canada working holiday

Working Holiday to Canada via South America

February 8th, 2010 | Posted in Blog, News, Travel, Travel Tips | No Comments
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So we’re going to Canada to work and holiday! Moving overseas has been a lengthy exercise with plenty, and i mean, plenty of little annoying things to get done depending on what your leaving behind in Australia. This is my experience.

Hutch: “I’ve got a fine idea! Let’s screw it all and go travelling for a while, we could work in Canada”
5 Min’s later after the excited rambling stops.
JB: “Hmm i dunno what about this, what about that”
3 months later…
JB: “You know what i reckon we do it!”
Hutch: “Do what?”
JB: “Go to Canada!”

That’s how it started, then the idea grew:
Hutch: “I reckon we should do as much travel before we get to Canada as possible. You know South America, USA etc. Maybe rent a RV and trek across the USA”
15 Min’s later after the excited rambling stops.
JB: “Hmm i dunno what about this, what about that”
Hutch: “Yes your probably right about the RV thing Ben does snore a lot, but still it makes sense to travel beforehand else we’re just moving house really”
2 months later…
JB: “You know what i reckon we do it!”
Hutch: “Do what?”
JB: “Travel beforehand around South America” Read more »

Canadian Working Holiday Visa

February 8th, 2010 | Posted in Blog, News, Travel, Travel Tips | 3 Comments
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First things first we’re going to need a visa so, OK this is fairly straight forward if your an Australian aged between 18-30 at the time the application is received and without any specific medical conditions then you’re eligible to apply for the Canadian Working Holiday Visa. I won’t get into anymore details about the visa itself because that’s the job of the WHP Canada site but i will mention that currently the working holiday visa is no longer a once in a lifetime opportunity it can now be renewed on a yearly basis.

The process of applying is fairly straight forward: Read more »

USA B1/B2 Visa for Australians

February 8th, 2010 | Posted in Blog, News, Travel, Travel Tips | 2 Comments
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If you’re travelling through or stopping by the USA on your way to Canada or Mexico, as we are, you may need to apply for the USA B1/B2 Visa as the Visa Waiver Program(VWP) counts time spent in Canada and Mexico as time against that Visa. For example if you flew to Los Angeles and spent 3 days there on the VWP, went up to Vancouver and worked there for 6 months then flew back down to San Francisco you would of overstayed your VWP by 3 months(give or take a few days).

For information on the VWP please see: http://canberra.usembassy.gov/consular/visas/niv/vwp.html

For information on the B1/B2 Visa please visit: http://canberra.usembassy.gov/consular/visas/niv/business-pleasure.html

Specifically, we’re concerned with the B2 Visa as the B1 Visa relates to business travellers. So the B2 Visa is appropriate for: Read more »

Canadian Bank Accounts

February 8th, 2010 | Posted in Blog, News, Travel, Travel Tips | 1 Comment
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If you’re like me, you like to get things sorted before you arrive. Therefore being able to setup a bank account in the country your moving to before you arrive is handy. HSBC through their International Banking Centre provides a service where you can setup bank accounts in the country you’re moving too from your current location provided it has a HSBC branch nearby. Luckily i had used this service previously when i moved to the UK and i am unaware of any other banks that can provide this international service. Read more »

North American Travel Insurance

February 8th, 2010 | Posted in Blog, News, Travel, Travel Tips | 1 Comment
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One thing I’ve never used, touch wood, but never leave home without is travel insurance, not because i worked at an insurance company but because if things go bad especially with my health I want to be sure i can get adequate treatment. If you’ve purchased travel insurance before you may of noticed when you select a region, North America and Japan are separated from the rest of the world. Now without confirming with an insurance expert i assume this is because in those countries(USA, Canada and Japan)  you’re required to have private health insurance to get medical assistance or at least have some means of paying for it. I know for certain to obtain the working holiday visa once you arrive in Canada you will need to provide proof that you have insurance. Read more »

Flights To USA from Australia

February 8th, 2010 | Posted in Blog, News, Travel, Travel Tips | 1 Comment
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Well this is rather straight forward to get to Canada we’re going to need some means of transportation, we decided on going with aeroplanes. Amazing! No great surprise there but through a combination of frequent flyer points we managed to get a one way ticket for $169 and $340 respectively as opposed to the cheapest airfare which was $1400. Now that is cool as a polar bears bum, so for all you Qantas frequent flyers, check the any seat award as well as the classic awards!

 A few annoying things we’ve found: Read more »

Vaccinations – South America

February 8th, 2010 | Posted in Blog, News, Travel, Travel Tips | 1 Comment
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Let’s make this short and sweet, we’re heading too South America we’re going to need travel vaccinations. The following are the shots we decided to get before leaving and are no means a replacement for professional medical advice. This short list was composed after appointments with our GP and the vaccination clinic:

  • Yellow Fever – A must;
  • Hepatitis A & B – Shots can take months to complete a full course.
  • Typhoid – Usually combined with Hep A shot.
  • Tetanus

There are optional vaccinations like rabies that you should consider.

Related Links and Further Information

Travel Vaccinations in Australia

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