Hi everyone,

my girlfriend and I are planning to go travelling from England in October/November 2010. We plan to go first to Asia, flying to wherever is cheapest, moving on to see Thailand. Depending on how much we have saved, we plan to spend 4-8 weeks doing this, living on the cheap.

From there, we plan to fly to Australia. We hope to stay in Australia for quite a while, possibly using our year long working holiday visa to it's limit. We'd like to do a lot of tourist things, making the most of our time. We do both intend to find full time employment in Australia. My girlfriend is a qualified nail technician, as well as having 8 years experience in waitress and bar work. I'm a chef with 3 years experience, as well as being a qualified gym instructor. We're both pretty set on going to Sydney first, finding work and living there until we either feel the urge to move on, and see more of the country, or until we head home to England.

Financially, we intend to be very secure. After our initial flight out is paid for, we want £1500 each for our time in Asia, £3000 each for our time in Australia, as well as leaving at least £500 each back home in the U.K, ready for our return.

Although it's a long way off, we want to be well prepared. We haven't done anything like this before, and our knowledge of making such a trip is quite minimal.

If anyone can offer any advice on anything, visa's, flights, immunizations, what to take, what not to take, anything at all, it would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,


Scott & Louise

Our Travel section has a heap of threads where you can get some good ideas from various posts and links and I'll move your thread there Scott, but for now just a few:
Sounds like a good trip planned and Thailand and Malaysia you can enter for up to 20 days without a visa - Visa and embassy information for all countries - Projectvisa.com being a great site re checking for visas anywhere.
Australia you know about with the WHV.

Welcome to AirAsia.com, The World's Best Low-Cost Airline might be worth a look for very cheap flights Standsted > KL and then they have flights all over Asia and to Australia, always specials running so you might want to sign up for their newsemails and wait a bit before booking.

I'd be considering a bit of slight rescheduling if you've not already applied for the WHV for October/November can be quite wet in areas of Malaysia and Thailand and even without it raining and there being floods, it is near the end of the wet season and could be very humid - World Climate: Weather rainfall and temperature data will give you an idea of rainfall by month in different locations.
Also, if you were planning on arriving in Sydney just before Xmas/NY, you'll be coming at what can be a damp time downunder too but not anywhere as bad as Asia unless you're in Darwin or NQ tropics.
But if you stay with it, make sure you start looking at accommodation by about June - as soon as places start taking bookings as they'll go quick.

If you did want to schedule Xmas/NY in Sydney in, I'd still think of rescheduling back and doing Asia on the way back so you could get there 12 months after arrival in Oz or two years later if you decide on wanting to do some regional work and get yourselves a second WHV.
Another advantage of leaving Asia until after your Oz period is that you could more easily pack stuff for sending home from Oz so you could travel light into Asia and certainly not too much needed in way of clothes and with near empty packs, you'll have room for plenty of cheap Asian goodies you might want to buy and you'll not have had to take them all around Australia.

Louise might love to death some of the silk stuff you can get over there and you might find you'll have time or make it tyo check out Cambodia and Vietnam, both with silk stuff even cheaper than Thailand.
While I remember, SOPPONG-LOOKING FOR THE BEST ACCOMMODATION TREKKING, CAVING, KAYAKING, RAFTING AND WILD NATURE IN THE SOPPONG-PAI-MAE HONG SON AREA? is a must for Thailand as are the Mekong River Villages in the NE [ Golden Triangle area but quite safe for tourists ]
The northern part of the country is far less touristy than Bangkok and all the islands/beach regions.
You can fly cheap from Bangkon to Chiang Mai if you want to or take an overnight sleeper train or bus and then about a days bus around to Mae Hong Son/Pai region, Caves House being there.
Further Bus travel can get you up to a place right near Myanmar border, Tham Tom I think on a largish river and then it's a Long Tail boat down river to Chiang Rai and from there you can hire motor scooters to head over to the Mekong.
Welcome To Tiger Airways [ a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines ]also do cheap flights about Asia and to Perth in Australia and both Tiger and Airasia are safe.

Tales of Asia - Home has some interesting tales in it [and a lot of Adverts too.]

A lot of people do not worry too much on immunisations for Asia and unless you were going to be spending lots of time in the deepest jungles you'll have minimal risk though near the wet season it'll be higher.
www.cdc.com is considered to be something of a bible re travelling health care.

As for setting up to stay in Australia for say six months, that is a good idea for with a minimum of 6 months that can qualify you as residential for taxation purposes and savings are in the thousands of $$$$ - see Australian Taxation Office Homepage.
'December to June is good for June 30 is end of the tax year and you might be in for a good refund to boost further travelling funds.
It is also about when it starts to cool down down south and a great time to plan on visiting the tropics and centre.

Sydney can be expensive and look for a flat or house share - Flatmates.com.au - Australia's biggest free site for flatmates, share house, share accommodation in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. , Free Local Classifieds | Stuff for Sale, Jobs, Cars, Property & More | Gumtree Sydney and even looking on hostel notice boards.
YHA Australia Hostels - YHA Australia has all sorts of info as well as hostel listings, BUG - the Backpackers' Ultimate guide to budget travel in Australia also good for hostels and if you do some campervan relocations, a great cheaper way to travel and have accomodation too.
Rental Relocations Australia New Zealand United States Canada - Hire Now at StandByCars - you can extend the allowed days where earliest Pick up and Latest deliveries allow, for about $75/d last time I checked and so with extra days still some great travelling to be had and June on is best time as not too hot for sleeping in nor too chilly and just great in the north.

Have a great time.

Hi

Thanks for taking the time to write that massively helpful response! After much deliberation, we have taken your advice and have re-arranged our plans. We now hope to travel firstly to Australia, starting off in Cairns in November time. Give ourselves 6-8 weeks to travel down the coast, spending NYE in Sydney, not sure about Xmas yet. Got to be something good, first Xmas away from home!! Arrive in Melbourne early January, start looking for work. Work hopefully for 6-8 months, then head onto Asia for 2 months. After that back to the U.K.

Flights from UK to Australia seem to be around the £450 mark for a one way, is that standard? We expect it to be, but obviously cheaper the better! That's the only ticket we plan to buy, giving ourselves a lot of freedom.

We're going to apply for our Working Holiday Visas soon, as well as buying our flights. We are still aiming for a minimum £3000 each, hopefully closer to £4000.

For the entirety of our travelling, hostels, camping and budget accommodation will suit just fine. But when we're based in Melbourne, we'd like something a bit more than that, as we'll be working full time(if we actually find any work). We aren't after our own place, far too much hassle. But we don't want to be moving around every week either. Any suggestions there?

If anyone sees any flaws in our plans please feel free to point them out!

Thanks

S & L

You'll find Cairns already quite warm in November but not too humid if earlier November and be a nice change from UK but in getting down to Sydney for NYE, most places require a weeks booking minimum for the Xmas - NYE week and do not leave it much past June to make a booking for it'll sell out quick.

I'd use up your whole 12 months in Australia for head back to Asia too much earlier than October/November and you'll be right in wet season.

If you register with Airasia and wait on some possible sales you could get one way Stansted > KL > Gold Coast cheaper than 450 pound.
Jetstar are one of the few airlines that may have direct flights into Cairns from somewhere in Asia [ Singapore a possibility ] and so matching up a cheap flight into Asia and then seeing where best to leave from for Cairns could be best deal.

Hello thats a nice plan, hope you goodluck with your girlfriend.

im also planning to visit australia soon, when im not busy with my work.

If you're thinking of a visit downunder sometime, you'll find plenty of gardens interest in Victoria, it being renowned as the Garden State and the Capital City Melbourne [ besides the Royal Botanical Gardens being one of the worlds best - RBG Melbourne - Home ] having numerous gardens about the inner city and more rural areas.
Parks Victoria: Parkweb.vic.gov.au is a good site to give an idea of what's about.

But re any other interests, feel free to contribute on
General chit-chat and news - Living and Working in Australia Forum With Immigration and Travel Information or in any other relevant sections.