March 13, 2012
Better late than never I suppose. This blog is only a good 6 months and 2 countries past when I should've started it, however I was a little busy trying to get my barrings and figuring out this whole "traveling" idea.
I will try not to bounce around too much with my travels and adventures (no promises) but I figured a good place to start a blog might be the very question I get asked most often. "How?"
"How do you do that?", "How do you travel alone?", "How do you get started?", "How are you!?"
I'm doing quite well actually. All things considered, I'm in a much better place then when I first started. It's a trial and error thing. You can read all the books, blogs, websites in the world...but you'll never really be prepared unless you go out, do it, and learn for yourself.
It's not quite as daunting of a task as it may seem. I got everything situated for me to come in a weeks time (literally, got my lease covered, bought a ticket, got a visa, sold/moved my stuff) so with a little better planning, it should be easier for someone else.
It actually hit me last night when I was showing a couple of new people in the hostel around Sydney. I was like "holy shit, I'M THEIR tour guide!?", "When did this happen, have I been here that long?". So I figured while I'm giving random strangers advice on where to go/eat/party/best way to do things and what not. Why not give a shout out to my friends and other randoms on the internet?
With all that being said, how to get started when traveling to New Zealand and/or Australia.
The first thing I always tell people when they start out is "don't make a plan". I know it sounds crazy, but it's completely useless in this scenario. You can pick certain spots on a map or highlights of the trip that you want to get to eventually (keyword:eventually). Bottom line is, you're going to meet locals and other travelers along the way who are going to point you in a direction that you never considered before, never even heard of. So it's better to keep an open schedule to allow for more leisurely acitivities.
I would advise buying a one way ticket, because the flights ARE NOT CHEAP. Try to book it a few months in advance, preferably on a Monday-Wednesday (don't ask why, those just seem to be the cheaper days). Also, it's not easier, but it is cheaper to buy 2 separate plane tickets. For instance, buy your domestic flight to Los Angelese separate from your international flight to your destination. Make sure to give yourself a few hours in between to allow any delays or long transfers, you don't want to miss the flight. It's going to save you a few hundred dollars and only costs a little more of your time in the airport, but if you were paying attention to the preceding paragraph then you wouldn't be worried about time now would you?
How ever long you are planning on staying, you should know this no matter what. AUSTRALIA IS EXPENSIVE. I can tell you all the differences but you won't really know until you get here. New Zealand is as well, but not as bad. The thing is, all the expensive things are food and alcohol. You know, all the things you want to indulge in. For instance, meals generally run anywhere from $10-20 and that's just lunch so you can imagine what the dinner prices are.
24 beers here, the cheapest you'll buy is $30, if you want good beer plan on paying $45-60. Don't even get me started on the prices of spirits, they're ridiculous. Put it this way, I NEVER drank wine in the states and I am a certifiable "whino" here. Cheap bottles are $6-10 or you can always get "the Goon" (i'll touch on this in another post) which is about $12, you get 4 Liters and it will mess your world up....for a while. Also, drinks at a bar, range from $5-10. If you're looking for cocktails prepare to pay $15 or more. I go with "the Goon" and buy a few casual drinks at the bar when I'm nice and toasted...but that's just me. To each their own, but don't come across the pond and expect to be Lil Jon in the bar ("shots! shots! shots!").
The point is, either bring a lot with you, or plan to work. I took about $1200US to each, NZ and OZ. Didn't get me far until I got a steady income. Be prepared for the exchange rate, research it before you go. A) because the kiosks at the airport will try to rape you and B) the US dollar isnt what it used to be and Aussie's dollar is worth more right now.
To get a job, you can try the "under the table" route. I haven't found much of that in Australia, but 2 of the 3 jobs I had in NZ were "under the table". NZ is a lot more laid back like that.
What you'll want in New Zealand and Australia just in case is a "Work and Holiday Visa".
Here's the websites for both:
OZ: http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/
NZ: http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workingholiday/unitedstatesofamericaworkingholidayscheme.htm
Might as well get them both if you want to do both, doesn't matter it costs the same. NZ's is free for North Americans and OZ's is going to cost $280 for 1 year.
That's all you get though. Keep in mind, you'll meet other travelers who are talking about doing their "fruit-picking to get another year". This doesn't apply to Americans. We don't have that option, it's 1 year of work and you're done, get out.
The fruit picking deal is, the other commonwealth countries (Canada, England, Ireland, etc) can work for a year, but during that year if they want to extend their stay they must go out and do 88 days of fruit picking on a farm somewhere. I know a US girl who thought she'd be smart and get her fruit picking done early only to find out it didnt matter and she basically wasted 3 months of her trip. So you get 1 year to work and play, enjoy it. You can always come back, but it would be for a 3-month traveling visa, you can't work then unless it's under the table.
Once you get that, you'll need a "Tax File Number", which is easy to do. Google, "tax file number australia", fill out a form, provide an address and you're gold. You can do this in the states or wait until you get here. They're going to ask for both wherever you choose to work, so it's best to get it out of the way early.
As for places to stay, this is one I wish I could have back. I made this mistake when I first got to Gold Coast. I immediately got off the plane and started looking for apartments to live with other people when I should have just went straight to a hostel and scouted the area out first. I lived with these 3 CRAZY chicks (1 aussie, 1 french, 1 canadian) in a resort called "Magic Mountain" which the name could have easily been changed to "Tragic Mountain", after a few weeks of living with these harpies I left.
It's up to you. I like hostels better because you meet so many other new people with their own stories and experiences. There's no long-term contracts, you can pay daily or weekly. It reminds me of college and dorm living, except there's NO CLASS and MORE foreigners.
If you do want your own place though or a sharehouse. You can go through a variety of websites. Easyroommate.com works well. Or Gumtree.com.au...which is basically Australian Craigslist.
Do your research before. Decide what you want and look into the different suburbs. What we would call other cities, they call suburbs here. It's weird. For instance, I lived in Sydney technically but my address is Newtown, which is, in it's own right, a city of it's own but it's considered "part of Sydney". Ask around about where it's heavily populated (easier to find work).
A lot of places pay rent by the week so you don't have to be locked in long term unless you want to be. I currently live in the same hostel I've been in since I arrived in Sydney and I probably won't look for my own place because I like to sacrfice some things so I can enjoy my adventures and have more later. You may need your space, so either way.
Some other intangible information:
I suggest working in a restaurant/bar/cafe to start out. It's decent pay ($20/hr for bartender, same for waiters/waitresses) plus you get discounted food. It helps when you're in a new country and trying to save money because you'll always have a few cheap/free meals when you work at least.
With that type of job you'll need an RS, which is a responsible service certificate. Some places let you do it online, some make you go to a class for a few hours. It's easy, going to cost you $50-200 depending on where you get it and the different territories have different rules so you'll need one for whatever territory you live in, if you move, you have to do it again obviously. I did mine in Queensland online for $50 and when I moved to Sydney it was $200 and a class with a gaming license included.
Travel light. I brought 2 bags with me (one for clothes, the other for laptop/camera/ipod/whatever) and have since made 2 trips to the salvation army to drop off clothes and spent over $100 sending things back to the US to lighten my load. You truly don't need much. Check the weather for the time you're coming. Different hemisphere, it's summer here when USA is in winter, etc.
Some comfortable travel gear like walking shoes, shorts, one of my bags is my "day travel bag". Guys, a pair of jeans and a polo in case you want to go out somewhere nice (not all places require, but some do). A few shirts, underwear, socks, anything else you can pick up at a salvo if you really need it. Girls, unless Daddy is paying for this trip and you're staying in luxury, don't bring your closet. You'll regret it because you're going to have that thing strapped to you for long periods of time in between places to stay, on buses, plus it costs extra to check bags on planes, so stay light.
Grocery shop and pack lunches. Hope you like sandwiches! For the first few weeks, my diet (and I don't exaggerate here) went like this. Muesli (cereal) in the morning, sandwich variety (I say variety, I mean, peanut butter and various jams...sometimes ham and cheese), Ramen noodles at night. With various muesli bars and apples sprinkled in for snacks. (Good times, I lost 20 pounds on my travelers diet, F U ATKINS!)
I get asked a lot about being alone and traveling by myself. The world is not as scary as they portray, well, I'm not planning a trip to the Middle East anytime soon but most of the time, if you just ask the right questions people will generally help you out. (SideBar: Except for directions in New Zealand....I repeat...DO NOT ASK A KIWI FOR DIRECTIONS....just don't do it...they don't know; especially if it's somewhere outside of Auckland. Grab a map, google it, or wander around lost. It's easier...let's just move on)
I actually LOVE traveling by myself and will continue to do so. You don't have to answer any questions, fit into anyone elses schedule, if you want to buy a plane ticket for next week to go across the country, it's done. You do what you want to do and NOTHING ELSE...ALL THE TIME. You'll meet people along they way, you'll make new contacts and friends. It takes you out of your protective bubble and makes one go out when they normally wouldn't and do things they normally couldn't. It's almost like being in that movie "Yes Man" except you don't have to hop around like an idiot or make awkward faces like Jim Carrey unless you really want to. You're never really "alone".
I waited for soooo long for someone to "come with me" because I was scared to do it myself. I can't believe I wasted so much time trying to convince others to venture out into the unknown, I lost so many years sitting around waiting for friends to get their stuff together to come, only to find out when it's time to buy the tickets, their not so sure.
Again, you don't have to do it this way. However, I didn't come over with much or many resources, I started from scratch here in Australia. So I wanted to start my blogging adventure with this friendly and hopefully helpful guide to traveling abroad in another english speaking country. Maybe when I go to Singapore and SE asia it will be different because of the language barrier but as for this Australia/New Zealand thing, I got this....and now...you do to! :)
Please, feel free to leave any comments or ask questions. I wrote this to help, all my other posts...maybe not so much...so take advantage while you can!
Cheers
