Panic attacks. Cold body sweats. Nausea. Hyperventilating. Tears. I’ve experienced each of these symptoms, often at the same time, due to a fear of flying. While I don’t know exactly where or when I picked up this fear, I have suffered from a fear of flying since I was a pre-teen.
Italia will always hold a special place in my heart. Italy was my destination of choice for my first international trip! I planned out two glorious weeks with time spent in Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Rome and Florence.
It was all planned out. I would sell my largest items and invest the profits. I would spend my last week working during the days and enjoying time with friends during the evenings. I would fly my mom in to New Orleans on Friday evening. I would have a mini-moving sale on Saturday morning and a farewell party Saturday evening. I would pack everything I owned into my Honda Accord and drive away with my mom accompanying me in the passenger seat. I would feel sad and excited, a blur of many emotions as I said goodbye. I knew the plan but I forgot how often our plans work out as expected.Continue reading “Saying Goodbye to New Orleans”
Did you know, if you are between the ages of 18-30, you are eligible to work and travel in Australia for up to one year?! Thanks to a friend of mine, I learned about this visa option in December and, as of July 4, 2015, I have been approved!
The application process was fairly straightforward, took about 45 minutes to complete, and was approved in 4 hours. Interested? Here’s everything you need to know about Australia’s Work & Holiday Visa.
The United States has developed partnerships like this with a few countries including Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. The idea is that “young travelers” can experience another country and culture with the option of remaining in the country for longer than the typical 90-day tourist visa.
The Work & Holiday visa allows you to gain employment to fund your travels; it is not meant for people who want to move to a new country or find a more permanent job. Australia actually offers visas like this to people from several countries around the world, many of which include the option to extend the visa for a second year. Unfortunately for Americans, this is not an option — we have to make do with just one year in Oz.
The following details about Australia’s visa are specific to citizens of The United States. More information about all of Australia’s visa options can be found on their Immigration page.
Requirements of the Work & Holiday Visa (subclass 462) as of July 2015:
Visa Specifics:
Important Details:
See you on September 23, ‘Straylia!
My Australian adventure begins in 3 short months, but first…Costa Rica! I booked this trip shortly after returning from Italy last summer. You know those post-travel blues you feel after returning to “real life”? Yeah, that’s when I decided on Costa Rica. Continue reading “Pura Vida! Top Things to Do in Costa Rica”
Have you seen headlines like this one before? I have, and I never thought I would be someone to write something similar. I’ve read posts about travelers booking seemingly impossible low prices to destinations all around the world and the one thing all of these write-ups had in common was MILES. That’s right, using airline miles or reward points to book flights is the secret to cheap (and even free!) flights around the globe. My story is not an exception to this rule.
I’ve learned a lot about travel over the last year. I have learned where to find the best travel resources, developed my own list of top travel apps, earned free flights using travel reward credit cards (thank you, Southwest!), and experienced the post-travel blues.
After I returned from Italy, I found myself constantly thinking about where I would go next. I purchased Lonely Planet guidebooks, scoured the blogosphere for ideas, entered every travel contest I could find, and even sent emails filled with potential travel dates and desired locations to friends (Iceland, anyone?). Through all of this research I believe the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that while travel can easily become quite the expense, there are many ways to make it more affordable.
I’ve decided to take a career break to live, work and travel in Australia for up to a year. There. I said it. Unlike a friend of mine who wrote a terrific post about why she did not quit her job to travel, I am adding my name to the ever-growing list of female travelers taking on the world rather than the cubicle, wedding ring, or baby carriage. Don’t get me wrong – I want all of those things – I’m just going to get to them a little later in life.
2015 marks my 30th year in the world and, as I rang in the New Year, I spent some time reflecting on who I am, where I’ve been, and where I’m going. It was easy to feel a bit inadequate. Here I am, about to turn 30, single, and by societal standards, off-track. I’ll admit that when I was younger, I expected I would be married with kids at this point in my life but this is not the hand I’ve been dealt. I decided I had two choices: 1. Feel sorry for myself and wait for my “prince” to find me or 2. Do something different. As you can reasonably infer based on the first line of this post, I chose option 2.
While I’ve been contemplating all the possibilities of this adventure for over 3 months now, I have only recently begun sharing this idea with friends, my bosses and coworkers, and even family members. It was difficult for me to say it out loud; I’ve been overcome with worry, sadness, guilt, and fear at times. However, I am realizing the more I talk about it, the more real and exciting it becomes. Sure, there are still piles and piles of details and logistics to figure out — When will I leave? How much money will I need? Where will I store my belongings? What will I do with my car? How will I find jobs? Where will I stay? Will I be alone the whole time? When will I come back? — but I feel confident in my decision and trust that it will all work out. I imagine there will be plenty of future posts which answer these questions as well as share my struggles and successes along the way. Nevertheless, I will do it all for the joy, experiences, and personal growth that comes with traveling.
It is likely that I will head to Oz in the late summer (winter in Australia!) and I plan to maintain this blog throughout my journey abroad. I’d love to share my travel adventures with you so please save this page and follow along! In the meantime, I will continue to share my planning process as I navigate the “how-to” of the Australian Work and Holiday Visa.
ALI IN OZ