Australian Second Year Visa - As an American

Have you ever thought about traveling, living, and working in Australia?

Well lucky for you, I've already done it! I've currently been in Australia now for over a year and am currently on my second year Working Holiday Visa.
Now let's start off by saying that this process for the second year was not entirely easy, but I'll go into more depth about that in a minute.

                             

My first year visa was easy enough, as I applied for it and got accepted while I was still back home in the USA. I got my first job as an au pair and had an incredible time living in Sydney for 8 months, until I had to leave and do my work for my second year visa application.

You heard right, you have to do specific work to get your second year visa. A lot of my friends that I met in Sydney ended up being from the UK and got their second year visas situated by picking bananas on a farm. I quickly realized though, that for Americans, we are able to work in hospitality or tourism jobs to qualify for our requirements.

The UK and the USA are on different subclasses of visas, which means that there's a slight difference. Because the 417 and 462 Working Holiday visas have restrictions on what type of work you can do for your second year, it definitely reflects (sometimes) on how easy it is to get work.

Farm work tends to be the easiest choice for most people on the subclass 417 visa. Most people I've known have worked on farms picking fruit or vegetables, worked construction, or did fishery work.
While it doesn't sound like the most fun, you should be able to do this in most regional areas in Australia.
Here's where the other difference comes in. On the 462 visa, you have more specific locations you can work, which have to be above that invisible line called the tropic of Capricorn. Living in Sydney to start meant I would have to move to do my regional work, so I left and moved to Townsville, hoping to score a job as quickly as possible.

Thankfully I found work at a restaurant quite fast and went along with my work.
Throughout the whole process though, I had the owner of the shop leave, new management take over, lost out on some pay and pay slips, and by the end of me working there, I was fighting with management to get paid for hours they had missed on my final slips.

                              

Pay slips are probably the most important aspect of applying for the second year visa and I didn't have 2 of them, which meant I was a bit worried about the outcome. Obviously everything worked out alright, but I would tell anyone that asked me to have more of a plan before going and doing your work. Hospitality and tourism work might be a good option, but you definitely need to be smart about it.

Here's a breakdown on what you should have planned before you go do work for a second year visa:
- Look and see what options are out there for work and make sure they are in the appropriate area.
- See if there are any reviews about the place you might be going (good or bad).
- When you do get a position, make sure you get all the paperwork sorted out (ie. contracts, payslips, and anything else).
- Make sure when your work is all done, you have everything you need to apply for your visa application.

If anyone has any questions about the Working Holiday Visa 462 or about the time I spent doing my work, please let me know!

The Constant Planner

Hi there! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Elisabeth.
I reside in the great Pacific Northwest, born and raised here, not too far from Seattle.

                            

Since getting into my working life, which was once I got to college, everything seemed to be a whole lot busier.
Busy in the sense of work, school, and then the constant need for something else.
It didn't take me till after college to realize how much I needed to get out and get away, if only for short trips or even occasionally for longer excursions.

That's when one trip led to my need and want to consistently be in planning mode.
Every second I'm not being productive in work or at home, I'm thinking about things I need to do or plan for an upcoming adventure or planning out new ones that will happen in time.

                              

I'm sure that constant need stems from something, but it doesn't matter so much when it's the only thing I can think about.
I guess, while my heart can be content anywhere, my head has to tell me to be smart, to go and get away while I can. Travel and see the world while it's still there.

While this makes things hard, because my life has also been a constant struggle between saving money and having enough time, I've still been trying to do as much as I can here, at home.
Even when not every trip can be a journey across a major ocean, short trips to US destinations or road trips to places I've barely been, that can ease my mind for a bit.

                               

It's not that my normal, work and general life are boring, it's just that I'm not fulfilling my passions as much as I'd like to on a regular basis. Sitting at a desk, typing on the computer instead of sleeping on a plane, awaiting my new destination. Not exactly my cup of tea and I drink tea pretty regularly.

The PNW will always be my home but my longing to be somewhere else is much stronger than my pull to stay here.
Thankfully I have the support of my family to help push me to those new horizons, although I like to think even if I didn't have their kind words to propel me forward, I would be doing that for myself anyways.

My planning comes in bursts of anxious steps. The first usually being the decision making one, where choosing the place, finding an opportunity can be tedious, with lots of research before actually making it.
Once chosen, my chest seems to tighten, because the anxiety builds more than I thought it would. 'I must buy tickets now!" I think to myself, which only makes it worse. Once the surge of adrenaline leads to the ultimate process of buying tickets, the anxiety subsides.

                                 

It's odd feeling so rushed when usually I'm planning out a trip at least 6 months in advance, but that's how my body works I suppose.
Now it's on to the details. Those are the ones that could go on until the departure date for travel. They may keep me up at night, trying to remember things I need to buy, things I need to do, papers I forgot to print, etc.
Usually, done quite in advance as well. Lists upon lists of items and check marks, costs and reminders. Everything gets worked out.

Once it's time to leave, I feel exhausted. The journey, the end, to possibilities are all worth it and I tend to not be tired when I arrive. Only ready to go and to see and to be there.

                                  

Is this how you work when you plan out your trips? Do you have more of a system you follow or do you go with the flow?
Do you wait till the last minute or do you plan and wait?

Cheers and safe travels everyone!

Top Jobs for the Travel Life - My version

Traveling is my passion, whether I am on an adventure at the moment or not. Most of the time, it tends to be not, because of the work-life flow I have created for myself, at a stable, location dependent job.

I would love to pack my bags and be off, independent, working but not tied down to one place.
If you're like me, you've gone through the reality of this process in your head and how it just won't quite work yet.
I may only be 24, but I'm young and I want to get the hell out of here. Not that I don't love the PNW, but I just want to explore, adventure is out there.

                                

So I have 8 to 5 job, for now, compensating me for working on the regular, giving me benefits that are helpful.

If I had the life I wanted and could afford to drop everything to do right now, here are the top careers or job choices I would go with:

1. Travel writer/blogger.
Now let's start here, because we all know, if you're reading this, is that this is the dream. The fantasy of my life in which I could grasp tighter and tighter till it would never let me go. But sadly, I know for a fact I am not a great writer and my blog tends to bring in a whopping 20 views a week... maybe.
This is the dream job I wish I could have, but have no idea how to attain with my lack of skill, knowledge and basic lack of travel I have going on right now. It's top on my list and hopefully I'll get there. Slowly but surely.

2. Consistent globetrotting house sitter.
Again, dream job. I've looked into a couple of sites like MindMyHouse and Trusted House Sitters both of which seem great and worthwhile. I've heard some horror stories about people house sitting abroad, but have also heard the reverse of it. I think it's mostly about finding the right fit and making sure communication beforehand goes well with the people you're helping out. It seems like these sites make take time for you to get noticed, but it's probably worth it.
Staying at a country villa in Tuscany, sipping on some wine, watching the dogs and cats would be lovely, especially when you have the house all to yourself, right?

3. Teaching English Abroad
This has been a top contender for awhile and I have come close to going for it a couple times now, but timing just has been against me and my bank account has been crying to accumulate more funds before I leave.
I would love to teach English, I am not an accredited teacher though. I speak English fluently, but that will really only get me so far. Companies like English First or sister sites from there will help you get TEFL certified and then situate you in a spot of the country you choose. You get paid, are on contract and you get to teach. Downside is you have to pay to rent a place usually and you have to be somewhere maybe longer term than what you're hoping for. I wouldn't mind it though, it's definitely on my radar.

4. Online data entry/administrative assistant
I am already an administrative assistant, I just happen to have to sit at a desk all day and type into a computer from that location (although it probably could be remote from where ever I please) that's just how it works. My job is somewhat easy, stress levels are moderate although high at certain times of the year. If I could work and travel, it would be perfect, but alas, my current situation has not permitted it.
There are sites like Freelancer and such that you can do sign up to work for whatever skill set you have. I haven't quite gotten into that competition game yet, because that's basically what it is and my competition level is low when it comes to work. It's a good option if that's what you're looking for though and could be a great source of money.

5. Vet assistant
I have worked with animals for the past few years and been around them all my life. My other real big dream job would be to travel and assist in a non-profit for animals, shelters, rescues, refuges, etc. Sadly, a lot of the places I've looked only take volunteers or only hire people who are residents of the country the organization is in. I am always constantly searching though and if I find anything remotely awesome in this area of work, I will post it here.

All in all, there are a lot of other options besides these. If you love history or are great at retaining info about specific places, you could be a tour guide or a real estate agent. Flight attendants get to travel a lot, while being off the ground a lot as well, but could be a cool option.
The world is waiting for you and for me. While my life may not be ready to let me go from what I'm doing currently, I'm always looking for the out that will take me away.

If you have suggestions, options, comments or ideas, post them! I would love to hear from you!

Cheers and safe travels!

Work and Travel - Vacation Time

If traveling were free, we would all be doing it, wouldn't we?
Just goes to show how much planning and money go into just one short trip. While being spontaneous can be a major upside when traveling, being analytical and OCD about budget and welfare can take you back a couple steps.

Through my real work-life journey, I've realized one thing: Travel for me, takes time and money I don't have until I do.
I work a regular 8 to 5 shift at my office job, where I spend my time waiting for the next chance to plan a big trip or a couple small ones for the year based on my vacation time I'm accrued.

This is not the ultimate means for how I want it to be. Honestly, I wish I could just drop everything and head to Morocco or New Zealand to take some time away, but sadly, my world and the worlds of so many others, doesn't work like that.

I don't make a living based on the writing I do, nor do I have an opportunity to get a job that is remote or location independent any time soon. Therefore, I have to work, 8-5, to get that money and accrue that time.

                                 

It does give you something to look forward to planning every year, but hell, that's not how I want my life to be.
I want to be traipsing around the world, with a nice backpack full of my stuff and ready to go to the next destination on my well thought out map.
Travel, being it a passion of mine, has to take a back seat to the real life struggle of being in my 20's and not having any money. Being in debt for the community college AA degree I got 4 years ago and having to pay bills just adds on to the stress of life.

                                  

None of this means I never stop planning. I constantly have a list of possible itineraries on the back burner. Lists of Airbnb rentals to look at and faun over, looking at flights to get budget ideas, and constant additions to my bucket list that I hope I will get to fulfill someday.

Each step I take in the mundane life I have at the moment, is set to bring me closer to the dreams I have before me, the ones I'm constantly aware of in the back of my mind, pulling me towards them with their ever present vision.

                                  

Adventure is something I strive to be apart of in whatever way I can. So short day trips here and there will suffice for now and not break the bank for the bigger trip around the world I'm gearing up for in my life.
It'll happen. I'm not entirely worried. I would just rather it be sooner than later is all!

                                             

Cheers and safe travels everyone! Hope to see you out there one day :)