Well, well, well. I finally let the cat out of the bag this week. I’ve just quit my job and I’ll be moving abroad – again! I’ve got a one-year visa and I’m moving to Australia!! I am equal parts excited and scared shitless. I’ve never been to Australia, and at the moment I have no real idea what I’ll do once I’m there. But we all need to take chances in life, we all have to make a leap of faith from time to time. So in February I’ll be packing up my life in York, and setting out for a year-long adventure in the Land Down Under.

Why Australia?

Australia has been my plan for nearly a decade. Ever since I got together with my ex-husband, back in 2014, it’s always been the plan. Here’s the rough life plan we had: we’d both finish university while doing long distance. I’d move to the UK to be with him. After 5 years in the UK, I’d get Indefinite Leave to Remain. Once I had that, we’d go to Australia for a year. That was the plan. That was my life plan for about 6.5 years.

Well, obviously, not all of that went to plan. I’m divorced now, and I’ll be going to Australia on my own. Two years ago now, my life changed completely and forever from the expectations I had for so many years. But I still want to go on this adventure, and so I’m still going.

The most important factor in deciding to move abroad? The fact that Australia has a working holiday visa, which allows young people from many nationalities (including Americans) from the ages of 18-30 to move for one year (or up to three years) and do short-term work in the country. I just turned 30, and so it really is now or never – if I don’t go now, I’ll be too old to meet the age requirements and won’t be eligible for this visa anymore. So, that’s why I’m going now!

The other main reason for going to Australia is the fact that it’s so big, and so far away. I’ve always known that when the time came to go, I’d want to go for a long time. I’d want to see everything. And what better way to do that then with a year-long visa?! I’ll be able to work any job anywhere in Australia, as long as it’s for less than 6 months at a time. This will give me great freedom to see more parts of the country and explore different regions.

What About the UK?

Moving to Australia was never an option until after I’d got my permanent residency in the UK. My primary goal, for so, so many years, was to be able to live in the same country as my partner, forever. Obviously, this did not turn out exactly how I expected. My life now is completely different, and my life in the UK is now separate from the person I moved for.

However, I was granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in August 2021, and not a day goes by where I’m not eternally grateful for it. ILR allows me to leave the UK and come back as many times as I want. It lapses if I leave the UK for more than two years. However, as long as I enter the UK at some point before those two years is up, my status as a permanent resident won’t change. I have the freedom to pursue other adventures, and know that this is home.

I fully intend to move back to the UK – I mean honestly, I’ve spent so much on visa fees to live here I know I’ll be here forever! And I plan on coming back to York. I love York, and this city is my forever home. Yorkshire is where I belong, and I feel so blessed to have ended up here. I have good friends here, and I am extremely happy here. I have so many places to explore in the UK, so many adventures and trips and experiences still to have. But Australia is one adventure I have been dreaming of for so many years, and I can’t let it pass me by.

I know that if I don’t go, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. So while yes, I am scared shitless, and yes, it is terrifying to quit my job and move away from the city I love most in the world, I’m still doing it.

So What’s Next?

Did I mention I’m spending a month traveling around Asia before I go to Australia? Lol well I am. I leave on 21 February 2023 to fly to Seoul in South Korea (via a stopover in Abu Dhabi). I’ve never been to Asia before! I’ll have about two weeks in South Korea and two weeks in Thailand before I arrive in Australia and activate my working holiday visa. I’ll then have exactly one year in Australia to work and travel as much as I like.

Most of the next two months before I leave will be a flood of life admin tasks. I’ve spent weeks pricing up storage units, and will need to put pretty much everything I own into storage when I move out. I need to figure out what to do with my car when I go, as I really don’t want to sell it. I need to figure out what to do with prescriptions, contact lenses, and my mail. It will be an organizational nightmare, but if anyone can do it – it’s me. I know I can do this.

Earlier this year, one of my good friends (from home) messaged me about coming to visit me in the UK. I told her to come before February and when I told her I was planning on going to Australia, she replied, “omg, finally you’re getting to Australia!!!” Most people who have known me for a long time have known that this has always been part of the plan. It’s time to make that plan a reality now.

In April 2022, my role at my company was made redundant. I accepted a demotion and a paycut in the same company for a new role. In all the drama and stress of this process, I felt that this was the best decision – if I wasn’t very happy, I knew deep down I might not be in the role for that long. In the back of my mind, I signed the new contract thinking I might move.

In August, I needed a new wifi contract. Instead of locking myself into a (cheaper) 24-month plan, I opted for the more expensive plan with no breakage fees. It was the first real decision I made towards this new adventure.

In October, I applied for the working holiday visa. I had heard dramatic stories about how long it was taking for visas to come through, how people had applied and were waiting months. My visa was granted in 1 minute. By the time it took for me to refresh the page and check my email, I’d already received my visa. That was the first big financial commitment I put towards doing to Australia.

This is a brand new adventure for me and I am feeling every emotion possible. I’m excited, I’m scared, I’m thrilled. Thank you all so much for following along with my blog, being there with me on this journey, and for reading this post. I can’t wait to share this newest adventure with you all!

Have you ever been to Australia or done a working holiday before?!