Gap year and travel

What an Australian needs to plan an IEC Working Holiday in Canada: 2025 federal and provincial tax rates, SIN application timeline, typical ski-resort and city wages, and the most common mistakes IEC holders make.

State-by-state rules for deferring a Year 12 university offer in Australia. UAC, VTAC, QTAC, SATAC and TISC each handle deferral differently; here are the deadlines, durations and gotchas.

What an Australian needs to plan an Irish WHA stay: PAYE, USC and PRSI tax tables for 2025, PPS number application steps, typical jobs and wage bands in Dublin and Cork, and the most common mistakes WHV-holders make.

What an Australian needs to plan a Japan WHV: 2025 national and resident-tax bands, MyNumber and Resident Card setup timeline, typical Niseko ski-resort and Tokyo English-teaching pay, and the most common mistakes Aussie WHV-holders make.

Australians do not need a working holiday visa to live and work in New Zealand. This deep-dive covers 2025-26 PAYE tax tables, IRD number application, KiwiSaver, typical ski-resort and hospitality pay, and the most common mistakes Aussies make.

Honest pros and cons of taking a gap year between Year 12 and university for Australian school leavers. Includes the data on academic re-entry and a decision checklist.

Everything an Australian needs to plan a UK Youth Mobility Scheme stay: 2025/26 income-tax and National Insurance rates, NI number application timeline, typical jobs and pay bands, and the common mistakes WHV-holders make in London.

Honest practical money guide for the first overseas schoolies trip. Covers cash vs card, ATM scams, dynamic currency conversion, scooter deposits, common Bali, Phuket and Fiji rip-offs, and how to handle a lost or skimmed card from 4,500 km away.

How tax works when you're earning overseas on a Working Holiday Visa. Covers the UK Youth Mobility Scheme, Ireland WHA, Canada IEC, Japan WHV, and the inverse: Aussie 462/417 visa-holders working in Australia.

Practical safety guide for Year 12 leavers attending Schoolies week on the Gold Coast, Byron Bay, the Victorian coast or Western Australia. Covers Surf Life Saving patrols, Red Frogs support, drink spiking and what to do if things go wrong.

What travel insurance actually covers, why under-25s should always buy it for scooter, ski, surf and adventure trips, and why parent credit card insurance often fails when you travel solo.

How to keep your phone working overseas without paying $5 a day for roaming. Compares eSIM providers, traditional Australian roaming packs and local prepaid SIMs for popular schoolies destinations: Bali, Phuket, Fiji, Japan, the UK and the United States.

Australians can live, work and study in NZ indefinitely under the Trans-Tasman Arrangement. Best gap-year on-ramp because there is no visa application, no time limit and no points test.

China has no WHV with Australia. Tourist visa is required for most stays. Beijing-Xi'an-Chengdu-Shanghai is the standard first-trip circuit.

Hong Kong's WHV is open to Australians 18-30 for 12 months. High wages in finance and hospitality, very high rents, but the MTR makes it a small city to live in.

No WHV. India offers some of the longest tourist visas going (5-year multiple entry). Goa, Rishikesh and the Himalayas are the main school-leaver circuits.

Indonesia includes Bali, the single most popular Australian destination for school leavers. The WHV is real but the quota is small; most travellers use the 30-day VoA.

Japan's WHV is one of the most popular for Aussies: 12 months, no quota for Australian applicants. Niseko ski jobs, Tokyo English teaching and Osaka hospitality are the typical paths.

Malaysia has a Work and Holiday Programme with Australia (small quota) and a 90-day visa-free tourist entry. KL, Penang and Borneo (Sabah, Sarawak) are the typical Aussie circuits.

No WHV with Australia. The Philippines is best known to Aussies for diving (Coron, El Nido, Apo Reef), surfing (Siargao) and the easy 30-day visa-free entry.

Singapore's Work Holiday Programme is narrow: 6 months, full-time university students or recent grads only, ages 18-25. Common base for an Asia trip due to safety and English.

Korea's H-1 WHV is 12 months with full work rights for Australians 18-30. Annual quota (about 200 for Australia) fills early.

Taiwan's WHV is 12 months with strong job availability in English-teaching, hospitality and tourism. Public health insurance is mandatory and excellent.

Thailand's Work and Holiday Programme runs as a 12-month visa for Australians 18-30 (small quota). Most Aussies travel tourist-only; cost of living is among the lowest in popular destinations.

Vietnam has no Working Holiday Visa with Australia. The 90-day eVisa is generous for travel. Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City overland is one of the most popular long-trip routes for Aussie school leavers.

France's VVT lets Australians 18-35 stay 12 months with work rights. Ski seasons in the Alps and summer hospitality on the south coast are typical job markets.

Germany's WHV is generous: 12 months, work rights, no quota, low cost of living outside Munich. Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne are popular bases.

Ireland's 24-month Working Holiday Authorisation has no annual cap and processes quickly. Dublin rents are brutal; cork, Galway and Limerick are far more affordable.

Italy's WHV is small (annual cap) and bureaucratic, but its cost of living outside Rome and Milan is some of the lowest in Western Europe.

Switzerland does not have a WHV with Australia. It is one of the world's most expensive countries to visit. Best done as a 5-10 day Schengen leg, not a long stay.

The UK Youth Mobility Scheme lets Australians aged 18-35 live and work for up to three years. London rents are high; the rest of Britain is cheaper than Sydney.

The Canadian IEC Working Holiday is a 2-year open work permit for Australians 18-35. Quotas are oversubscribed; profile early in the year.

The US does not run a generic working-holiday visa. Australians work via sponsored J-1 categories (4 months summer work, longer for interns and trainees) or under student / exchange streams. Most school leavers go for J-1 Summer Work Travel.

No WHV with Australia. Turkey offers a cheap, accessible 90-day e-visa. Istanbul, Cappadocia and the Turquoise Coast are the standard circuit. Gallipoli is a meaningful pilgrimage for many Aussies.

No WHV. The UAE is mostly relevant to Aussies as an Emirates / Etihad stopover, or for Dubai-based hospitality / cabin-crew careers. 30-day visa-on-arrival makes a short stop trivial.