Stop dragging your feet, stop finding excuses. As 2015 looms, wide open and shadowed by nothing but your own expectations, put this blank calendar to good use. Your New Year resolution? Get a working holiday visa!
This January, prepare to reach new goals. Because applying for a working holiday visa may feel overwhelming now – something better pushed back until March, or August, or 2016 – yet the task can only grow easier with a little helpful prompting. The following basic steps break down the application process into several easy efforts you can accomplish right now.
1. Apply for a passport. First things first: if you don’t already own one, stop by the local post office and pick up an application for your passport. If this universal travel document has expired, apply for a renewal. It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks for the U.S. Department of State to process your paperwork, so the sooner those papers reach the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the better.
2. Put money into a savings account. Not only will you need money to book your flight and travel around your temporary working holiday home, but most working holiday visas require proof of adequate funds before you even enter your chosen country. So transfer a few dollars into savings or set up a weekly withdrawal. Even the smallest amounts pile up after a few dedicated cash deposits.
3. Do your research. What country are you dying to work in? Is there a particular job you’d like to try, or a destination you’d love to explore? Hit the keyboard and give Google a good workout. A bit of basic research – what forms of employment are available, popular spots for backpackers, potential visa complications – create a snowball of information that will grow from this day forward.
4. Talk to a Working Holiday Maker. Do you know anyone who’s lived overseas on a working holiday visa? Shout out to a friend or me and my team of working holiday experts, people who know what to expect and can answer your questions. Follow the hashtag #workingholidayworries for a continual list of queries and advice from working holiday makers, to folks starting out on their own journey.
5. Update your resume. Job agencies and employers will ask to see your resume, whether you have previous relevant experience or not. (And on most working holidays, you’ll end up in a field you’ve never worked in before!) Take time to update your list of skills and reference information now, so you have one less thing to worry about when the job hunt begins.
6. Make sure your IDs are up to date. Driver’s licenses, student cards, your personal tax number: all these forms of identification should be updated before you leave home. After all, it’s much easier to re-sit a driving exam in your home state, rather than explain to a foreign police officer why your license expired months ago.
7. Sign up for flight alerts. Once you form an idea of where you want to live and work, find the latest flight deals to that country by signing up for email alerts. Booking sites such as Expedia, SkyScanner and Kayak use your specific details of interest to send routine updates about cheap tickets, as well as special hotel, insurance and entertainment prices.
What other resolutions will lead you to a working holiday visa? Let’s add them to this list!
~ Until the next adventure ~ Kelli