Have you ever thought of taking a year off just to travel? But then you start wondering how to fund it all? Although scrolling through Instagram it might be easy to think that half the world is jet setting around to luxury locations as though money were no object, for most of us this is not actually a reality at all. But that does not mean that a year of travel is not feasible. Many countries, such as New Zealand, offer working holiday visas to some passport holders, which is a fantastic way of earning money as you travel to pay your way. What’s more, it’s also a great way of meeting fellow like-minded travelers while you’re away.
Read on for why you’ll love having a working holiday in New Zealand:
You can work and travel
Working holiday visas offer the unique opportunity to experience life in another country, and allow you to work and make money while you travel. They also allow you to stay in New Zealand for a longer period of time than you would be able to on a tourist visa, which gives you more time to see all the sights: there are a lot of beautiful places packed into New Zealand’s north and south islands!
You can try something completely new
A working holiday visa is also great if you fancy a career break and want to try something a bit different. Although I worked in finance back in the UK, at the time of writing I’m working in New Zealand in a fancy hotel cooking breakfasts and brunch – something I never thought I’d do for a living but which is actually extremely fun! Ironically, I’m actually saving more money working here than I was able to back in London…
You can live in some beautiful locations
During my working holiday in New Zealand I spent some time living remotely in the Lewis Pass, between Christchurch and the West Coast. The area were I was living in had no phone signal and the wifi had to be beamed down by satellite. We’re talking really remote! And although I wouldn’t want to spend my whole life living somewhere that isolated, it was really fun to experience it for a while.
Being able to work short-term jobs on a working holiday visa opens up so many different possibilities for places to stay, whether that be the mountains around Queenstown for the ski season, the vineyards of Marlborough for the grape harvest or a cool surf town on the North Island, New Zealand has something for everyone.
Go on awesome day trips during your time off
New Zealand has so many amazing sights and places to see that you’ll be able to fill your days off up quickly. One of the nice things about a working holiday visa though is that you can space the trips out with work in between, rather than trying to cram everything into a two-week holiday and succumbing to tourism-fatigue. Why not visit the world-famous Milford Sound or the dolphins in Kaikoura? Or see some lesser-known parts of the South island such as Arthur’s Pass?
Read about some of my favourite experiences in New Zealand here.
You can save quite a bit of money
Although the wages aren’t quite as high in New Zealand as they are in its bigger cousin Australia, you can still squirrel away quite a lot of cash on a working holiday visa. I ended up saving significantly more money in New Zealand than I’d been saving in London, simply because I lived somewhere really remote where most of what I was doing for fun was free. The hotel I was working at allowed me to use the hot pools and join yoga classes for free, and there were a lot of beautiful hikes in the area. Again, free.
It can be really sociable
Many working holiday visa employers take on quite a few backpackers at once, which is a great way of meeting new friends, and also for getting tips about where else to go and what else to see in NZ. Ironically some of the more remote jobs can be the most sociable as staff tend to live on-site and have shared social areas etc. A working holiday visa is definitely a perfect option if it’s your first time travelling by yourself.
You’ll learn more about local life
Chances are your employers will be locals, and some employers take on a mixture of backpackers and Kiwis so chances are you’ll be working with some too. If you just visit on holiday it can be so easy just to end up spending all your time with other travellers, whereas on a working holiday visa you’ll have more chances to learn about local life.
It’s not only for gap year kids fresh out of school
Although a the working holiday visa scheme is very popular with younger travellers, you can actually apply for one until you’re 30 (inclusive) or even 35 for some countries. I was 30 when I started my working holiday visa and met plenty of other people my own age or thereabouts, so please don’t think you’ve missed your chance just because you’re no longer 18! Check immigration New Zealand’s website for the eligibility criteria for your country here.
The detail:
I won’t write out all the details here as the rules may have changed by the time you read this article.
For all the up-to-date information on the New Zealand working holiday visa (and to check whether you’re eligible to apply), see Immigration New Zealand‘s website here.
Enjoy this post? Take a look at my other posts about New Zealand here…
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