Baby Steps - Part 2

Get your papers
Passport! Don't can't leave home without it!

A lot of people get a passport out of habit these days. After all, you need one to go even to Canada. I, however, missed the boat on this jetsetting trend and got mine specifically for this trip. Thankfully, the Aussies dig us, so a full tourist visa ($70 AUD) isn't required if you're planning a typical trip under 3 months long. All that's required is the handy, and invisible, Australian Electronic Travel Authority fee!

So, planning was the order of the day.. everyday.. for the entire month of December. I thought my head would explode from all the details, and it started to wear on my mood quite a bit. I mean, real life doesn't stop just because you're planning the most important trip of your life. There was still work everyday, bills to manage, family gatherings at the holidays, and lions, and tigers and bears, oh my!

I still didn't have money enough in December to apply for my travel goodies, but I did manage to get every other detail in order. You don't have to be rolling in dough to get moving on your plans. Fill out paperwork, keep an eye on the airlines, and spend those stressed-out sleepless nights reading about what it's like from through the looking glass.

Obviously, not everyone will be able to save up enough money in 2-4 months to afford the journey. So pick a realistic start-date for your planning. But if you are an earlybird-on-steroids, be sure to budget for rises in travel costs, and occasional shifts in government fees.

Most of all, have fun! Check out touristy sites, or buy a great book on Australia. Start getting in the mindset that will keep you from going nuts over the next year (yes, I said year.. and that's minimum) it'll take move your life to Oz.

Slang of the Day — Whinge verb. To whine, complain, or bitch. noun. hissyfit, a complaining tantrum. Usage: "She's (whinging / having a whinge) over stupid airline prices."

Baby steps - Part 1

Setting the date
Going to Australia can be a bit daunting. Not so much because of the legalities.. in fact, it's a fairly easy country for Americans to visit. But the distance, time and cost can make one a bit aprehensive, so starting the plan early will only save you panic attacks later. (Well, it'll spare you at least a few panicky moments!)

My partner and I set the date before we even had a right to, I think. He'd been talking in loose terms about how great it'd be to show me the coastal roads and hillside paths from the back of his motorbike since the first weeks we met. And I suppose I could confess to dreaming of the South Aussie beaches, the cool night breezes easing the hot, arid day. Oh yeah, and maybe a bit of my then friend.

It was closer to August and the official start of our trans-world romance that we actually began thinking of a date for my trip. It was a bit laughable at the time. I was in debt up to my wahoo, could barely afford rent and still had The Slowfooted Ex^TM sleeping on my couch. But dreams are dreams and we let them wind on.

The original plan was to be in Adelaide for the Red Hot Chili Pepper's too-rare appearance in the southern city, but tickets were gone long before the ideal geled. Somehow, the date stuck with us over the next months and so mid-April it was! We really couldn't have chosen better if we'd tried.

Some folks would say its best to go at the most rugged, harsh time of year to really test your mettle. Me? I'm a wimp. I want to be there when I have the best shot of loving the dry, sunburnt climes of South Australia. Americans aren't always prepared for the intense sunshine, or the lack of rain and it can be a bit disorienting. Check out Australia's Bureau of Meterology for more info than you could ever need. It also doesn't hurt to start learning how to read temperatures is celcius. I've almost got it nailed!

Slang of the Day — Tinnie noun. Can of beer; small aluminium boat. Alt: Tinny.