A young Aussie has revealed how she spent the equivalent of a small mortgage deposit on the trip of a lifetime. With home prices rising in nearly every capital city in the country, many Aussies are jumping on the property bandwagon before it becomes drastically unaffordable.

But when Brianna Smith dropped out of university after realising teaching was not for her, she knew she would rather live life to the fullest rather than scrimp and save every cent she had for a future property. So, she embarked on an eight-month working holiday to Europe.

"It was just incredible," she told Yahoo Finance. "Just getting to learn from different people from different backgrounds and different cultures...it was something I'll never forget."

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The then-20-year-old visited 17 countries when she had time off from her summer camp job. She spent upwards of $50,000 on the experience, and while some might baulk at a price tag that high, Smith said she "would do it again in a heartbeat".

When she shared the amount she forked out online, many were shocked.

"What a waste of money...and what have you got to show for it??" wrote one user.

"Irresponsible," said another.

A third added: "Then complain that it’s impossible for young people to get into the housing market."

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Travel 'more achievable' than property for young Aussies

Smith wasn't surprised at the backlash and knew some people would think spending tens of thousands of dollars on a holiday was stupid. But she still stands by her choice.

"You don't know what's going to happen in the future, like, you could die tomorrow. And I'd rather see the Northern Lights than, you know, see nothing," she said.

"I feel like I learned so much and gained a lot of skills as well, just through being independent and things like that overseas, which has definitely helped me, since coming back home as well.

"So I wouldn't trade it for the world."

A study from InsureandGo found young Aussies like Smith found the property market completely out of reach. The data revealed 71 per cent of Aussies under 30 would rather travel than buy a house in the next 12 months.

That dropped to 65 per cent for people aged 31-50 and only 51 per cent for Aussies aged over 50.