Pre-departure preparations

Hey everyone!

This is our first official Australia travel blog post!

It is the Tuesday night before we leave....only 4 more days home before our two day flight to Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia! More specifically, we will be working and living on Daydream Island Resort and Spa. The Whitsunday Islands are a part of the Great Barrier Reef.

Here's a link to check out the resort :) daydreamisland.com

Preparations are a little more complicated than packing and jumping on a plane.
We had to apply for a visa, get travel and medical insurance, an international drivers license, book flights, shuttle and hostel reservations, as well as the most important part, actually applying, interviewing and finally getting a job in Australia.
The little details are important too. Contacting credit cards and banks, exchange currency, cancel gym memberships, downgrade phones, research Australian phones and internet (very important), and buying uniform worthy shoes are among the many things we could overlook.

The whole process actually started when a company called Work Enjoy Australia came to my (Lindsey's) school last winter. They basically helped me find a job but also with applying for the visa and other things. After about two months of talking with WEA, Brittney decided to join me! By June, we had both passed our application (resumes, and references were required) for WEA and were waiting for an email that we had a job interview. Finally, at the beginning on July, we received an email that a "great job opportunity in the Great Barrier Reef wants an interview with you both!" This was exciting news because we were staring to worry that we wouldn't find a job so we could leave in the fall.

The first interview went well, although we were both freaking out because it was over Skype. We wrote a list of questions to ask after we did as much research as possible about the resort. A week with no word was making us worry. Then Hayley (our WEA correspondent) told us that we did great and they want a second interview, a phone one this time, with the Events Coordinator. This one, was shorter and gave us more of an idea of the job we would be doing.

Another week went by.....then the email came saying "Congratulations!" Welcome Aboard!"

By this time, it is the end on July and they want us to be there by September 17th. The first thing we had to do was book a flight, which takes two days to get there, so we figured fly out the 14th, get there the 16th to have a day to rest, and then get to the island on the 17th.

Well we only have a few days left at home, our last days of work and then lots of packing!