Tuesday's Travel Tip: Ya Gotta Earn It!

For those of you like me, the thought of spending a day or two in
a city doesn’t really equate to having “been there, done that”. Guess I’m just a slow learner, but I really like having the time to get to know a place. Be it town… or country.

So most of you have probably heard of Working Holiday Visa’s. For those not familiar, well let me introduce you to a GREAT way to travel!



Most countries have agreements with other countries that allow our fabulous glorious youth to have temporary work visas. Usually for those aged between 18 – 30, and only available once per lifetime. But hey, it’s allowed me to work in 4 countries! This gives you time to get to know a place. Immerse yourself in the local culture. And probably work at jobs you would NEVER do back home! Haha

(So far I have moonlighted as: barmaid (obvious!), government employee, terrible waitress, live-in “student assistant” helping take care of teenagers at a high-school boarding house (I know!), customer service rep for a pharmaceutical company, and apple picker/packer!. It was also the humble beginnings of my long career as a professional..temp!)

Point is that it’s a great way to stay longer if you have the time. These visas are not intended to be career moves. There are working visas more specifically for that. But, this is a great way to tide you over cash-wise so you can keep travelling.

A few interesting sites with some great info are as follows:

For information no matter what country you come from I’d recommend AnyWorkAnywhere (this site also has links to BUNAC and SWAP, which are the programs I went thru for my first visa abroad to the UK, back when I was a student)

Aussies can check out this site dedicated to them : Working Holiday Guru

Younger Canucks looking to temporarily escape the iceberg, check out the following government information on International Youth Programs

And finally, for us over 30’s (I only have one week left! before I join you all!), I found an interesting government site for those looking to work and live abroad on a more permanent career-oriented level at Consular Affairs.

It’s true what they say. Hard work really will get you everywhere. And add to some GREAT travel stories! Get out there and enjoy folks!