Hello there fellow hardware freaks all over the planet! I'm currently serving my duty in the Finnish military and just figured that when I get out of here in the January 2nd. it would be an excellent time to go see the world. I have an uncle living in Australia and australians speak a language that I understand so it's a good country to go to. However in general I have very little clue about the country (except the fact that it's just about on the opposite side of the globe), so I'd really love to hear from Australians what to see and where to go in there. The plan is to go to Melbourne as my uncle lives there, but then what? I also figured that I might work there and gain a couple of extra months via the pay checks... This seems to be a rather common thing to do and atleast fruit farms should have open jobs for anyone willing to work their arses off. The second part of my n00b-question is that where should I stop on my way there? I checked Kilroy's flights and it appears easy enough to stop somewhere for a couple of days on the way to the Australia and I'm willing to do some extra stops. The cheap flights seem to stop in Hong Kong and some in Singapore, how are those places? So many questions and ideas, so little time to do the research... Damn you, army, for taking all my time right now So in the end the question is: what SHOULD I see and do in Australia and what cities should I stop in while on the way there? Any helpful links in cheap flights, cool places, open jobs etc are welcome! (If it matters, I'm 20 and would like to take off in january-ferbruary with the cheapest flights possible... Either from Helsinki or Tampere) ((Also it would be sick awesome to see the Computex in June(?))) Thanks for all the responses! I may not be answering due to the tight schedule, but I'll be sure to check any comments and links next weekend...
fraser island - biggest sand island in the world and from what I gather really quite beautiful - you need permission to go there but im sure a travel agency can help with that sort of thing, it's a standard stop for any tourist in Aus. otherwise, goto new zealand, 10x more stunning than Aus. Hong Kong would probably be quite an experience, especially if you haven't ventured much out of Finland, it would really be a world away for you, I think there is a memeber of the forum from HK that might be able to give you some insight. If your budget could stretch, perhaps Fiji and Japan as well. I wouldn't worry too much about language barriers, you will always find a way to communicate, and as you seem to be able to write english perfectly well, that should be all you need! Good luck though, am very jealous that you are able to do this!
Hahaha poor ******* I am so happy that I am throu with it. Where are you stationed? Some friends of mine went to see Australia last year and did Work&Travel the whole East/South coast in 6 month. They say it was the coolest thing ever.
Coolest thing ever, i have a mate who is travelling for 2 years over there. she said that she needed a ton of money so that they let her in. which is great as you can party your way across the place
I heard somewhere that in Australia they may check that I either have a ticket to get out of the country or have money to buy the tickets.. But that's already sorted
Singapore is the coolest city in the world, IMO. It would be a waste to pass up an opportunity to spend 4-5 days there.
I had the joy of living there for two years. It is indeed a VERY AWESOME place... Lots of lovely little islands around etc aswell. Only problems are the prices.
OZ is fantastic, as someone else said, frazer island is well good. Also could be good to try hitting up the great barrier reef, i am unable to say personally, but I have friends who say it was stunning. If you go to OZ it would be a crime not to go to NZ as well. There is some truly stunning natural beauty there, especially on the South Island. If you are interested I can give you a bit more detail on that if you want. If the world is your target, it would be well worth hitting up some of the south-east asian countries as well. China would be stunning if you can get the visa. Thailand is fantastic, and if you are in the mood for food/cheap electrical goods Hong Kong is also very nice.
Cheap electrical goods do sound tempting.. Also New Zealand sounds great, but I will have to keep an eye on the budget..
Ok the plans have gotten a bit more clear, I'll try to work january in Finland and then take a flight in early february. Stop a day or two in Hong Kong and then go to Melbourne from there. Stay there at the uncle's for a week and figure out how and where to get the work from. From there on I have no clue tbh if I can make some money then the flight back may take many turns and last a while..
Hong Kong is excellent, enjoy the food while you are out there! Finding work for money is not too hard in Oz or NZ, you should be able to make a little cash to travel if you are planning on a pay-your-way style holiday
You should've gone up north for even greater food. I'm saving up for Australia. I'll either have a visit, or migrate there completely. The latter depending on the situation in my own country.
I loved SING, although i was only there for a day and bit while we docked the ship and then i had to fly home for some exams. But did manage to get to Raffles which is a MUST for anyone. ..... I miss singapore slings now
Oh damn is it hard or what to get everything sorted when you can only use phone from 18 to 21 every day from monday to friday. It appears to be hard to explain some things in e-mails..
Just a small update. I'm on a five-day camp and we just had the first truely sub-zero night and oh boy do I hate being cold or what! Must-get-to-warm-climate-asap ffs. I'm still not sure about getting a job easily though..
Just an update if someone cares. I went for it and bought the tickets. Helsinki - hong kong - Melbourne 23.2. Oh btw again in the forest on a camp and it rains and the temperature is about zero degrees. It manages to suck and blow at the same time to say the least..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYeBs0XHqY0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up6is9LycLM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTYPkRmzAi8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3RYHKWXIwI
Mate if you come to Australia and just going to melbourne and skipping sydney your NUTS! Sydney and Queensland (both far north for the great barrier reef and the gold coast) are MUST SEE when you come here also bugger New Zealand, they will try and get you drunk and rooting sheep (i kid i kid i have NZ relos) but seriously NZ is worth the trip if you can afford it