five things I wish I knew before going

• Katie Scollan, 21, sold her house and left her old life behind to travel full time
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A British woman who quit her job to travel the world has revealed the five things she wishes she knew before going to Australia. 

Katie Scollan, 21, who goes by @simplyyykatie on TikTok, sold her house and left her old life behind to travel full time.

She regularly makes videos about her experiences, as well has giving advice to other young people who want to do the same.

The TikToker has backpacked Thailand, volunteered in Africa and inter-railed around Europe – she’s currently in Australia.

In a recent video, seen by 100,000 people, she shared the five things that surprised her during her time Down Under – read on to find out what she would advise.

A British female solo traveller, who quit her job to see the world, has revealed the five things she wishes she knew before going down under

‘You won’t see spiders or snakes’ 

When you think of Australia, as well as the beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters, dangerous snakes and insects certainly creep into the back of your mind.

However, Katie has revealed coming into contact with terrifying spiders or pythons may not be as common as feared. 

She explained: ‘First of all, you will see no spiders or snakes, I don’t know what everyone goes on about but I’ve been here two months and done the whole east coast.

‘I’ve seen no snakes, only in the zoo and spiders on one occasion, camping on a remote island, so ease your mind.’

Katie explained ‘She explained ‘First of all, you will see no spiders or snakes, I don’t know what everyone goes on about but I’ve been here two months and done the whole east coast’

‘It’s very expensive’

Secondly, Katie advised that Australia can be a lot more expensive than other popular backpacking destinations.

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She warned: ‘Next up, you’re going to spend a lot more money than you originally intended and budgeted to spend.

‘It’s very expensive here, so bear this in mind when saving for your trip’.

In another video, she revealed that six weeks on the east coast set her back £4,177, including the price of flights being £600.

However, commenters wrote ‘this isn’t too bad of a price really’ and ‘How is your flight only £600? I’m jealous’.

‘The drinking culture is different’

Next, the travel pro explained that the drinking culture in Australia is very different to Britain – something she was not expecting. 

She told viewers: ‘Third is that the drinking culture is so different here. 

‘Most places you can’t get shots or doubles and you can’t get in somewhere if you seem drunk at all.

‘Plus, the majority of bars close at midnight and I had no idea about any of this before I got here and haven’t seen anyone talk about this anywhere either’.

‘You need to book things way in advance’

Katie advised that unlike south eastern Asian countries, that are particularly popular with backpackers, traveling around Australia requires more planning.   

She said: ‘Then, we have the fact that you should book your accommodation and tours way in advance.

‘It’s nothing like south east Asia where you can just book as you go. All of the popular places get booked up very quickly, especially in high seasons.

‘So, to avoid disappointment, make sure you’ve planned your trip properly prior to coming.’

One commenter asked: ‘How far in advance should you book the hostels?,’ to which Katie replied: ‘For Whitsunday definitely a good 3/4 months if you want the popular boats, hostels I’d say definitely at least two months in high season!

‘But in low season you should be okay just booking it all a couple weeks in advance!’ 

‘The weather isn’t always hot’ 

Finally, Katie tells followers they should be prepared for all weather in Australia, to avoid having to buy new clothes while out there.

She said: ‘Lastly, the weather varies all across the east coast massively.

‘Don’t just pack for hot weather like I did, thinking ‘oh it’s Australia, it’s gonna[sic] be boiling’ – take it from me, you’re definitely going to need warmer clothes too.’

‘I wish I packed more, especially if you’re gonna be going to Melbourne.’

Viewers wrote ‘thank god no spiders!’ and ‘okay so now i really wanna move to Aussie [sic]’.

Others added ‘Very informative video’ and ‘good to know’.

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