Create a landing plan: small deadlines for your mini Australian adventures

Now that you have a goal, a small life or death bucket list, booked your flights and a few weeks accommodation, you need to start thinking about some rough deadlines. So that you can structure your year properly and not waste any time. 

Deciding whether to work or travel first is a big one. One that I encourage you, using your gut feeling, to try and decide now. However, understand when you land this may change and evolve as you evolve. Also, use your gut to decide what the right opportunity is for you.

For now, it’s about working out a direction to move. Just remember the key is to follow your heart when you land and Australia will do the rest. 

Key deadlines to set yourself:

The one thing you can do is decide your deadlines by creating a set of dates that you know you need to make decisions by. These are decisions you can’t make until you have experienced living and or working in Australia. 

For instance, if you decide to travel first, set yourself a re-evaluation date. A date that you need to stop and think, and re-evaluate if it’s time to work.

Tip: Set up a calendar that you can take with you to Australia with your deadlines clearly laid out.

Ideally, put them in your phone calendar and to make this easy, keep thinking the next deadline is ‘future me’s’ problem. Create deadlines you can’t make decisions on until you have lived and learned a little.

I have outlined some suggested deadlines below.

Visa & Landing:

• Visa expiry (one year from landing) – The day you land in Australia is the date you will need to leave by in a years time. It is the date your visa expires. Make sure you know the date by heart and have a reminder a few months before you should leave. This should be your last reminder to make a decision on your next step.
• Landing move on plan (3-4 weeks in) – If you haven’t made a decision about what you want to do by the time you land give yourself a one-month deadline. You don’t want to be wasting too much of your money hanging out in a hostel in the city when you could be earning or exploring.
• Visa evaluation – Second-year decision date (eight months in) – If you are unsure you want to stay in Australia longer, then set a date to decide by. But make sure if you are applying for a second-year visa based on regional work you allow yourself enough time to do it. You need to do a minimum of 88 days work which is weather dependent. Bad weather could mean you could end up sitting and waiting for weeks. Allow buffer time, it’s suggested to allow up to four months before your working holiday visa expires.

Travel & your bucket list

• Travel goals (mini adventure dates) – If you travelling first, try and set yourself some goals. Don’t aimlessly keep driving or camping in one place because you will end up wasting time and money. Make a decision and go for it.
• Use your life or death bucket list to direct you – Do a bit of research and make sure you are making the most of the things you choose by going to see them at the right time. For example, you can’t go skiing in Canberra in January because it’s the middle of Summer. You don’t want to have to do things twice. Research what activities are seasonal in this great Australia.com link: Australia’s Seasons.
• End of travel or work re-evaluation date (six months) – set a preliminary date that you think you should start working by or start travelling by. Bear in mind that if you travel first, keep an eye on how long you have left on your visa – some jobs are hard to get if you have less than six months left.

Tip: When you land, set yourself very small daily milestones. Set small achievable milestones for each day, too keep your happiness alive. Start with getting to know people. Talking is the best way to get to know what’s going on and what opportunities are out there.  

 

Important dates to mark down:

Add these to your calendar because they will apply to you in the future:

• Tax – The financial year is from July 1st to June 30th the following year. Anyone who earns any money in Australia within the tax year needs to lodge a tax return by the 31st of October or you can get fined.
• Pension Refund – If you decide to leave Australia you can withdraw the mandatory pension your employer pays into your Superannuation account, but you need to get the right paperwork before you physically leave the country. Set two reminders one a week and one a few weeks before your visa expires.
• Add ANZAC Day to your calendar: On ANZAC Day, take some cash out and find a pub that plays Two-up. This is a traditional Australian gambling game involving a designated spinner throwing two coins or pennies into the air. It is one thing I feel should be on all life or death bucket lists!  

ANZAC day is an Australian public holiday. It is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars.

How to keep your spirit of adventure alive

One thing you can do to try and capture the way you are thinking right now, and help you bring yourself back on track in a few months time is to sign up for Future me.

You can write yourself a few emails to be sent on the above deadlines that will keep you in the right direction. It’s always good to see and remember why you started something and there is no one better to point this out than yourself.