What happens when you ask for packing advice from the writers behind the year’s best travel blogs about working holiday visas? You get the year’s best packing list for a working holiday.
These travelers have lived and worked in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the U.K. They’ve found employment in every environmental extreme, from Outback deserts to climate-controlled English classrooms. And in between jobs, they’ve explored as much as they physically could. When told to share the three most important things that they carry, here’s what they said.
Jodie, The Little Backpacker
Packing for a working holiday is hard, you certainly need to get the balance right. Bearing in mind you can buy most of the clothes you’ll need for working, however I would say the following items are essential to bring from home:
- Dr Marten Boots for all the adventuring you will go on
- A hoody because it actually gets cold in Australia
- Travel journal to record everything
Paul, Paul’s Adventure
- A good camera! On previous WHs I had a rubbish camera and was always frustrated with my pictures. Now, I own a DSLR and will never look back!
- A front loading backpack. When I was in Australia I had a top loading backpack and ended up hating always having to unpack everything just to get a t-shirt at the bottom. I now use a front loading backpack for long periods of travel.
- A money belt. I got pickpocketed in Ukraine on my way to Japan and lost a load of money, thankfully I kept my bankcards somewhere else. Money belts are a great way of keeping your money/passport safe.
Amanda & Derik, Living In Another Language
- A camera. This is kind of a given, but I couldn’t live without my camera! I think if you’re ever going to do something as epic as work abroad for a year, you need something to document your travels with.
- A nice interview outfit. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you wouldn’t believe what some of the people were wearing when Derik and I were initially checking out jobs at some of the local employment and recruiting agencies!
- A good-quality backpack. Trust me, you’ll use this for everything: hiking, bringing a change of clothes to work or the gym, as a carry-on for trips you may take outside of NZ, and more! Don’t skimp and buy the cheapest one at the store, or you’ll be breaking out the little sewing kit in two months to patch holes and tears.
Conor, Escaping The Mainstream
- Invest in a laptop, even just a cheap secondhand notebook for less than $100. As I already mentioned, the best way to find casual work in Australia is online. This is the same often for cheap housing, getting around and picking up travel mates for the long road trips. It also helps for keeping in touch with everyone of course, both there and at home.
- I would try and bring as much as possible over with you. Shopping in Australia can be, like everything else there, way overpriced. If you’re planning on working while here, then definitely bring enough casual and work clothes to keep you going.
- Also bear in mind that Australia isn’t ALWAYS beautifully sunny and hot. Winter in Melbourne, for instance, is disgusting: cold, raining every day and seriously windy. So bring some winter clothes as well.
Caroline, Caroline In The City
I had no idea where to begin packing for my Australian working holiday and it turned out I did it all wrong. Firstly, I didn’t pack for more than one season and was very unprepared for winter. I also packed mostly grubby clothes and had to buy a lot of new things when I started work. My top three packing items are:
- A swimsuit
- A camera
- A hat to keep you from getting sunburned!
Lauren, Lateral Movements
- A versatile ‘work’ outfit of black trousers and a neutral shirt, both for interviews and the job itself (though often your job may give you something to wear).
- Sarong, mainly because I always travel with one and it always comes in handy either as a blanket, pillow or passable cover-up on the beach or to and from a communal bathroom.
- Barefoot running shoes. I used to run in thick-soled shoes that took up valuable space in my bag, but now shoes are so light and easy to transport, plus perfect for exercise or exploring a city by foot.
Ready to work and volunteer your way around the world? Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and RSS/email. Until the next adventure! ~ Kelli