This morning I received a google alert:

“Fancy visiting Australia while getting paid for it?”
This is an opportunity of a lifetime for you and a friend;
We’re recruiting 2 Backpackers to go Flashpacking
around Australia for 12 months all expenses paid.”

At first I was a little sceptical and then curiousity got the better of me. What was their definition of flashpacking? How were they going to differentiate between backpackers and flashpackers?

On travelindependent.info they recommend a daily backpacker budget for living and travel expenses in Australia of $50.00AUD - $75.00AUD. How much were the recruiters prepared to spend to create a more upmarket flashpacker experience?

I clicked on the link half expecting some sort of hoax website, but instead up popped the Job section on This is Local London.

A one-year holiday adventure in Australia for 2 friends over the age of 18 with all expenses paid. Use of a credit card with a $10,000 per month limit for living expenses. A Mercedes Winnebago with fuel for 12 months or $10,000 per month for accommodation, car hire and flights. Laptop, Internet access, mobile phone, GPS unit, digital camera and digital video camera. Working visas and 2 return flights to Sydney from anywhere in the world.

The successful applicants are expected to provide on a weekly basis 1 hour of video footage, 25 digital photos of accommodation, restaurants, scenery, tourist attractions, clubs and pubs that they visit, as well as catalogue their route and timetable. One of their objectives is to try and spend the full budget during the 12 months they are travelling around Australia.

It all seemed too good to be true, so I rang the recruitment agency based here in Sydney who confirmed that it was a real job and had been in the marketplace for 4 days. My immediate reaction? Start spreading the word! After all, it really is a unique opportunity and one of the ultimate dream job / holiday experiences.

If you have family, friends or colleagues that you think deserve a 12 month, $250,000.00 stylish adventure holiday around Australia, please do them a favour and pass this information on. Who knows, they may even want to take you with them.