tips Keyword
Busabout
Probably the single greatest descision I made on my Odyssey so far was to jump on a Busabout coach, rather than buy myself a Eurorail Pass.
For those who don’t know Busabout is a service that runs a series of busses in constant loops around regions in Europe. They operate three main loops, North, South and West and offer a range of options for how you would like to tackle these routes.
The main benefit I thought intially was the flexibility it provided. You’re not locked into any particular schedule (other than the days the buses will be in your area) and you don’t need to follow any specific set route. If you want to skip a whole section and meet up with a bus a few countries away you can do that. While this was a bonus it wasn’t the be-all and end-all.
I then thought it was the convenience the bus provided. Being dropped right at the door of a hostel, bags all secure and after having had a nice relaxing bus ride is pretty awesome. Every bus has an awesome driver and talented guide who are always willing to help, but in the end it wasn’t this that has cemented busabout as my mode of travel of choice.
No it was the passengers. Each bus saw you meet up with new people, all who seemed like minded. Everyone was out to find their own adventure and have fun in the process. Busabout isn’t the boozy shagfest that Contiki and Top Deck are known for. You wont find (that many) deadhead 18 yearolds spending their parents money. I met awesome people with every bus ride, I longed for the busses to arrive at my hostels to see what old and new friends it might bring. Stories were swapped, tips made, drinks shared and friendships founded.
I had a fantastic time on Busabout, and anyone wishing to travel around Europe I can’t recommend the service enough. Infact I’m gonna apply for a Guide job the moment I hit Australia. I can’t get enough.
To my favorite busabout crew members: Zoltan, Nicola, Coops, Owen, Ben and the irrepressible Lucash. Thank you!
Get out ya seat and…
I have this developed this strange compulsion while on this trip to get jumping photos at major highlights of my adventure. I hate normal, posed, stare down the camera photos; mainly due to the fact I am pretty rough looking, and the less I appear in photos the better. Jumping photos however provide a great substitute. First of all they put me in the photo, something which helps to show “I was there” and second of all; they are relatively interesting. They also give bystanders something to laugh at, particularly when the photographer is no good at capturing the jump. A good jumping photo can take up to 5 shots to get, but you’ve got someone handy with a camera and it can be done in one. Most failed jump shots end up with the jumper just off the ground, stretched out like a board, toes pointed south and arms all akimbo. The requirement of having a decent photographer on your side is a bit of a restriction of the jump photo. It is almost impossible to get a jumping shot on your own.
For the busabouters, my jumping shots have provided a great amount of entertainment, and those skeptical at first of the brilliance of the jump shot are soon turned. Most of my mates on the bus have at least one jumping photo of their own in their collection.
Some tips for taking jumping photos:
- Fast Shutter Speed: Set your camera to a fast shutter speed, or if you have a “sports” mode set it to that.
- Bright Days: Jumping photos look best of bright days. A good shadow can make a jump look ten times higher than it actually is.
- Focus: Get your photographer to focus lock on you before the jump. Most cameras will take a photo almost instantly after focus is achieved. On most cameras this involves positioning the subject in the center of the frame, pressing the shutter down half way, listening for a beep and a visual indicator in the display and then, while holding the shutter button down half way, recomposing the shot.
- Countdowns: Confirm on a count down before starting. 3,2,1,JUMP or 1,2,JUMP etc. The is nothing worse than confirming a countdown from a few hundred meters away.
- Choose your backdrop: Sometimes you want people to see the background, rather than the jump. Most “sightseeing” stops are great jumping locales.
- Get Creative: Don’t just jump straight up and down, I’ve found my preferred jumping position to be arms out running man style and knees up. An overly dramatic contorsion will give the jump energy and usually looks pretty rocking.
- The More People The Better: Get a group involved. Jumping photos are about sharing the fun.
I’ve had a few people say they enjoy the jumping photos that are appearing on the site, so I have created a gallery which I will keep updated with the latest jumping shots. Keep checking back on it, I’ll have it linked in the footer, to see the latest jump shots. Enjoy!
UK Working Visas
Applying for an Australian Working Visa from the UK is laughably easy, according to most of the UK backpackers I’ve spoken to. I’ve heard reports of pommies applying online and being told within hours if they have had their Visa issued.
The process is not nearly as easy for Aussies headed to the UK, as I found out.
Here’s some handy hints I’ve picked up from my experience for Australians applying for a UK Working Visa.
- Expect delays
Applications take around 25 days to process apparently, but it can take longer. Don’t leave it till the last two weeks before you leave. Give a few months lead time. - You WILL have to surrender your passport
I thought this was a mistake on the website, but you will have post your passport to Canberra. I never let me passport out of my sight, and the idea of sending my passport through the absurdly unreliable AusPost completely confounded me. But, it needs to be done apparently. As I am leaving for Japan in 2 weeks I can’t give up my passport, so no Visa for me. - The cost of applying is refundable UP TO A POINT
If you choose to give up on your application do it BEFORE the consulate take your biometric details. Anytime after that and you’ve lost your money, no exceptions. This would have been handy for me to know before they took my fingerprints. - You can only get a Tier 5 Youth Mobility Visa from inside Australia
Pretty much says it all. You can’t get it issued outside your home country. Not even if you’ve started the application and its all over apart from the the shouting. - TWO WEEKS?!
You have only two weeks from starting the application to when Canberra need to receive your documention. Don’t expect that you can start it up again in a few months, or in a years time. You WILL have to pay another $280 bucks and go through all this shit again.
I hope these tips help anyone looking to apply for a UK Working VISA. They sure would have helped me! At this point I have no UK working Visa, and my Italian Citizenship is still lost in the thick forest of red-tape, slackness and bureaucracy that is the Italian Immigration System. Looks like I’ll be funding my entire trip out of savings.