Travel: Ten things to pack for a working holiday to Australia – Part 1

Travel: Ten things to pack for a working holiday to Australia

A working holiday in Australia is every young adult’s dream vacation, so learning exactly how to plan for a year long trip is vitally important.

Pack Your Passport First

Australian’s own airline, Qantas provides an easy to navigate website with plenty of inexpensive fares available. Cheap fares are updated frequently, so register for email updates and be kept informed. Meanwhile, apply for your passport at your local Post Office. Make copies of all documents, if you lose anything, someone can fax copies to you.

Get The Right Visa

A quick visit to the Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship online will provide details of the visa you need. If you reside in the USA, Chile, Thailand or Turkey, you will need visa (subclass 462). Having been granted a visa, you have permission to work in Australia for 12 months. You must be 18-30 years old, and the cost of the visa is is $AUD195.

Pack Your Flip Flops

T-Shirts, Shorts, and two pairs of jeans will do. Most people wear flip flops all summer long, so leave your shoe fetish at home. If you need extra clothing, shop while you are there.

Take A Hat And Sunscreen

Do not forget your hat and sunscreen when visiting Australia. Familiarize yourself with the Australian climate before you make your travel arrangements. Australia’s more tropical zones are prone to cyclonic weather at certain times of the year so destinations in this area are not recommended.

Take Proof of Work Status To Job Interviews.

If you begin work in the southern state of Victoria, you only need to travel north by train and road coach from Melbourne to places like Swan Hill or Mildura, and you will have plenty of working picking grapes, peaches, and tomatoes. This will keep you busy between September and late March. When April arrives, head north to follow the seasonal opportunities. For all job inquiries, make sure you take your visa or work permission card.

Take Your Driver’s License.

If you choose to drive a vehicle in Australia, we recommend you drive on the left hand side of the road along with the rest of the population. The speed limit in most places is 100kmh or 60mph. If you are driving through desert country, call ahead and inform your hotel manager of your ETA. If you do not arrive at this prescribed time someone will set out to locate you.

Pack Your Sense Of Humor

Even though Australia is an English speaking country, there are certain words or expressions you may use which will result in getting lost or ignored. For example, Australians do not use the word “fanny” when referring to their rear end. Therefore, your “fanny pack” is now your “bum bag.” Most people will find these things humorous, so just relax and enjoy being the center of attention.

Pack Your Pepto!

The Australian diet is very similar to that in the United States or England. You will be tempted to try seemingly weird things you have never eaten before though, so carry some antacid when you go out to eat. If all else fails, head for McDonalds. Aussies affectionately call it Maccas; everyone loves a Big Mac.

Take An Extra Bag

You may have budgeted extra to allow for tipping, but staff are paid a minimum wage and tipping is not necessary. Put a smaller bag in your suitcase and use the extra money you had set aside to buy souvenirs.

Pack A Different Cell Phone

Your cell phone may not work in Australia. Buy one from Motorola for under $50 which works in every country. If you are wondering about electrical equipment; Australia has a different supply than most other countries so buy a hair dryer after you arrive.

Facing shortage of skilled workers Australia lifts restrictions on working holiday visas

Good news for Aspirants of Australian Visa- Facing severe shortage of skilled workers, it has lifted restrictions on working holiday and skilled workers visa. In last 20 days, it released about 6000 visas to skilled workers and is likely to release many more visas shortly.

Australia is continuously seeing fall in unemployment rate and as per recent statistics, this year unemployment rate has fallen to a 33-year low of 4.1%. This has prompted the Australian Government to lift the quota for skilled migrants this financial year by 6000 so that more skilled workers can be allowed into the country, as most companies are in desperate need for skilled employees.

Its Immigration Minister, Evans, announced a package of measures to ease labor shortage by attracting more skilled workers to Australia, either permanently or on working holidays. This move is aimed to provide skilled manpower to construction and tourism sector, both of which are facing severe labour shortage.

To encourage working holiday’s visa, backpackers visiting Australia on working holidays will now be allowed an extra year on their visas if they spend three months in construction jobs in regional Australia. Australia is also contemplating to expand the reciprocal working holiday program to more countries, as working holiday workers have almost trebled from 2690 to 7990 during the last financial year. A three-member business panel has been appointed to advice on changing the controversial section 457 visa program. Panel is expected to submit its report by March 14th this year.

Source – http://www.canadaupdates.com/news/facing_shortage_of_skilled_workers_australia_lifts_restrictions_on_working_holiday_visas-28495.html

Visa for Australia and Australia Visa Application made easy! Australian Working Visa made possible to easily have one! Visit Australia Immigration at http://www.nationalvisas.com.au

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http://www.nationalvisas.com.au
http://australiaimmigration.blogspot.com

Winter Sun in Australia

The Wintersun Festival is an annual 10 day retro nostalgia festival featuring over 1500 pre 1974 hot rod, classic and custom cars. It has more than 100 local, national and international bands and performers, many of which are free. There 250 special interest and market stalls, displays, plus dancing and family entertainment. Almost 90000 visitors from across Australia, New Zealand and beyond converge on Coolangatta each year for this very family friendly event.

Most Brits associate Christmas with cold weather, little sunlight, snow, families cosying up indoors and traditional Christmas cuisine such as turkey and mulled wine. But if that all sounds as appealing as that knitted reindeer jumper re-gifted through the family since time memoriam, Australia can provide an alternative Christmas holiday with things to see and experience to suit anyone’s tastes – whether you’re looking to experience the cities, beaches or the many natural sights.

The most popular city among tourists visiting Australia is Sydney, and it’s not hard to see why. As one of the most iconic cities in Australia it’s most well-known attractions include the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Royal Botanical Gardens, Luna Park, Sydney Tower and its many beaches. Bondi Beach in particular has proven to be popular with British and Irish tourists looking to spend the holiday in the sun and the beach has many cafes, restaurants and hotels, giving spectacular views of the beach. Other major cities in Australia offering a similar experience include Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

No trip to Australia would be complete without visiting the Great Barrier Reef. It is the largest coral reef system and the biggest single structure made by living organisms in the world. It composed of roughly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 1615 miles over an area of approximately 132,974 sq mi. Due to its vast biodiversity, warm clear waters and its accessibility from the floating guest facilities, the reef is a very popular destination for tourists, especially scuba divers. The reef is accessible via boat tours and cruises, from single day trips to longer voyages. Glass-bottomed boats and underwater observatories are also popular, as are helicopter flights.

Ayers Rock (or Uluru) is one of Australia’s most recognisable natural icons. The sandstone formation stands 1142ft high, with a circumference of 5.8 mi. It has great cultural significance for the A?angu landowners, who lead walking tours of the area, informing visitors of the local bush foods, flora and fauna and Aboriginal dreamtime stories. The sandstone formation is notable for appearing to change colour throughout the day and year depending on the light and weather, glowing red at sunset and silver-grey when it rains.

In addition to the mainland there are several islands to check out, including Tasmania. Promoting itself as the Natural State and the Island of Inspiration, almost 37% of Tasmania is in reserves, National Parks and World Heritage Sites. Despite its small size, there are plenty of sights to see, and Tasmania attracts many tourists for its trout fishing possibilities and the iconic Overland Track bush walk.

So if you’re looking to skip the cold climes of the UK and spend Christmas in the sun, a festive holiday in Australia is an ideal destination.

Ways to travel cheap or free – Part 1

For anyone on a budget (and I would hope that includes everyone, of all income levels) traveling can seem daunting. The hospitality and travel industry are increasing their pricing every day and very few options seem to be available to people who want to travel at a decent price. Over the years, I’ve heard and tried many tips on how to reduce costs. Budget travel is no easy task; it requires extensive research, an incredible amount of flexibility, and a thick skin, but it can be done.

Tips on Finding Cheap Lodging:

Try alternative methods of lodging like hostels, local accommodations, or even sublets.

Hostels: The best internet resource for hostels is hostelworld.com. I’ve stayed in many of their hostels around the world and if anything can be said is that uniformity is lacking. Not all hostels are your average run-of-the-mill dorm room look-alikes. You can find really amazing accommodations for cheap prices. Make sure to read the reviews and look at the hostel’s site. Some hostels restrict their visitors by age, so please check with each place, but overall these are great accommodations for anyone. I once slept in the same room with a 67 year-old Australian woman.

Local accommodations: These can be tricky to find and you might not always be able to book in advance but they can be a great avenue of cultural immersion and savings. In places like Portugal, Africa, and parts of Latin America, you can stay in family homes and communities for a fee. These also benefit the local areas by providing income that goes directly to them.

Sublets: International subletting is a huge market. For anyone visiting Australia, Europe, Argentina, and major cities in the U.S. for an extended amount of time (at least a month with the exception of some places, which may accept visitors for as little as a week), subletting provides a chunk of savings.

Non-traditional methods: I once knew a woman who spent 3 months in South America and spent $1800 for the entire trip, including air fare. She camped. If you have the time or comfort level to camp or couch surf (meaning stay in strange people’s places for free) you can save on average 80% of your lodging costs. Swapping homes is another method of creative lodging.

Traditional methods: If you want to stay in a traditional hotel, your best bet is to extensively research discounts. Follow the simple discount rules: book directly through the hotel’s website online or call to negotiate a better price, stay away from