Press & PR

Backpackers heading to Australia are spending more cash and more time than ever before in the country, a government official has revealed.

Although the image of backpackers eating noodles and hitching a lift rather than paying for the bus may be an enduring one, tourism minister Fran Bailey revealed that modern travellers are "worth their weight in gold" to the economy, news.com.au reports.

This is partly a result of the recent visa changes that make travel more flexible for visitors, she claimed.

As the Australian Visa Bureau noted at the time, such changes enable people to stay with one employer for longer.

The longer people backpackers stay in the country, the keener their need to communicate regularly with family in the UK is likely to become - thus the requirement for cheap international calls rises.

Some backpackers buy Australian mobile phones, although VoIP services could offer a low-cost alternative. Vonage's V-Plan 2 offers unlimited calls to 15 countries for £7.99 a month. Subscribers can make and receive calls while travelling with the Vonage V-Phone.

Small enough to fit onto a keyring, it acts like a fully functioning landline once plugged into the USB port of a broadband connected PC - making it perfect for backpackers who are always on the move.