- The most obvious point to make here is to make your bookings early! If you're planning on booking over the internet, here's a tip: Make your bookings with the airline companies at about 1am in the morning when the airlines computers reboot and display budget fares, which are usually quickly snatched.
- If flying around Europe, look up Ryanair over the internet as they have fares as low as �9 to some destinations! Hard to beat.
- For long haul flights ask the person at the check-in counter when you first arrive at the airport for a seat on the 'emergency row, window seat.' This lets you have the comforts of having metres of legspace and getting the window, while also being able to get up easily to go to the toilet, rather than having to fumble over fellow passengers. Be warned though, these seats go fast so get to the check-in counter early!
- If you're in no particular rush to get to your destination (and wouldn't mind getting a bit of cash too), ask the person at the check-in counter if they require volunteers to give-up their seats for your flight. If they do, and you are willing to give up your seat, they will secure you a seat on the next flight (or one on the following day) and the airline company will either give you a flight voucher or a healthy amount of cash for you to spend on your upcoming trip! Oh, and if you're placed on a flight on the following day they usually put you in a hotel for the night, for free of course!
Discount/Membership Cards:
- There are probably hundreds of travel discount cards available all over the world, but one of the only ones that has pulled its weight for me has been the ISIC (International Student Identity Card). It's recognised worldwide and has saved me a lot of money. There are two others available (the ITIC for teachers and IYIC for youths). See the STA Travel website for details on how to apply.
- If you're planning on travelling within Austria, it may be worth your while to apply for a 'Vorteils' card (available for people <26yo). It costs �18 and gives you half price discounts on all rail travel within Austria (it is already worth it if you want to travel from Salzburg to Vienna return). The only catch is that you need to supply a permanent address when filling in the form (the address of the hostel you're staying in will do). Just ask the person at the ticket counter at any train station for an application form, and bring a passport photo. Train timetables can be seen online at www.oebb.at (Austrian and Austrian International trains).
Accomodation:
- Whether you're staying at a hotel or a hostel you'll always want to get the best price for your acomodation. And it's worth your while to ask a few questions before you book in. Some establishments will give you discounts if you stay for longer than 3 nights in succession, and some even 7 nights in succession. But they don't advertise this fact of course!
- Many places, if not all, in Europe have a normal rate and a high season rate, or a weekday and a weekend rate, but the starting and ending days for these rates are not the same across all hostels/hotels, so see which ones are on the normal or weekday rates and stay there (some hostels still consider a sunday night as a weekend-night and others consider a friday night as a weeknight!).
- There are still a fair few hostels across Europe that have a 'lock-out' policy where you are forced to leave the building between set hours in the middle of the day (i.e: between 10:00 and 17:00). This is good in that you are forced to see the country that you're visiting, but it acts as a huge inconvenience if you've left something back at the hostel, or if you have already seen everything and really need that afternoon power-nap before the big night out. Again, ask first.
Visas:
- You DO NOT need a visa for the following countries if you have a valid Australian Passport:
Albania Croatia Denmark Finland
Greece Iceland Morocco Norway
Slovenia Turkey Belgium Britain
Spain Germany Greece Italy
Liechtenstein Luxembourg Slovakia Switzerland
Canada New Zealand Andorra Cyprus
Mexico Estonia Lithuania Sweden
France Ireland The Netherlands U.S.A
Malta
(Note: this list is correct at time of publishing and may be subject to change)
Working Holidays in the U.K and Ireland:
- Note: You can get a working permit when you are already overseas!
- Australian nationals can apply for a working holiday permit in Australia, London or Dublin via the Department of Foreign Affairs - Working Holiday Permit Section.
- EU nationals do not require a work permit to live and work in the U.K or Ireland.
- New Zealanders and South Africans must apply prior to leaving their country to the Irish or British Trade Commission in Aukland and the Irish or British Embassy in Pretoria respectively.
- Note: simply getting yourself a working permit in Ireland will not mean that you are eligible to start work. You will also need to set up a PPS number (a bit like a social security number - available from the Dept. of Foreign Affairs-Working Holiday Permit Section) and in some cases, a bank account. Some employers will set you up with a PPS for you. If you can, get your employer to provide a reference for you to present to the bank when you wish to open an account, as it is otherwise impossible to get, unless you have a utility bill under your name.
- Useful web sites and email addresses:
www.reed.ie (Recruitment Agency - Ireland)
www.entemp.ie (Dept. of Enterprise, Trade & Employment - Ireland)
www.gov.ie/iveagh/ (Dept. of Foreign Affairs - Ireland)
[email protected] (Visa Office, Department of Foraign Affairs)
www.irishjobsearch.com (Job Search Engine - Ireland)
www.brightwater.ie (Recruitment Agency - Ireland)
www.matchemployment.com (Recruitment Agency)
www.monster.ie (Job Search Engine)
www.nixers.com (Irish Job Recruitment Agency)
www.euroselect-recruitment.com (European job agency)
www.cruisebees.com (Recruitment agency for the cruise industry)
- The Evening Herald, available in Ireland, has a comprehensive listing of jobs throughout Ireland daily and costs �1.00.
