Our journey

We are backpackers, just like you.

Early in 2018, a mate and I landed at Adelaide Airport with a one-way ticket and no plan. We picked grapes, packed potatoes, poured pints and worked six-star hotels, and somewhere along the way we built The 88th Day. This is how it happened.

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Two matesOne working holidayA business built on it
The route

From a one-way ticket to The 88th Day.

Every guide on this page was earned somewhere on this map. Here’s the road that got us from the arrivals hall to building an app for backpackers.

  1. Adelaide, The 88th Day journey
    Where it began

    Adelaide

    Early 2018, two mates stepped off the plane at Adelaide Airport with a one-way ticket and zero plan.

  2. McLaren Vale & Barossa, The 88th Day journey
    Wine country

    McLaren Vale & Barossa

    Grapes in McLaren Vale, then potatoes in the Barossa. Our first taste of regional farm work.

  3. Shepparton, The 88th Day journey
    Regional Victoria

    Shepparton

    Picking apples in the orchards, ticking off the 88 days that earn a second year visa.

  4. Byron Bay, The 88th Day journey
    The east coast

    Byron Bay

    Bars, restaurants and the backpacker trail. The other half of a working-holiday life.

  5. Hamilton Island, The 88th Day journey
    The Whitsundays

    Hamilton Island

    Six-star hotels in the Whitsundays, about as far from a potato shed as it gets.

  6. The 88th Day, The 88th Day journey
    Built for backpackers

    The 88th Day

    We turned everything we learned the hard way into the app you’re using right now.

From the road

Our journey, story by story.

The challenges, the wins and the hard-won lessons of the backpacker life in Australia — everything we wish someone had told us on day one.

First Things to Do After Making It to Australia
Featured story

First Things to Do After Making It to Australia

James Knowles and Tom Little · 13th August 2018

Read the full story
Your turn

Ready to start your own journey?

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