Moving Down Under

I decided to write this blog to update friends and family on what I have been getting up to in Oz as a little hobby and maybe encourage other people to start travelling. 

The Idea💡 ➼

(March 2017)

I finished college in May 2016 and I continued to work in a job that I hated just to keep a cash flow. Jonathan (my boyfriend) also worked in the same company and we got really sick of the 12 hour shifts and getting paid minimum wage.It really got me down that I couldn't find another job.I felt stuck and I was stressed out and was not myself anymore.It got to the stage where money was not important to me anymore and that I was working minimum hours because I physically and mentally couldn't bring myself to do anymore hours as the anxiety was too much.I really needed a break from it all so I planned a trip to Wexford with Jonathan. In the car we chatted about work as we were the only people who would understand. We also talked about how nice it would be to be on a permanent holiday and get away from it all. I have always wanted to go to Australia because of it beautiful beaches, sunshine and its chilled out lifestyle but I am obsessed with the animals that live there. Its very common for people in Ireland that have friends or family that live in Australia so it began to become a real option for us. Jonathan already knew how much I love holidays and how much I wanted to go to Australia so I guess I talked him into it. We decided that after our break in Wexford we would do some research and pricing and see if we would actually be able to do it.

Planning 💭 ➼

(April 2017)
Before I knew it we booked our flights for the 3rd of October. My 21st birthday was on the 8th and that morning I rocked up full of fake tan and had rollers in my hair and handed over the money with a big smile on my face. I had a get together for my birthday that night and told everyone that we booked our flights that morning and it was a waiting game for our visas. Three weeks went by and our visas where approved. The relief! Once we got the go ahead we paid off the rest in a lump sum. We booked our trip with USIT. We got an All in package which costs about €995.00 each. This included our flights, 1 year working holiday visas, travel insurance, jobs access website, Tax file number and bank account set up. There is other deals available that are cheaper/more expensive depending on what you want but we wanted everything included.Once we paid it all off the excitement set in but we knew we had to work hard to save some money.We continues to work in the same job that we hated but we had a new motive this time around. We counted the months, weeks, hours, minutes and seconds until we could leave our jobs for good.

Leaving ✈ ➼

(October 2017)

The day finally came. We were so excited to start a new chapter in our lives. The past couple of weeks we have being trying to get everything done and also enjoying what ever time we had left. We had our going away party in September and It was a bitter sweet time but we were determined to get out and explore. It was now a matter of hours before we move to a foreign country at age 21. I have always been independent so I found it a lot easier to leave then Jonathan did. He is a home bird but we were extremely lucky that my cousin Mark and his girlfriend Claire Opened up their home to us when we arrive in Sydney. That definitely put our family's mind at ease. We said our goodbyes and boarded our plane. Next stop London,Hong Kong then Sydney!

Now 📍 ➼

(April 2018)
The months are flying by and I have no regrets about moving to Australia. It has been an amazing experience so far. I have learned so much about my self and other cultures and I have made friends for life. I would recommend to anyone who is considering traveling to just go out and do it and if you don't like it or run out of money you can always come home! I was lucky enough to have explored the east coast in a camper van and saw the great barrier reef. We have more plans to travel this beautiful country and see what else it has to offer.