Three years ago, I moved to New Zealand on what amounts to little more than a whim. I had just come out of the most emotionally challenging stage of my life and I decided that I needed to get away for a year. Far away! So I spun the globe, bought a plane ticket, traveled 8,000 miles, and arrived in this little island country with two suitcases, no friends, and not a single clue. As it turns out, it was the best decision I have ever made.

View of Auckland City from One Tree Hill

Whatever stage of life you find yourself in, if you’re thinking about spending the next year as a long-term tourist in the loveliest country on earth, I want to give you helpful advice on how to make the most of it. As crafty explorers, Christy and I are launching this travel series to address many of the logistical concerns travelers have before embarking on an overseas adventure. For my part, the greatest adventure of my life has been moving to New Zealand and connecting with the heartbeat of Kiwi life; for Christy, her adventures in Europe have made her an incredible resource on how to dance across a continent on a dime.

View from Waiheke Island toward Rangitoto

In the coming weeks, Christy and I will outline how to plan for a 3-month backpacking trip in Europe, and a year in New Zealand, respectively, by addressing the issues that matter: 

• relevant visas
• booking flights and airline information 
• valuable tips for specific international customs
• what to pack
• where to go
• what to do
• how to get around
• where to stay
• how to find work
• how to budget
• and all the other ‘ins and outs’ of life abroad, including cell phone plans, how to open a bank account, and how to cope with language barriers

Our hope is that you embark with a plan that makes you feel travel-savvy and safe, so that you can focus on making the most out of every moment without any unpleasant surprises!

Huka Falls

Sorting Your Visa

If you are planning to visit New Zealand for a period of 3 months to a year and you possess a passport from one of these 42 qualifying countries, you will be eligible to apply for a visa under the Working Holiday scheme. Each country is given specific eligibility requirements for age, duration of stay, and proof of available finances; do thoroughly explore your country’s rules before applying.

For Americans, it is generally easy to acquire a one-year Working Holiday visa, provided you have:

• not been granted one before (you get one per lifetime, so use it well!)
• are not a hoodlum (“meet character requirements”)
• are between the ages of 18-30
• and have proof of $4,200 in available funds

Wait, what? Yes, you may be expected to prove your financial status upon entering the country. Similar to Christy’s explanation for why you should have a recent bank statement on your person at immigration counters, a sufficient bank balance proves you are able to cover expenses for a year of living in NZ, as well as purchase a return flight home. What Kiwis do not want is your gap year to turn into a situation in which you are a broke free-loader, or worse, an overstayer. You are, in most cases, not required to show proof of a return ticket upon entering New Zealand, but they may ask pointed questions about how you intend to look after yourself financially and/or if you have funds to purchase an outbound ticket. If you don’t have $4,200 cash, try to look extra clean and put-together and hope they don’t ask to see your bank statement.

To minimize bureaucratic nonsense, the Working Holiday visa is not issued as an official sticker in your passport, as most visas are. After you apply online, you will receive notification of your status in an email and then you will be able to print off your visa. BRING THIS WITH YOU every single time you enter the country. On a flight home to Auckland from Melbourne, Australia in 2012, I was hassled substantially at the check-in counter for "trying to enter NZ without plans to leave." I was really startled at the way the airline attendant spoke to me as if I was a dirty con-artist. After a few minutes of utter confusion and escalating tones, I stated in exasperation, "but I live there! I can stay until March 2013!" I then dug in my purse for the ratty old visa print-off and handed it to the attendant who snapped, "oh, well why didn't you say so sooner?!" Turns out, overstayers are a big problem and the airlines are under strict orders to flag suspicious persons at check-in. Just make everyone's life easier and bring this document with you every time you travel. 

Apply online here: New Zealand Working Holiday

Mt. Ruapehu/Mordor, Tongariro National Park

Working on Your Working Holiday Visa 

Under the Working Holiday scheme, you are eligible to seek employment in absolutely any industry you are qualified for. However, most employers will recognize you are on a temporary visa, so you may find employment difficult outside of the industries with high turnover rates such as hospitality, childcare, tourism, fruit picking, and construction/tradies. Most Working Holidayers find a part-time or full-time job in these fields, but it is not uncommon to find placement in IT, teaching, marketing, film, etc. Know how to sell your skills and you could find an appropriate industry job.

That being said, please keep in mind that Immigration NZ has designed this visa scheme for holidays. Most immigration agents will place emphasis on the fact that the country does NOT want you finding a serious job. New Zealand wants you to come for an extended holiday, rent a cute little van, tour the country and see the sights, maybe pick some apple trees to make a little extra cash, and then… LEAVE. I’m the kind of Working Holidayer that NZ absolutely does not want: the kind that doesn’t go home. I have Residency now and have always had legal and timely visas, but the point is that I arrived on a Working Holiday visa in 2012 and NZ quite prefers if those who arrive on these visas pack up and leave within 12 months (sorry you got stuck with me, New Zealand, but honestly I’m quite the catch). Further, Kiwis can be a little protective about good jobs going to non-New Zealanders. It's not something they freely admit to, but they go to great lengths to ensure there are no Kiwis capable of a job before they hire an international employee. The Working Holidayers are not supposed to swoop in and score a hot job. Be sure to stress to Immigration upon arrival that your mission in NZ is to see some waterfalls and go for a few hikes, not for any sort of career advancement.

If, after 12 months, you love New Zealand and don’t want to leave, there are options for visa extension or new visas depending on your situation. For my part, I recommend falling in love with a Kiwi citizen.

Booking Your Flight

I originally flew to New Zealand on the cheapest... and most outlandishly awful flight of all time. Clearly our youths are the time to make bad decisions and take horrific flights just to save $100. I'm a little older, and wish to punish myself a little less now, so I've learned the less painful ways to fly to NZ from the States. 

Air New Zealand's direct flights from LAX (or San Francisco) to Auckland are WORTH IT. You board a plane in Los Angeles at 10 or 11 pm, they give you a nice meal while you watch a movie, placate you with amazing NZ wines, and then you go to sleep and arrive 12 hours later in Auckland feeling fresh and ready for adventure. Just be good to yourself and book this flight. Bonus: Air NZ is the greatest airline in the world.

Do remember that New Zealand's high season is the southern hemisphere summer: December-February. Tickets skyrocket during this time as airlines capitalize on the northern hemisphere tourists who are trying to escape their winters.

Once you're here, you may fancy a flight to some of the other destination cities like Queenstown or Wellington.  There are only two airlines which operate domestic flights: Air New Zealand and Australian-based airline, Jet Star. The best websites for booking domestic New Zealand flights are:

• Skyscanner -- the travel search engine my partner prefers
• Grabaseat -- Air New Zealand's own "deal" site, where you can get awesome prices on flash bargains if your travel plans are flexible. I once flew Auckland to Wellington for $33 each way. That's amazing. 
• House of Travel -- a Kiwi travel company which hosts pretty awesome domestic deals online 

Kiwi Crossing in Tongariro National Park

What You Need to Know About New Zealand Customs

Alternate title: Do Not Effing Bring Your Fruit into New Zealand.

This country has strict, STRICT biosecurity laws. Would you like to know why? Because irresponsible travelers bring one little orange onto the island and then bam!… a fruit fly epidemic threatens an entire nation’s crop production and its $4-billion export industry. Then, a million-person city has apocalyptic regulations of fruit movement imposed on it for months. No joke, they call it the "fruit fly lockdown," and if you live in an affected suburb, you aren't allowed to transport fruit in and out of the boundaries--that means no bananas in your school lunchbox, kid!

No, future visitors of New Zealand, I am not kidding-- and yes, it is serious business. Customs agents do not mess around with the presence of food, live cultures, or even dirt in your luggage or on your person. You will be found and you will be heavily fined. 

Over the years of traveling to and from New Zealand and hosting visitors from abroad, I've become increasingly obsessive about what I bring with me from overseas, and what my friends and family do. Obviously, I don't want to be fined thousands of dollars for an oversight, but it's more than that. I've now taken on the crazy Kiwi mentality of protecting this heartbreakingly beautiful, hyper-sensitive little ecosystem we call Aotearoa. 

Don't risk our environment by forgetting you packed an apple for a mid-flight snack. Dispose or Declare every single risk-item you bring with you. I've seen a woman taken away for "questioning" for failing to declare a box of unopened chocolates. Start your holiday right, and leave all food and unclean outdoor equipment behind. Please and thank you.

Milford Sound, Fiordland

When you're planning to spend a year abroad, there's heaps to consider before you even leave home, but I promise it'll be so worth the effort. There's adventure waiting for you in this magical land where the pure, good life is still revered. 

Canyoning and cliff jumping in the Waitakeres

Summit of the Tongariro Crossing (we began the hike at 5am to be the first to reach the famous Emerald Lakes)!

On the 19.4 km Tongariro Crossing hike!

BACKPACKING THROUGH EUROPE: THE FIRST STEPS

Backpacking through Europe has been far and away one of the most fun, adventurous, and enriching experiences of my life. All of my overseas journeys, but in particular my backpacking trip, challenged, stretched, and delighted me in ways that I never expected—I cannot stress enough how rewarding trips like these can be. If you have the time and money (of which you don’t need loads! My own backpacking trip only cost me $2,000, airfare included), a trip like this will be one of the best experiences of your life.

Ghent, Belgium

I've always been drawn to foreign cultures and unfamiliar lands, a wanderlust that only grew stronger as I began traveling abroad when I was 18. Kaitlin, too, is an avid traveler and this passion we share is one of the things that instantly bonded us when we first met. Based on our own travels, we’ve decided to write a travel series that we hope will function as an extensive source of information to enable and encourage those considering an extended overseas trip. We’ve decided to write about what we know best—Kaitlin will discuss the ins and outs of spending a one year working holiday in New Zealand while I detail the necessary preparations and considerations for backpacking through Europe for 3.5 months.

Zakrzowek, Krakow, Poland

In this post, I’ll cover important logistical information to take into account when you first start to plan your own epic adventure, from understanding the visa requirements and planning your itinerary accordingly to knowing what you need to smoothly make it through customs. The topics I discuss in this post are essential to the beginning stages of planning—I would recommend that you begin the steps I’ve listed below 3-5 months before your intended departure date.

Lake Constance, Uberlingen, Germany

Understanding Visa Requirements

An important factor before you begin planning your itinerary is understanding the visa requirements for the countries you will be visiting. Most of the countries in the E.U. form a zone known as the Schengen Area. The amount of time you are permitted to travel in this area (as well as the countries that are not included in this area) without a special visa will greatly affect your travel plans.

What is the Schengen Area and why does this matter?
The Schengen Area is group of 26 countries in Europe that have open borders with one another. This means you can move freely from country to country while traveling within this area without having to deal with border patrol -- as easy as crossing State lines in the US. However, on a US passport, without a special visa, you are only allowed to stay in the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180 day period (otherwise risk a fine and deportation).

The 26 countries in the Schengen Zone:
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, & Switzerland

Map of the Schengen Area

The good news is not every country in the E.U. has signed the Schengen agreement (God bless you, UK and Ireland!). Days you spend in the countries listed below do not count towards your 90 day limit.

Countries that have "opted out" of the Schengen agreement:

• United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) 
• Ireland

Countries that are not a part of the Schengen area but are in the process of joining:

• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Romania

You can stay in each of these non-Schengen E.U. countries for 90 days without a special visa, except for the UK where you can stay 180 days.

So, if you plan wisely, you can stay in the EU for more than 90 days. For instance, I backpacked through Europe from mid-May to the beginning of September (around 110 days total). To avoid spending more than 90 days in the Schengen area, I flew into Dublin and traveled through Ireland and the UK for two weeks before entering the Netherlands. A week before the end of my trip I flew from Norway to the UK. Traveling around the UK/Ireland at the beginning and end of my trip made it so of the 110 days I spent in the EU, my total time in the Schengen area was just under 90 days.

For more information/tips on long-term travel in the E.U., obtaining extended Schengen visas, a list of which countries are lax or strict about checking how long you've been in the Schengen area, check out these articles:
How to legally stay in Europe for more than 90 days & Long term Europe travel

For information on American passport holder visa requirements for European countries that are not a part of the E.U. or for more information on any of the countries that are listed above, visit The US State department's website.

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg 

Booking Flights

Because of the warm weather, long days, and extended school breaks, summer is the ideal season for backpacking through Europe. (Not to mention, no one wants to lug all that extra winter gear around in an already crammed backpack.) Of course, millions of other tourists feel the same way, so airline ticket prices can literally double in the summer. Here are a few tips to save money on airfare to Europe in peak season:

• Either book an outbound flight for May or a return flight for September. Doing this easily saved me $700+ on my backpacking trip. Peak travel times are June-August, so if you can fly into or out of Europe before or after these months (ideally both if you’re staying that long), tickets will be significantly cheaper.
• Check multiple arrival airports to see which one offers the cheapest flights. Unless you have to fly into a specific destination, look up ticket prices for various European airports. I’ve found that flying into London is generally the cheapest (eat your heart out, Paris), but for my particular backpacking trip it was actually cheaper to fly into Dublin. We therefore planned our trip itinerary to begin and end in Ireland.
• Book at least 3 months in advance. Any time less than 3 months and ticket prices start going up dramatically. I just booked overseas tickets for a trip I am taking two months from now. I waited a week in between when I first checked the ticket prices and when I actually booked, and within that week the prices went up by $200.

Between the price variation of booking early as well as flying into one airport versus another, booking your flights should be one of the first steps of planning your trip. Even before you plan your full itinerary, look at pricing of different flights. Planning your journey around when/where you fly will allow you to pay less for your airline tickets.

My favorite airfare websites:

• STA Travel - As a student, I always used this site to book overseas flights. They have special discounts for students and teachers that make it cheaper than booking through other travel websites.
• Kayak - Now that I am no longer a student, I find the best deals on Kayak. I recently purchased tickets to New Zealand (for my upcoming trip with Kaitlin! Wahoo!) and I checked various travel websites before booking. Kayak.com led me to the cheapest tickets quickly and easily. 
• The Flight Deal - With this website, you select from a list of departure airports and it will show you all applicable flight deals. If you have a very specific destination/departure date, then this isn't the site for you. But if you’re flexible on where/when you want to arrive, definitely peruse the deals on this site before booking.
• Iceland Air  - Though Iceland Air doesn’t necessarily offer you cheaper airfare, they do offer a free stopover in Reykjavik when flying to any other European destination. If you’d like to see Iceland during your European travels (and duh of course you would), this is a great way to do it without having to purchase extra plane tickets.

Sections of the Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany

Getting Through Customs

Although getting through customs certainly doesn't seem like it needs to be addressed months before the start of your trip, there are items that are essential for immigration that you can't simply get the day before (*coughpassportcough*). In the months leading up to your journey, make sure you obtain the items I've listed below and you'll get through customs much more smoothly:

• A valid passport.  One of the first things you should do after deciding to go on a backpacking trip is get a passport.  Processing time for passport applications is 4-6 weeks, not including delivery. Be on the safe side and apply for one as soon as you decide you want to travel. And for those of you who have well-used passports, it's important to know that for entry into the Schengan Area, your passport must be valid for a minimum of six months from the day you arrive and have at least one blank page for the entry stamp. 
• Return flight details. Assuming you've already booked your return flight, print a copy of the flight details to show to customs in case they ask. If you haven't booked a departure ticket, consider doing so before you arrive. When I studied in France, I flew into London and spent two weeks there before my semester started. I had yet to buy my departing train ticket when I arrived in London since I wasn't sure of exact day I was going to leave. The customs agent did not let me through easily, and I fear what would have happened if I didn't have my French student visa in my passport. In general, immigration doesn't give you a hard time if they know you’ve already shelled out the cash to leave their country. 
• A copy of your bank statement. Very often customs agents want to know how much money you have to fund your trip, so you don't wind up broke and unable to leave the country. Although I've never had to show my bank statement (though, in the situation mentioned above I was asked how much money I had to fund my trip), it's a handy document to have, especially if you don't have an outbound ticket. Make sure you have enough money to show that you can cover your expenses while you’re in Europe as well as purchase a ticket out of there if you haven't already. 
• The address of the place you will be staying, whether that be with a friend, a CS/HelpX/WWOOF host, or in a hotel/hostel. If you don’t have an address, it’s not the end of the world but they won’t give you as hard of a time if you do. (DO NOT mention couch surfing/WWOOFing/HelpXing to the customs agent — just say you are “staying with friends.” Although there is absolutely nothing illegal about any of these organizations, immigration officers tend to be very suspect of them, so it’s best not to bring it up if you don’t have to.)

The above list is what I’ve generally found to be necessary for my European travels (mostly flying into and out of London, where the customs agents tend to be particularly difficult). However, remember to check if the country you’re flying into has any special requirements in order to enter. For instance, it turns out that for my Australian trip I'm about to take, I need to apply for a visa before I go. This would not have crossed my mind if Kaitlin hadn’t mentioned it to me. So, double check the entry requirements of the countries you plan on visiting before you leave (fortunately, since most of Europe functions as one country in terms of visa requirements, this makes checking it very simple).

My co-backpackers and I fully support your backpacking goals!

See? Planning your backpacking trip isn't that hard! (Ha!) Ok, ok, there is still much more you need to consider before you can set off on your European adventure but this should hopefully get you started on the right track. The good news is I plan on writing at length about everything you should take into account when backpacking through Europe (such as budgeting, packing, languages/cultural barriers, destination recommendations, logistical information, and so on).

And in case the above pictures didn't excite your wanderlust enough, here's just a few more to really get you in the mood for taking an epic European journey...

Dublin, Ireland

Prague, Czech Republic

Paris, France

Brussels, Belgium

Bern, Switzerland 

Bergen, Norway  

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland