WORKING HOLIDAYMAKER PROGRAM (THE ULTIMATE TRAVEL ADVENTURE)

The thing is that travelling is getting expensive. Especially, for young people it is hard to set out on a journey into the strange world, so, they seek for alternatives how to travel without having to spend a fortune. Working Holiday Maker Program appears to be the ideal option. In fact, it is better than that. One can even make pretty good cash while travelling.

WHAT IS WORKING HOLIDAYMAKER PROGRAM (WHMP)

Working Holiday Maker Program (Working Holiday, Work and Holiday or Work and Travel) allows people, typically from 18 to 30-35 and from eligible partner countries to undertake employment in the country issuing the visa to supplement their travel funds for up to 2 year-long.

The most popular WHMP countries are most of the English speaking countries, such as United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, since they usually offer great employment opportunities in various industries and provide reasonably good wages.

Grape picking in New Zealand

WHMP was established in January 1975 with the main purpose to promote international understanding by enabling young people to experience the culture of another country. From the economical point of view, WHMP has been helping the “less attractive” industries like hospitality, child care, agriculture and viticulture to fill the occupations in demand.

Commonly, it is casual work in hospitality and seasonal work, such as fruit picking, vegetable gathering, farming, particularly in the regional areas are most wanted. However, there are also lucrative job opportunities for those with good qualifications, working experience, and language skills.

For job opportunities and more information see http://theworkingholidayclub.com/united-kingdom.html

Working in hospitality, London

THE BENEFITS OF WHMP

• Experiencing living in the foreign country, moving around freely, changing work frequently and according to one’s needs and desires
• Avoiding the expensive university exchange programmes and internships
• Having the opportunity to keep refilling travel funds through casual employment
• Trying various types of jobs and industries
• Making friends from different countries
• Broadening horizons and perspectives
• Opening up to new cultures, foods, lifestyles, etc.
• Improving foreign languages
• Gaining a life-changing experience

Working as a scuba diving instructor in Australia

HOW TO APPLY FOR WHMP

To apply for the WHMP visa you must hold a valid passport from a country involved in the WHMP with the desired country. Applications can be lodged online and the processing fee is around $200 USD, depending on the country.

NOTE that some countries have limited spots only. You will have to have an overseas travel health insurance for the duration of stay and sufficient funds to cover the initial costs. Every country has different conditions and restrictions regarding WHMP, depending on their diplomatic relations.

For further details, conditions, restrictions and more information see:

• For Australia WHMP  https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/417-/Working-Holiday-visa-(subclass-417)-document-checklist
• For Canada WHMP  http://www.workpermit.com/canada/working_holiday.htm
• For New Zealand WHMP  https://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/move-to-nz/new-zealand-visa/work-visa/working-holiday-visa
• For the United Kingdom WHMP  http://www.workpermit.com/uk/wh_introduction.htm

Working as a Ski instructor in Canada

COUNTRIES THAT OFFER WHMP

Countries offering WHMP are: Andorra, Australia, Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Poland, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam.

For more information check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_holiday_visa or seek for some advice at your government website.