Working Holiday

What is a Working Holiday? Can you see the World and get paid for it?

Questions we get asked all the time at Bucket List Explorers and the simple answer is yes…. Yes you can!

Working holidays have been around for quite some time now and can sometimes be a relatively quick, easy and inexpensive way to see the World.

Career breaks and work sabbaticals are becoming an ever popular choice for a lot of people nowadays.

Tired with the every day stresses of their job, the same old routine, endless train and travel strikes (how very topical), a break away to experience life in another country is an extremely attractive idea.

And why wouldn’t it be?

Better climates, great rates of pay and an altogether better standard of living are just some of the benefits to a working holiday abroad.

Not to mention the chance to experience different cultures, languages and environments.

And what if you haven’t yet stumbled upon the realms of full time employment?

If you’ve just finished School, College or University then a Gap Year travelling is the perfect way to broaden your horizons.

So where can you go?

It’s a cliche but the World really is your oyster when it comes to a working holiday!

Wherever you choose to travel you are sure to pick up work in the tourist hot spots. Work in bars, restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions is often easy to come by.

Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and North America are all great choices. These countries are the most popular destinations for people looking at working holidays.

However the Middle East is growing in popularity with destinations like Dubai and Abu Dhabi providing great opportunities to experience working life in another country.

Make it Happen

It really couldn’t be easier to make this dream a reality.

There are travel companies out there that will help you with all your planning. We’ve used STA Travel previously and found them to be one of the best at this sort of thing.

From working visas (trust us you’ll be needing one of these), round the World flight tickets, accommodation and even travel insurance, these agencies think of everything you need to get you started.

That already removes part of the pressure from you. Leaving you to just enjoy yourself.

If you are looking to further your education, teach abroad or volunteer then these are also opportunities that can be explored through a company like STA Travel.

You could always choose to plan your trip yourself, who knows what you want better than you after all.

If you’re an organised individual then having the flexibility to do this on your may be just the challenge for you.

If you would rather sit back and let most of the leg work be completed on your behalf then we really recommend STA Travel.

Experience

So what do I know? Well I’m not just a guy sat behind a screen making this stuff up, I do actually have quite a bit of experience with working holidays.

Back in my early 20’s (seems like a long time ago now) I chose to embark on a bit of a travelling adventure myself.

I purchased a Round the World ticket through STA Travel to sample the delights that Australia, New Zealand and North America.

Okay, if the truth be told I didn’t plan it very well. It was really spur of the moment stuff but sometimes you have to grab life by the seat of the pants and just grasp an opportunity when it arises.

With very little in the way of savings I knew I would have to work for part of the trip to fund all of the things I wanted to do whilst I was away.

Most of these “things” involved drinking beer with my mates on a hot beach so my aspirations weren’t extremely high.

However, I was also determined to see and experience a lot of the countries I would be visiting.

Deciding that I would work during the first leg of my travels in Australia I applied for a Working Holiday Visa.

Once accepted, I quit my job, packed my bag and set off for Sydney, see seat of the pants stuff right there!

In 2002 I was at that age where it didn’t faze me at all. I wasn’t nervous or scared about what I had just done or was about to do, I was excited and couldn’t wait to get down under.

I really never looked back and maintain to this day it is still one of the best experiences of my life.

What work is on offer?

Whilst in Australia I tried my hand at a number of vocations, bar work (you’ll need to do a separate course for this), telesales, gardening, landscaping and even labouring on a building site.

Some I enjoyed, some I certainly didn’t!

That was fine though, the ones I didn’t enjoy so much were quickly forgotten and replaced by something else instead.

The bottom line was that if the pay was good I was willing to give it a go, I needed to fund my evenings of partying somehow after all.

Signing up with a job agency is a great way of ensuring work whilst you are travelling around.

The flexibility with temping also means that short term contracts suit both you and the client in most instances.

Create Memories

I travelled around Australia on a Greyhound bus, trains, planes and automobiles. I even had an incredible time sailing around the Whitsunday Islands and Great Barrier Reef.

All of that is probably best for another article, there are some great stories and I’ve got to fill this website up to keep you interested right?

What I’m trying to illustrate is that I visited Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns, Adelaide and many, many weird and wonderful places in between.

Wherever I went I always managed to pick up work, make some money and actually experience what these places had to offer.

But overall I met some incredible people, making lifelong friends in the process. Creating memories that will last a lifetime and being able to share them with my family.

I did all of that and funded part of my trip in the process!

If you’re at a crossroads and really aren’t sure what to do next then why not take some time away from it all?

You can see the World and you can get paid for it.

Give it a go, make moments and create memories that will last a lifetime.