Working Holiday Visa #2

In the weeks following my return from Southeast Asia I was either sleeping off the jet-lag or stressing about what to do next (sometimes I was sleeping because I was stressing). As per usual, my life’s up in the air — I have no home, car, partner, or anything else tying me down. I’m free to choose my own adventure. I still want to travel, but I also need to earn back the money I’ve blown on mango smoothies and never-ending bus rides through the likes of Vietnam and Thailand…

The part of me that is teetering towards settling down wants one of two things: A.) To move to a big American city and build a freelance music career. Or B.) To continue taking professional orchestra auditions and aim for a job with summers off (*dreams of a summer in Eastern Europe*). However, as the title of this post implies, the foreign-obsessed wanderer in me had another alluring and time-sensitive opportunity to consider.

Like the visa that brought me to Australia earlier this year, I’ve been contemplating a second such visa in New Zealand. I actually applied for this visa back in 2019 following my first trip to the South Pacific nation. As much as I wanted to go back, life got in the way and I began cruise ship work a couple months later. Fast forward to 2022 — as part of New Zealand’s re-opening they began extending visa entry periods for those who’ve formerly applied (aka me). With age 31 being the cut off for a working holiday visa this is my one and only shot to live in my favorite country in the world. And IDK about ya’ll, but I want to squeeze in every adventure I can before I get any older and lose all sense of spontaneity (bc it will happen).

So over the past couple weeks I’ve had to reckon with a few things. For one, American orchestra auditions and freelance opportunities will still be around in the future. A move to NZ would further delay the solidity that I crave, but at this point distracting myself through travel is all I seem to know how to do. After all, this would be my second move to Oceania and my fourth ultra-long-haul trip in 2022 alone.

So, after a lot of contemplating with a detailed pros and cons list — I went and booked a week in a hostel and one-way flights, forcing myself to commit to New Zealand. No cancellations. No other options.

The thing I find most incredible about working holiday visas are the ease with which they allow you to move to and integrate into a new country (the only downside being the 1-year validity, extendable only through questionable farm work or hospitality requirements). There’s only a hand full of countries in the world that have these visas, and the memories to be gained from spending time working and living abroad are precious. The five months I spent in Australia are already aging like fine wine in the forefront of my mind.

Like with my previous visa I will have the freedom to work anywhere in any non-permanent position. I’m not too excited about the likelihood of returning to hospitality work, or competing for kitchen space in overcrowded hostels — but with one working holiday under my belt I’m determined to make this one better. This time I want to be more selective with job hunting. Maybe that means a smaller, more intimate cafe; or a job where I can sit opposed to being on my feet. I had pretty good luck in Australia with finding freelance music work, and so I’m hoping it might be even easier to be a performer in New Zealand.

My flight will touch down in Auckland on New Years Eve and I’ll connect to the capital, Wellington, where I hope to base myself for some time. This was the only large city that I didn’t visit on either of my previous trips, and seeing as it sits on a bay I’m hoping it will feel somewhat like San Francisco (ironically there’s a bar in Wellington named San Fran). With this working holiday I am not putting any unrealistic expectations on myself to stay a long time. Right now I’m hoping to work for a few months and then spend some time on a road trip before potentially heading home for summer gigs.

Now onto the remaining six months of my 20’s!