10 Reasons Why You Should Take a Working Holiday

It’s easy to feel uninspired and stuck in a rut when you’re overwhelmed with assignments from your university courses or tied down by your day-to-day projects at your 9-5 job. If you often find yourself bored at your desk and distracted by your daydreams of wandering the bustling streets of a new city… this may be a sign! A working holiday gives you the chance to branch out from the familiar and test the waters of living life in a new environment. Then, when you come back home, you will be refreshed with new perspectives from your experiences and reignite that zest for life within you.

When you’re on a working holiday, you will work during the week and then have time to play during the evening and on weekends. Whether you’re into checking out the nightlife in the city or venturing out into nature within or outside of the country on your weekend breaks, exploring through a working holiday maximizes your windows of opportunities for travel. For example, France is an ideal central base for travel due to the country’s close proximity to the rest of Europe. Take the high-speed Eurostar train and get from Paris to London in under three hours!

When applying for jobs and graduate programs, having international work experience gives you a competitive edge by helping you stand out from the stack of resumes. Potential employers and instructors will be impressed when they see your extensive travel experience, as it immediately shows that you have the desired skills they are looking for, such as adaptability, independence, endurance, and the willingness to try new things and take on new challenges. It’s also worthwhile to mention that foreign language skills are an added bonus to have in today’s growing globalization-driven work market. With the fascinating anecdotes from your working holiday experience you’ll be sharing in interviews, you will surely be a candidate to remember.

If navigating the journey of a working holiday seems daunting to do on your own, never fear! There are many organizations to aid participants with the working holiday visa application process and even throughout the working holiday as well. Go International offers support for international work programs in countries like Australia, New Zealand, France, UK, and Japan. Acting as personalized coaches, Go International’s team of consultants provides assistance with everything from arranging job interviews with potential employers to passing on local tips and recommendations as soon as you land at the airport. And the best: They are your travel experts because they have experienced working abroad themselves and know exactly how you feel!

Travelling the world can seem like an impossible dream when you factor in monetary costs. However, you don’t need to have a high income nor dip into your savings to achieve your travel goals. With a working holiday, you can forgo waiting to save up enough money and instead make money while working AND travelling at the same time! With employment and a home base, you will have the means to finance your stay in the city of your choosing and your adventures after work hours. Programs like Go International can also help you minimize some expenses in a budget-friendly way, such as by securing you with affordable accommodation.

From your host families to your coworkers, along with your new local and international friends, the best part of the working holiday experience is getting the chance to meet incredible people! You will be encouraged to venture outside of your comfort zone, socialize like never before, and forge new connections in your new communities. These connections will develop into meaningful relationships that will not only provide you with a sense of community during your travel, but carry on long after your return home as well. How amazing would it be to have new friends in every country you travel to, as well as return their hospitality when they come to visit your home country?

Investing in international work experience adds incredible value and advantages to your career. No matter what industry or occupation you’re in, you will learn and grow more while you’re away on a working holiday than if you just stayed put at your desk or your office at home. Especially if you’re working in the hospitality industry, for example as a ski instructor in Japan’s Hokkaido mountain resort. You will also benefit from strengthening your communication skills by conversing with people from different cultures. Along with opening the door to global networking opportunities and gaining a deeper understanding of global issues… The gains are endless!

When you live with your own family while studying, you probably won’t have the chance to live on your own yet. Working abroad provides you with the freedom to make your own choices and a sense of empowerment to be daring, to take risks and go outside of your comfort zone. Be independent, resourceful and adaptable! You will learn that you are capable of a lot more than you previously gave yourself credit for and your outlook on life will change significantly.

Since you will be committed to living in your temporary country for months or years, you will have an enriched local experience in your new home. Before you know it, you will have your favourite coffee shops in every neighbourhood, be an expert at navigating the public transit system, and share your own insider tips for friends who come to visit you. With this familiarity, you will feel truly part of your host city.

Your twenties are your prime time for self-exploration. How accessible will it be to take advantage of international travel opportunities once you take on professional and personal commitments that anchor you to settling down in one place? With most working holiday opportunities having an age limit of 30 to 35 years, it’s to your advantage to embark on these travel experiences now.  So, are you convinced yet? What are you waiting for? Take the leap today and apply to do a working holiday in your dream destination!