A great way to live abroad and work and travel abroad is on a working holiday visa. The decision to quit your job and leave your responsibilities to go on a working holiday abroad isn’t always an easy one. However, many people leave all the time to work and travel around the world. There are both pros and cons to a working holiday. If you are wondering whether you should go on a working holiday, here are my 9 good reasons why I believe a working holiday is a good idea. 

What Is a Working Holiday?

A working holiday is when you are allowed to spend an extended stay in another country to holiday, travel and work. Many countries have a reciprocal working holiday agreement in place that allows young people aged 18-30, sometimes up to 35 years of age a stay of up to 12 months, but sometimes up to 24 months. Being eligible for a working holiday visa will let you immerse yourself in another country to discover the culture, food, work with the locals and see incredible things as you travel around. Check out my Working Holiday Visa overview further in this blog.

Don’t Qualify for a Working Holiday? Don’t Worry

If you don’t qualify for a Working Holiday Visa because of your age, don’t worry, there are still plenty of options to work and travel abroad out there for you. Opportunities may not be as abundant as what opportunities a working holiday offers, however, there are still opportunities to  travel and work abroad. If you are in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s or older, get inspiration here Over 30 Your Travel and Work Options. Or get a copy of my ebook of the same name.

What is a Working Holiday Visa?

To go on a working holiday, you need to qualify, apply for and be granted a working holiday visa. The visa sets out the rules allowing you to live and work in another country. I have a listing of countries with a working holiday visa further on in this post.

Reasons To Go On a Working Holiday

As with everything, there are pros and cons to going on a working holiday abroad. Let’s start with the pros, which by the way, far outweigh the cons of a working holiday. So if you are nervous and need an extra push to go on a working holiday, here are the benefits of a working holiday.

1. A Working Holiday Lets You Stay Longer

As mentioned, a working holiday allows participants to stay longer in a particular country. A number of countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and many EU, Asian and South American countries offer Working Holiday Visas. You will be able to experience more than what you would if you were only going on a short trip. A typical tourist visa is for three months, while the working holiday visa is 12 months, sometimes up to 24 months. Even if you decide not to work, you will be allowed to stay for a longer time. For example, in Australia, a typical tourist visa is for 3 months, but a working holiday visa can be granted for 12 months and can be increased to 24 months if you complete 88 days of certain work. Twelve months, or even 24 months would allow you to experience a lot more of what the country has to offer.

2. Top Up Your money

The idea behind a working holiday is that you will be able to work during your working holiday, usually for half of your stay. Working allows you to earn money to support yourself during your stay. Many have been able to save while on a working holiday and been able to fund their travels not only in the country they are living and working in, but other countries also. This is one of the best reasons to do a working holiday because you can top up your travel fund with casual employment to keep on travelling. And there are many backpacker travel jobs you could pick up along the way.

3. You Can Leave For Your Trip Sooner

Apart from proving you have enough funds for your initial stay during your working holiday, you do not need to save up thousands of dollars in advance before your adventure. This means you can leave sooner on your adventure because you will be able to work during your working to earn more money to fund more travels. So if you are worried about running out of the money, a big positive to a working holiday is that you can work to earn money.

4. You Can Try Your Hand at Typical Working Holiday Traveller Jobs

Bartending is a typical traveller job you could try while on your working holiday.

With the idea that you can pick up work while on a working holiday, it is not always expected that you will work in your current profession. This is because in many cases you will need to do bridging exams and/or register with professional bodies before you can work. This can all be time consuming and costly. So many travellers try their hand at something different. This could be serving pints in a London Pub. Maybe you could be a Jackaroo or Jillaroo in the Australian outback. What about picking grapes in Europe. Possibly be a nanny in New York or work on reception in a hostel. Or maybe you would like to obtain a diving certificate to become a dive master! There are so many different opportunities to try while you travel and work on a working holiday. Visit my Work Options page for some inspiration. You can also read what work these 10 travellers did on their working holiday.

5. Meet the Locals

When you are backpacking around the world, the majority of people you meet are those on tours or in hostels. Staying for an extended period of time in one place allows and taking working lets you to meet the locals. When you begin work you will be working with a local (usually). And sometimes you can form bonds with these locals who may become long-lasting friends. They will introduce you to the local culture – and that is a great thing about going on a working holiday. I have a number of those from my travels and I now have places to stay when I visit Auckland, Los Angeles, London and Hong Kong.

👉👉👉👉Get My Working Holiday Packing List here.

6. Immerse Yourself in the Local Culture

There is only so much you can do and learn on a short trip to another country. Spending an extended time in one country allows you to immerse yourself in the local culture and truly appreciate many aspects of a different way of life. From seeing things the local people do. Enjoying the local food. Seeing natural wonders of the country and maybe the local neighbourhoods. Experience vibrant cities and discover and experience the different culture. In addition, the work experience you will have gained by working in a foreign country, is likely to benefit you when you return home.

 7. Working Abroad Looks Good on Your CV

Yes, that’s right. Listing work and any volunteering done during your working holiday can be a great advantage on your CV for when you ‘settle down’. Some employers appreciate that a potential employee has had experience working overseas and has broader cultural understanding. Plus any new skills you may have acquired.

8. Have the Time of Your Life

Do I need to elaborate on this one? I wil! Mostly you should have the time of your life while on your working holiday or working holidays. There will be ups and downs and some frustrations. Hopefully you will remain safe as you immerse yourself in local cultures and enjoy everything the place you are in has to offer. Enjoy your working holiday, but also be safe.

9. A Working Holiday Offers a Chance to Assess a Potential Expat Location

Being allowed an extended stay in another country, offers you a chance to assess it as a potential future expat location. If you ‘fell in love’ with the country you could assess whether or not this would be a good permanent move for you. You time there will allow first-hand knowledge of what the job market is like, what suburbs you would want to live in and other general things about the country. A working holiday could be a trial run. You would then need to look into what visa would allow you to move abroad to another country. Many people are doing so by being transferred there by their employer, working remotely for their employer or becoming a digital nomad.

Cons of Working Holidays

After going on a UK working holiday myself, I can only come up with 2 disadvantages of a working holiday visa.

1. There is an Age Limit

Yes, I’ve never been sure why that is. But there is an age limit for working holiday makers. Most working holiday visas have an age limit of 18-30 years, but some have an age limit of 18-35 years. If you are over this age you cannot apply for a working holiday visa. But as I mentioned before, there are still options when you are over 30 to live abroad and work abroad. Plus look into other visas including digital nomad visas.

2. Not All Countries have a Working Holiday Visa

Unfortunately not all countries have a working holiday visa available. The most popular countries that do are Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada. These countries have reciprocal working holiday visas with many countries, but not all.

What Are the Two Types of Working Holiday Visa?

There are two types of working holiday visa available for those aged 18-35 years of age. They are, the Working Holiday Visa and the Work and Holiday Visa. They are very similar, yet have subtle differences. Both visas are basically a residence permit. If you qualify for one you can undertake employment in the country issuing the visa to supplement your travel funds. Sometimes there are restrictions on the type of work you can do in some of the countries. This is why you often here of typical ‘backpacker jobs’. The main difference between the two visas is the Work and Holiday Visa is aimed at students or recently qualified tertiary students. Where as the Working Holiday Visa is aimed at anyone aged between 18-30 (sometimes 35) years of age. Both visas allow you to undertake work while you are living in a particular destination.

Working Holiday Visa at a Glance

In general:

• Your main intention is to holiday and take incidental work.
• Must be 18 to 30 years (sometimes 18 to 35 years) inclusive at the time of your application.
• Be single or married without children.
• Prove you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your initial stay.
• Have a return and or onward ticket or sufficient funds so you can leave the country at the end of your stay.
• Each country issues a working holiday visa once in your life time. So make the most of your time. Most countries allow you to stay for 12 months. Some allow a stay of up to 24 months.

Work and Holiday Visa at a Glance

In general:

• Your main intention is to holiday and take incident work.
• Be 18 to 30 years (sometimes 18 to 35 years) inclusive at the time of your application.
• Hold a tertiary qualification or be studying full-time
• Speak English
• Obtain a letter of support from your Government.

Which Countries Have a Working Holiday Visa?

Please note. The following list was current at the time of writing this blog. I highly suggest that you visit the appropriate country’s website to get the latest information. Following is a quick overview of which countries offer a working holiday visa. Remember, if you don’t qualify for a working holiday visa check out the work and travel options for Over 30s here or other visas such as a student visa, work permit or digital nomad visa.

👉👉👉👉 See a Full List of Countries 🌏 with a Working Holiday Visa Here.

Are You Ready to go on a Working Holiday?

As you have read, the benefits of a working holiday far outweigh any drawbacks. And there are many countries that have a working holiday visa available. The hard part now is choosing which country you want to go to first! Whichever country or countries you choose can I just say, enjoy your working holiday.

👉👉👉👉Don’t forget Travel Insurance for your Working Holiday. Check out World Nomads and SafetyWingto get the right policy.