cordi

Our position is that we have our visas which have to be activated before 6.2.05. There are 6 of us 4 children 2 adults .
For us to go on holiday to Australia, even on the cheap ,will probably cost ﾃつ｣3000 to get there and more for us to stay someplace . So probably no change out of ﾃつ｣5000
Although we have friends who would put 2 of us up on the couch,it is unrealistic to expect it for 6 people
I also want to have a good time whilst we are there because I want the children to look forward to emigrating .
SSooo should we just bring things forward and just go!!!!
John doesn't have a job lined up and obviously we haven't sold the house yet . But is there much point in spending all that money just to go over for good next May ??
We were hoping to leave next Spring if all goes to plan . We thought a year would be enough time to sort everything out :- Sell house,Find work ,Give notice ,Find new school,etc etc
Has anyone had this problem ?? What did you do ???

Cordi

steandleigh

Hiya!

We went out last summer for 3 weks, went to Syd, mel and cairns. Cost us ﾃつ｣10,000. :scared:

There were 5 of us that went and we did stop in hotels, but not luxurious ones by any means. We had to have a people carrier due to there being 5 of us and all the associated luggage.

The reason we went, was that although Ste had lived previously in Oz for a yr, I had never been and wanted to be sure that i liked it.

Its been said on here a million times, and its true, that all you can expect from a few weeks is to get the 'feeling ' for whether or not you like Oz, but a holiday will never give you the true idea of what its like to live there.

I'd say don't bother wasting your money, but thats easy to say with hindsight, as i found that i love Oz.

Its your decision, but its an expensive one.

Good luck and best wishes, Leigh.

cordi

So when have you planned to go otu for good ?? You sound very organised.

Do you have work to go to when you land ??
Cordi

plumber

We went out there about 18 mths ago , 5 of us for a month.

Went to Perth,Sydney,Goldcoast,Cairns , had a great time ,and

maxed all 3 cards while over there.

In total together with lost wages ( still having to pay bills at
home )

probably cost us over ﾃつ｣10.000 !

and its right you only scratch the surface if that.

If your thinking of going within the next 12 mnths, wouldn't bother

Save the money for when you migrate! you'll need it.



all the best plum


ps just my opinion

steandleigh

Hiya

we are going in september, as we have lots of odds and ends to tie up here before we go, not least our house sale. We had the offer about 6wks ago, buyers survey has been done and the searches are being done as we speak, but could still be another 6wks before we move out.

Then we've got to book the flights, accomodation for the 1st month and car hire etc. We're moving in with the m-i-l until we go, so theres no problem there.

We've still got to get the shippers 'round for quotes for the stuff we're taking ( although we're not taking a huge amount ) and i'm in the middle of trying to open an oz bank account at the moment and have just started the process of HIFX sorting out our currency exchange.

PHEW!!!! And this is just the start!!!!

Organised? - NO.

Playing it by ear and making it up as i go along? - DEFINATELY!!!!


How have you dealt with your finances and have you sorted out bank accs for the other end yet?

Leigh.

cordi

Hi Well....... So far I have looked at the Double Tax Agreament!!!
Rang pension Agency to find out about transfering pension and getting gross here to pay tax in Australia .
I have sent an E Mail to a school but had no reply
I found out that probably the cheapest time to fly is till june this year then Oct -Nov and then end Jan Feb

I feel a bit hand tied because my husband has just started doing a new job and he wanted to gain a bit more experience with the new skills he's learning just now .Don't ask me what he does he doesn't tell me .LOL.He also gets another Govmt clearance level which although he won't be using in Oz is very useful especially if we ever come back here .
He is adorable but almost laid back to the point of motionless lol.
We go well together because I worry about everything too much probably.
I did every bit of the visa apart form the formatting for the Stat decs .
I just feel in a bit of a quandry and don't want to get it wrong .Because I have to get the kidds organised too I want it to go smoothly.
If it were just me I'd go next week .Bit more difficult with the hoards in tow .

S Oldfield

Tend to agree with Leigh.
There is no way I am going to fork out all that money, only to validate the visa..........gonna do it all in one trip!!

cordi

Forgot to sayJohn has Commonwealth Bank accout but we are trying to think ahead and get an account with a Mortgage provider so we can get a house .

Bix

Cordi,
I agree with the others. Why waste ﾃつ｣5-10k holidaying which is nowhere near the same as living somewhere. Rent when you get there and be prepared to move vicinity until you find a place you like.

Have you considered sending hubby out a while in advance ? He could sort the accomodation and concentrate on job search while you put your feet up with the kids and house sale :scared: Would be difficult but an angle worth considering.

By the way for every one of us going without a prior visit there will be one who think we are mad to contemplate doing that. Each to his own; each to learn their own lessons