Australia is one of those epic destinations — a vast place we need plenty of time to explore. But a weeks-long Australia trip isn’t cheap (especially for travelers who must purchase airfare from the U.S.), and if you want to spend any kind of extended time there without the aid of a trust fund, you’ll either need to save significant cash before your trip — or find a way to make some money while in Australia. Enter the working holiday visa.

If you’re a resident of the U.S., Canada, France, the U.K., Germany, Italy or one of several other countries and are between the ages of 18 and 30 at the time of your application, you can secure an Australia working holiday visa, which grants permission to stay in the country for up to 12 months, paying taxes at a rate of 29 percent (some of which can be recouped once you leave). And if you end up finding a job you love, no worries, mate. Your employer can help you stay for an additional four years after your initial visa expires.

The visa — which generally costs a few hundred dollars — doesn’t guarantee you a job, just the right to work and live in Australia for up to a year. You’ll still need to arrange your flights to Australia and find your own work. Some companies will set up a few nights’ accommodations for new employees, but after that, you’re on your own in Oz.

What are your job options in Australia? You can stay in a major city, working in a hostel or restaurant, or make your home in a picturesque country spot like one of Australia’s wine regions, where you can help with the annual harvest. You can work on a cattle ranch in the Outback, or take a job at a ski resort in the mountains. You’ve got some choices to make.

If you meet the requirements to get that visa, a working vacation can help you fund your extended stay in Australia, giving you the time and money to explore the beautiful land Down Under.

– written by Katie Hammel, the editor at BootsnAll.com, where you can search for cheap flights to Australia or learn more about the best places to be an expat.