So, not only am I planning my trip to Morocco, I’m also planning future trips. I blame the Intrepid brochures. And, some day soon, I plan to post an updateable list of the Things I Want to do Before I Die. One of those things will be a trip to New Zealand. I have been looking into the possibility of working holiday visas, and was hugely disappointed to find that most of them have an age range of 18-30. I’m 31. Welcome to the story of my life. There’s a similar story about why I don’t currently hold a British passport, but I’ll spare you the boring details.
Anyway, since I couldn’t work down there, or so I thought, I was looking into WWOOFing. WWOOF stands for Willing Workers On Organic Farms, and it sounds like a wonderful program. Another thing, I’m sure, that’s much more romantic in my head than it is in real life. But I have a long-standing obsession with soft furnishings, and have crocheted rugs and blankets galore, and the thought of spending some time on a sheep farm in New Zealand where they card and spin their own wool is immensely appealing. BUT, technically, you need a working visa in order to do it, since, in the government’s eyes, you are receiving payment for your work in the form of food and housing. So, in a fit of frustration, I sent an e-mail to the lovely people at WWOOF New Zealand asking them if I had any options left. And I got the following reply:
Hi Kithika,
You are in luck as BUNAC offers a working holiday visa for up to 35 year olds! The website to apply is http://www.swap.ca/out_eng/destinations/newzealand.aspx
Woohoo!! This has made me a very happy camper. It means I have time to go to Morocco and then save up again for my next trip. Of course, being all excited, I want to go RIGHT NOW. But I’m sure I’ll be able to find some patience somewhere. I still think the age limit sucks, though. Why shouldn’t you be able to take a working holiday when you’re in your forties or fifties if you want to?
In the meantime, however, with all this talk of visas, I’ve just thought to check my passport, and it expires in March. Morocco is among the many countries that requires your passport be valid for six months from the time of entry, so I’m going to have to get to work on renewing it and the Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode in the UK that’s in it. And if I’m very smart, I’ll get it submitted before I move to North Bay next month. It’s not like I’ll be leaving the country from there.
kithika