back in time, a trip to Turkey

About 5 years ago, the parents of one of my friends moved to Turkey. Perfect time to visit them! What was planned to be a 2 week trip during the easter holidays became a 3 week trip thanks to the erupting Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland (yes I had to look this up, and no I have no clue how to pronounce this). This was the perfect time to get to see different parts of the country.

I only knew Turkey from the pictures of some of my Facebook friends. Perfectly describable by the following words: hotel, swimming pool, beach and boring. I can not imagine myself going on a trip like this, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But one thing became clear from the first moment I arrived. Turkey is not just all-in hotels.

Okay, so no hotel lifestyle, what then? I have to admit... We did do some luxury hotel living at the end of the trip in Adana, in the South of Turkey. But that doesn't mean we were taking swimming pool selfies all day. We did trips in the neighborhood and enjoyed the amazing breakfast buffet the Hilton hotels have to offer... Seriously, never seen a buffet like that in my entire life. Well, that's something new I tried! But the best part of the trip was the first part.

The first days we spent at the home of my friends parents in Ankara. Got to know the city a bit which was pretty interesting. Then we made a trip to Cappadocia. Hiking, sleeping in cave B&Bs (yes in an actual cave, how cool is that!) and getting rewarded for all the hiking in a traditional hammam. After Cappadocia we made another trip, to Istanbul this time. Amazing. Great city, impressive in the first place. Would love to go back now that I'm a bit older and now my photography skills and gear got an upgrade. ;-)

Anyway, the pictures give a little impression of these 3 wonderful weeks in sunny Turkey!

Ankara

Cappadocia

Istanbul

MY PERSONAL GUIDE - A NEW ZEALAND ROADTRIP

have a look further down for more details about the places on the map

I honestly think New Zealand is the perfect spot for great road trips. Not only does the landscape change spectacularly every 100 kilometer, it just has a lot to offer: citytrips, hikings, adventures stuff and don’t forget about the wine tastings…

So when is the best time to go? Well the weather is the warmest, from November to April. It’s a lot busier during Summer, which is from December to Februari, but on the other hand there’s more happening as well… I’m thinking music (and wine) festivals but also christmas on the beach! If you’re more into skiing the period from June to August is probably a better idea.

I went during the months November and December, and had great sunny weather (about 20-25° C)

Where should you go? Since you made it to New Zealand, which is pretty much far from everywhere… GO EVERYWHERE! I heard a lot that the South island was prettier than the North one, but I have to say, it’s just different! The North island is definitely a winner as well.

How to get around? Getting around in New Zealand is super easy. Honestly, there’s not a lot of roads so getting lost is not part of your trip. Rent a car, take a bus, hitchhike or go by an organized tour like this for example.

Me and my friend hitchhiked in the North Island and rented a car in the South... Renting a car was easier to see more but hitchhiking was a bigger adventure and more exciting.

Where to stay? There's hotels, hostels, there's a lot of campsites or try couch surfing ... but the best one: cheap campsites in national parks! Costs about $6 a night and there's clean toilets, water and some even have cold showers. You can get a little map of where they are located in a local tourist information point.

Here's a selection of pictures I took and a some random words: 

AUCKLAND 

This is where we arrived. It's a really big city for New Zealand but there's not that much happening... The city is good to get over your jetlag but I wouldn't spend too much time there, NZ is waiting!!

HUIA 

Close to Auckland, amazing black beaches and tropical plants! And if you're unlucky like us, it comes with tropical storms :-) Anyway, it's a great place to do some day trips and hikes. There's also possibilities to go surfing when the weather is better!

MATAMATA 

You might know this place from the Lord of the Rings movies, but since I'm not a big fan, it was never the plan to end up here. But that day, this amazing couple we were hitchhiking with, invited us to their home. They showed us the neighborhood, went on a little hike, they cooked for us, we got to spend the night and got to enjoy their neighbors backyard baths... Oh and did I already say we got some avocados from their avocado tree?! Definitely an "I-love-Kiwis-day". Deep inside I've always known that they were nice, I watched Flight of the Concords at least 10 times ;-) (What I'm trying to say here is this is why you should hitchhike and go meet some locals!)

ROTORUA 

Probably the smelliest town in the world. The smell of the volcanic activity in the ground is not that fun but it's pretty cool to see from nearby! Oh and this comes with hot thermal waterfalls, rivers and everything! Just try to find the free ones. You can pay a big entrance fee to bathe in a crowded river or find the free one and have the river for yourself... Just ask the locals! (Am I saying this too much? (-; )

TAUPO 

Relaxing by the lake. Or hiking for real. From this place you can catch a bus to climb the tongariro volcano. If you wonder where the pictures of volcano lakes and crazy mountains are... The day I wanted to go, the volcano erupted!! Unbelievable but I guess it's a sign I have to go back to New Zealand, what a shame :-) Instead of erupting volcano pictures that I can assure you would have been an amazing subject to photograph, you get a pic of me, hitchhiking to Napier :-) almost as good!

NAPIER 

Also known as the Art Deco capital of New Zealand. Feels like a movie set for the Great Gatsby and that can't be a bad thing!

HAWKE'S BAY 

Time for some wine tasting! We took a tour, ended up being the only 20+year olds with a bunch of 65+year olds, and believe it or not... It was the best fun! After a glass or 2... ;-)

WELLINGTON 

The capital city and to my opinion, the best city in New Zealand. Especially Cuba St and surroundings, food and drinks all day! Great place if you want to gain a lot of weight in only a little time :-) or that basically happens on every holiday right..? Another thing, it's also a bit windy (they call it Windy Welly for a reason) so don't make the mistakes I made: wearing a hat :-) Apart from that, just a lovely city!!

ABEL TASMAN NATIONAL PARK 

Paradise. Honestly, go there and stay there! Golden skies, blue mountains, perfect beaches... I'm still overwhelmed watching the pictures! You can get a little pass to stay overnight in the park. Get your backpack out, hike from beach to beach, put your tent up on the beach, wake up with (one of) the best views (I ever saw) and you can thank me later!

WEST COAST 

A wild sea on this coastline. Dramatic-picture-taking-spot number one! The road next to the ocean is probably one of the most beautiful drives I've ever done. I could say its the Great Ocean Road from New Zealand. Couple of little towns on the way as well, good for fuel, coffee stops and grocery shopping. Also some pretty camping spots next to lakes. Waking up with a view!

FOX GLACIER 

(and the Franz Josef glacier) we couldn't get close because we didn't book a tour on the glacier (yes got to go back) but we did get to pick up an Scottish hitchhiker with our rental car. Returning the favor and everyone's happy!

WANAKA 

Great if you love outdoor sports. Not completely my kind of fun but got some great pics and views on the road to this little town, and a good feed after the drive so no complaints!

QUEENSTOWN 

After days of driving in the middle of nowhere, only bumping in to people now and then (and mostly 60 plussers or busses full of Japanese tourists) FINALLY a little city! People, YOUNG people, parties, barbecues next to the lake, fun and more fun! Oh yes, before I forget: after 2 hours almost got a big fine for parking the car wrong (strange parking rules there so watch out) but like I said before, Kiwis are nice and if you look as innocent (and confused) as I do, Mr. ParkingFine will be happy not to give it to you after all! Hooray for New Zealand (and for being a girl, comes in handy now and then). I guess I should also warn you, you're going to stay longer as you want. Especially after trying the FERGBURGER (please remember this name!). Probably the best burger in town, I mean in New Zealand, I MEAN IN THE WORLD. Go. check. it. out.

MILFORD SOUND 

After a week of partying, this is what you need. (Unless you're doing the hike, prepare yourself! Have heard some great stories and they're all spectacular!) We took the boat, relaxing afternoon on the water, surrounded by impressive landscapes and rainbows, especially those rainbows will make you feel in heaven.

DUNEDIN 

Not entirely sure what to write here... Just try to find the place of the picture! Such a great view on the city. And we secretly slept in our car there... Waking up with that view is just all we wanted that day.

OAMARU 

In between Dunedin and Oamaru, make a little stop to look at the boulders, so pretty! Oamaru itself is a small old town with some great old shops! I remember a Dutch bakery with amazing pastries... Evening activity: penguin watching, not too bad either.

CHRISTCHURCH 

And then there was Christchurch, unfortunately ruined by a big earthquake a couple of years ago. You can still see the city's scars as they're busy rebuilding it all. They did find some good solutions like a shopping mall in shipping containers... Clever idea from the Kiwis! The pic with the car is another I-want-to-wake-up-here spot, where we had a good sleep in our little car!

Got curious and want to see all the pics of this trip? Click here!

A YEAR ABROAD - THE WORKING HOLIDAY VISA FOR AUSTRALIA

I got SO many emails in lately with all one subject: spending a year abroad. I just got one thing to say: if you want to do it, do it! I was able to do it so I'm pretty sure you're all able to do it :-) I'm super excited to share this experience with you and give you some tips, how to figure it all out easily. Let me explain how I prepared for a year abroad:

First things first: save up some money, get a passport, pick a location, check if you are able to get a visa and book your flight! I was dying to go as far as possible. I only planned on doing this once so I had to do it right! From Belgium, New Zealand is probably one of the furthest locations you can choose. BUT I also like good weather (and New Zealand is not the warmest all year round) and I like to experience new cultures. That's when Australia and Indonesia joined the travel route.

I decided to get a working holiday visa for Australia (which you can get here and for New Zealand here). This visa allows you to stay in the country for 1 year. During that year you can work up to 6 months with an employer, study for up to 4 months and leave and re-enter as many times as you want.

You want to stay longer? That's no problem, than you have 2 options. The easy option: you can do specified work for 3 months full time (for example farm work, fruit picking, ...) for this you can get a second working holiday visa. The harder option is to get sponsored by one of your employers, but this allows you to stay as long as the sponsoring is for (can be several years). Don't forget the visa application can take up to 6 weeks, even though I got mine in 20 minutes...

So what's next. Book your flight. For this I went to a Belgian travel agency called Joker. I did this instead of booking online for the following reason: I wanted to book several flights with adjustable dates AND I wanted the cheapest price. I ended up paying a very low fee for a flight from Belgium to New Zealand, New Zealand to Australia and Australia to Belgium (there was also a free stopover in Singapore which I ended up not taking since I stayed longer than originally planned). You can use this ticket for 1 year and can make (limited) changes on the dates for free. Great deal if you ask me! Also, if there is a problem such as cancelled flights or delays, the travel agency will help you out! Once, my flight from Bangkok to Belgium was cancelled, but the agency already booked me a new flight and because of that I even got a better connection home + I got to fly with a better airline, win win!

Don't forget a travel insurance! I got sick in Australia and spent a lot of money on doctor's appointments (which are SO expensive over there). Once I got home the insurance gave me every cent back. I got mine with Mondial Assistance. It's not just a health insurance, they also cover robberies, cancellation costs, ...

When you arrive... If you're just traveling, enjoy! If you want to start working, don't forget you have to get some things sorted:

The easiest way to find a place to stay is on Gumtree. You can find shared houses and apartments with locals or other travelers. I had a lot of great experiences with this, I ended up living right in front of Bondi Beach in this beautiful apartment with some amazing girls. Life couldn't get any better!

When you work in Australia, you will be paying taxes for the Australian government. Don't worry just yet, you are able to claim these back! All you have to do is apply for the Tax File Number (TFN) here.

As soon you got a place to stay, you'll be able to get an Australian bank account, which you definitely need, you do want to get paid right?! Just go to a local bank and they will help you with everything! I got with NAB, but kind of regretted not going with Commonwealth Bank... The thing in Australia is that every time you get money out in a different bank, you pay a fee, and in a way there were Commonweath Banks all the time but I ended up having a hard time finding the local NABs... Could have saved me a lot of Aussie dollars!

Get a job. Yes... not as easy as it might sound. From experience I can say it's quite hard to find a specific job. For me, working as a full time graphic designer in an agency was impossible, I got rejected so many times because I was there on a working holiday visa. Easier to find is a job in hospitality (if you're in a city) or farm work (if you're at the country side). But still, looking for a job in hospitality when winter is coming is not a good idea, the time to look for this is in the beginning of summer (when it is getting busy!).

So now you're asking me where to look for a job? Have a look on Gumtree or bring your resume to the places where you want to work.

After making money, it's time to relax! Go travel around Australia, it's SUCH an amazing country so don't get stuck in just one place! Do road trips, go hiking, enjoy the beach culture, go snorkeling in the great barrier reef, ... and catch it all on camera (to remember it forever). Also try to make trips to New Zealand, Indonesia or even Fiji (since you're in the neighborhood...). And make it the best year of your life! Cheers!

(Pictures of my trip in 2012-2013, you can find more pictures here)