Forgot to say we looked at going to French Polynesia but it was so expensive - we couldnt afford it. A lot of my old work colleagues and Aussie family go to Vanuatu, Fiji & Bali - these seem quite reasonably priced.

3 co-workers (All Australian) are in or off to Europe shortly.

Since I have been here main hols have been Noosa, London, Barcelona Japan, Red Centre and I'm off up to the Whitsundays and Cairns shortly.

Next trip back to the UK will have to involve a stop over somewhere.

Those I work with tend to save and roll over their holiday entitlements for a big trip overseas. They will take a week a year for several years then go to Europe for 6 - 8 weeks.

My employer doesn't quite like the burden on the balance sheet of all that holiday pay so pressure is brought upon those with too much leave accrued.

Virgin Blue will be starting flights to both those destinations so they will become cheaper.

For the Aussie Benidorm ie tacky, ugly, strippers, high rises and vommiting teenagers try Surfers Paradise.

this isn't really true - a lot of my friends/colleagues spoke of a desire to go to Europe but some didn't want to use up their entire holiday allowance on one holiday and didn't see the point of going for less than 3 or 4 weeks. Plus they want to take in a few different countries. One has just done a Contiki tour from Oz - he did about 5 countries in 4 weeks - said he spent more time on planes/buses than actually seeing the country....wishes he'd gone for longer but that would have required more accrued leave

When you come to a fork in the road - take it.

Europe is like deja vu all over again.

I know I'm back tracking a bit, but I've been offline all day. It does depend on the company, so check at the interview exactly what you are entitled to. My payslip each month tell me how many days leave I have accrued - but I'm not allowed to use them! I have also now been told that I cannot overlap myleave when anyone else in the department - there are 15 of them, and next year 3 of them are having long-service leave, which is already booked. The longest run of days I can find available for me to have leave is EIGHT!!!! Good thing I wasn't planning a UK trip........

Like this one?

No fork in sight - forward or back?

Just up ahead:

Polly, are you sure? Knowing the company because my SIL worked there for over 12 years, I was surprised, so I asked her, she suggested that you ask again about taking leave thats already been accrued (ie whatever it says you have accrued on your payslip) as she thinks you may have misunderstood something they have said. Obviously if you havent been there long enough to accrue the time off then thats different, but you've been there almost 6 months now, depending on whether any of your time off for your wedding & honeymoon & the times you've taken off sick have been counted as leave, you should have almost 2 weeks leave (probably about 9 days is my guess). And are you sure that the long service leave you mentioned is included in the leave that you cant overlap? That doesnt seem right either?

If 3 people have worked there for over 10 years in those 15 people alone that work in your section, they cant be that bad an employer, surely! :scared:

I find it odd cos everyone said they were good but my sick leave has had to be made up in rostered days off, and I checked last week about the leave; nope, got to be there a year before they consider it - then there is the department rule about when I can take it! As for the wedding and honeymoon - all that was unpaid, and I only got it cos it was already arranged and the honeymoon tickets paid for.
Ah well, thats life I guess - shows how good I had it in England though!