Tips For Your First OE
You’ve just finished high school/university,you don’t know what you want to do with your life because who decided that 18-year-olds should bear that responsibility anyway, and so you decide to partake in the Kiwi equivalent of a rite-of-passage: the big OE (Overseas Experience).
You’re filled with excitement at the prospect of leaving home for possibly the first time in your life; just imagine, all the places you’ll go, the different cultures you’ll experience, and all the amazing people you’ll meet along the way. But as exciting as an OE sounds, it is terrifying at the same time. Where will you go? How will you know what to do when you get there? How will you make sure that you’re not going to be completely alone in a strange country? et cetera.
To save you from the paralysing fear that is the unknown, I have compiled a list with handy tips and suggestions to get you through your year overseas, and to make it possibly one of the best years of your life.
Where will I go?
The first thing you need to decide is where you want to go, and how long you would want to go for. To figure this out I would suggest talking to a travel agent; STA Travel is always a good choice because they focus their services specifically on students, and can get you some great student deals suited specifically to your needs.
One great service that they offer is ‘Round the World’ trips. You buy a package that includes tickets from (for example): Auckland > Los Angeles > Paris > make your own way to Rome > Dubai > Singapore > Auckland. Prices range from just over $2000 to $5000, depending on where you want to go and how many stopovers you want to have.
STA Travel also offers other great services such as travel insurance, visa advice, tours, volunteering experiences, and more. So when planning your first OE, I highly recommend talking to them!
For more information:
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http://www.statravel.co.nz/home.htm
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http://www.statravel.co.nz/round-the-world-ticket-details.htm
(Please note that I have not, in any way, been asked by STA Travel to promote their services. They helped me to organise traveling overseas for my university exchange and did a marvelous job of it; as such I just wish to recommend their services. Feel free to talk to other travel agencies as well, as they might offer better deals depending on the time of year that you wish to travel).
What will I do?
So now that you’ve decided where you want to go and how you’re going to get there, it’s time to decide how you will be spending your time (and money) during your trip. Although it is perfectly fine to play it by ear and choose to figure things out once you get there, I think that planning out activities and mini-trips before you go helps to reduce travel-related stress.
So, before you leave, do your research! Travel agencies are once again a great resource for finding things to do on your trip, but you can also do your research from the comfort of your own home; just arm yourself with a computer, the internet, some good music, and a nice hot drink. Keep a notebook within reach to jot down quick ideas.
If you want to do slightly longer trips then Contiki tours are the thing to do. They offer personalized tours all over the world, and they are another really cool way to meet like-minded people and make new friends. An additional benefit is that you won’t be travelling on your own, as that can be a limiting factor for people who go travelling for the first time.
For more information:
(I have also not been asked by Contiki to promote their services)
Where will I stay?
Finding accommodation is one of the worst challenges you have to face when planning your OE. Most hotels are pricey, the cheaper ones might not be in a good area of town, and although couchsurfing is certainly an option, it might not be the best choice (especially if you’re travelling alone).
For safe and affordable accommodation I suggest staying at a youth hostel. They have a wide variety of options available to the intrepid traveller; room types range from dorms (where you share the room with 4-8 other people), to single rooms, double rooms, etc. Most youth hostels also organise daily trips and evening events, so you will never be bored!
The best chain of youth hostels that I would recommend is Hostelling International. They have 4,000 hostels in 90 countries worldwide, and their philosophy is all about discovering new places, experiencing new cultures, and making lifelong friends.
For more information:
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https://www.couchsurfing.org/
(And no I also haven’t been asked by HI to promote their services. I have stayed in a couple of their hostels, and the experience has always been positive!)
Quick tips:
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Try to go with a friend if possible. Leaving the comforts of home for the first time can be both thrilling and terrifying, and having a friend along for the ride will make the experience all the more enjoyable. Make sure that your person of choice is someone that you can get along with for a very long period of time!
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If you’re going to a country where english is not the first language, make sure that you have a way of communicating with the locals, either by buying a translations book (English - other language) or by using one of the many translator apps available for smartphones and tablets. Just be aware of your surroundings when using your gadgets.
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Keep a little notebook with you (possibly the one that you wrote your activities and day-trip plans in!) and have a section dedicated to important phone numbers and contact details. Separate these by country (and possibly city) if you’re planning on visiting multiple places. Some important numbers to keep in mind are: the emergency number for that country, the phone number and address of the accommodation that you’re staying at, and possibly the contact details of the NZ embassy if you’re in a less safe country.
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Befriend the locals! Local people are a better source of information about the area than most tourist websites or information centres. If you really want to explore a city/town/country, then engaging with the people who live there will provide you with a whole new perspective that all the tourist-focused services don’t offer. ▼
Handy links:
