Backpacking AUS/NZ for 2 months

[MissButterfly]

Hi everyone!

I'm graduating in August and just arranged a job for 6 months so I can save up money to make the trip I always dreamed of. Just thought I'd share some random thoughts/questions here to see if anyone has any experience or opinions to share!

I'll start in Thailand in March 2017 for 4 weeks with a good friend who has been there a couple of times before, 3 weeks volunteering and a week for travel. Then I'm planning on going solo to Australia and New Zealand, but it's a bit overwhelming so I have no idea where to start!
-Does anyone have any stories to share about backpacking on your own (in any country)?
-I'm looking into some organized (age 18-35) tours for part of the time, so I don't have to figure out everything myself and will meet some people I could then maybe continue with. Someone I know went with Contiki tours, anyone know other good organizations?
-I'm wondering whether I should go for a working holiday visa or just visitor. I plan on making (part of) the trip somewhat related to my studies, as I'm volunteering in a HIV temple in Thailand and have a specialization in death studies/funerary rites I'd love to see how things go over there if at all possible. I'm planning on writing to some funeral homes just to see if I could volunteer. I guess I'm not really expecting to work, since I've saved up a lot of money for this trip. The upside of having a working holiday visa is that I can stay as long as I want, but I doubt it'd be longer than 3 months anyway.
-Just general thoughts on what I absolutely can't miss in Aus/NZ: feel free to share!!

Thanks in advance for any input you can give! I'm really looking forward to this.

[snow_girl]

I was just in Thailand for a month on my own. I would honestly skip doing a tour, it costs more money and everything is on a tight schedule that if you find a place you like and want to spend a bit longer there you can't Meeting people in hostels is super easy and there is no worry of being along for too long if you don't want to be.. I found its also super easy to figure out stuff on your own, even if I didn't know where I was headed next I asked people and I ended up staying a lot longer in certain spots I hadn't planned because I liked it so much.

[lucybelle]

Make sure the hostels you pick have a common area- kitchen, game room, etc. When I went to Spain on my own for two months I would just go hang out in a common area and wait for people to walk in to make conversation. It was really easy to meet people that way. I think it's a little harder to strike up conversations in the dorm room.