Leaving work and embarking on your travel adventures

Finally that time has come. The graft is over and you’re free to explore.

However, its not as easy as you thought it would be when you begun the program. Yes, you are now on your own time. Yes, you can do what you want. But first you have to say goodbye. 

Three months may not seem like a long time in the grand scheme of things but it has been a significant part of your life. Your accommodation has become your home. Strangers have become your family and your job has become your life. 

All the friends you’ve made and the adventures you’ve had are now just memories and photographs. You wonder how the summer went so fast? 

But new adventures await. There are more countries and cultures to discover. Yes goodbye is the hardest word to say. But its never really a goodbye. Firstly, there’s social media to stay I’m contact. But most importantly, the people you’ve met, and the journeys you’ve been on have shaped you into the person you are today and nothing can change that or take it away. 

The sad emotions you’re feeling will be short lived. Every so often you’ll feel sadness and miss these individuals, but at the same time you’ll be travelling. You’ll finally be doing what you came here to do. You’ll be making new memories and friends, and be having the time of your life. 

But don’t forget those you’ve met. Hopefully one day you’ll meet again. Maybe you’ll go and work back there, or visit them on holiday. Or maybe they’ll come and visit you?

Goodbye is not the end, especially in this day and age. Its the beginning of a new adventure. It’s a “see you later” or “see you in another form”. Enjoy your travels and future, but don’t forget those that have shaped you this summer. 

Saving the J-1 Program

The world is becoming a very sad and isolating place. There are 7 billion people on this Earth that we all share, yet we are becoming more and more restricted to how much of it we can use. This week President Trump is trying to end the J-1 visa program. This may not mean much to some, but for many this visa opens up so many opportunities and provides a considerable number of jobs, not only in the US, but across the world. This includes roles regarding sponsorship companies and international programmes that organise the experience. As well as this, a lot of resorts and businesses rely on J-1 employees to function during their peak seasons. 

Economic benefits are not the only reason to keep the J-1 visa.

By employing J-1 staff in the US, these individuals gain a great cultural experience, not only of the USA, but of the countries of their colleagues. For example, I now have more knowledge of Eastern European countries, the Philippines, State Palestine and China, to name but a few. 

Not only is it a cultural experience for J-1 individuals, but it is also a cultural experience for the citizens of the US as they also learn about the variety of cultures and countries from those that come over to work with them.

By learning and gaining a better understanding about the various cultures and countries, more contests and differences can be resolved, taking a step closer to world peace. These worldwide connections are also beneficial in terms of business, travel, the economy, health research and medication. 

Based on these reasons I cannot understand President Trumps’ decision to end the J-1 program. It improves international relations, international communication and the economy. Without this program I would not have met so many amazing people I now condider family and gained a greater understanding of cultures and the world we live in.

Trying Something New

Trying something new can be scary. You don’t know what you’re letting yourself in for. This is also why it’s exciting. 

You don’t know whether you’ll love it or hate it. But that’s what makes it so great. You may find a new hobby, or you may never do it again. But at least you can say you tried. 

Travelling is definitely the perfect time to experience new things as you can find out what the locals do. It doesn’t have to be physical. It could be something creative, intellectual or new skill like cooking local cuisine. 

When doing something unknown, its great to do it with friends. Not only is it more fun, but it can provide you with more confidence. You begin to learn more about yourself and each other, as well as meet new people. 

Trying something new doesn’t have to be restricted to travelling. Most communities have regular classes or groups you can join to learn skills or do activities. However, if attending these are hard, maybe ask a friend to teach you something they’re good at that you want to learn, or even YouTube tutorials. 

By pushing yourself to do something different, you’re opening your mind to fresh experiences, cultures and people. So this week I challenge you to try something new. This week I hiked Mount Jefferson, NH with a few friends and had an amazing time when I thought I would hate it. It doesn’t have to be anything major or time consuming. It can be anything from cooking a new dish from a new cuisine, to taking a dance class or learning an instrument. Good luck!  

Remembering that life doesn’t stop

When you’re away from home its easy to forget that life doesn’t stop for everyone else. Your friends and family are still going about their daily lives and having their own adventures. When you’re missing your loved ones, it can sometimes be hard to accept this and see their pictures and hear their stories. 

Everyday you’re busy doing your own thing, its easy to forget to “check in”, and before you know it a week or two has passed since you’ve spoken. 

With social media its so much easier to see what other people are doing. However, it can be hard to see all your friends together having fun. Or your family having parties and holidays. Its then you realise how much you miss your loved ones. 

Although you wish you could be there with them, sometimes you wish they could be there with you and experiencing the same life changing opportunity. Or you want to do both. Its difficult. You have to remember that this is the journey you chose and hopefully it will be worth missing out on those good times. 

With the good times at home, also come the bad. These are far more difficult to cope with missing. When something goes wrong you just want to be with those you love in order to support each other. Its hard to imagine things going wrong. But they do. That’s life. 

Despite the possibility that your family and friends could get sick, or you miss important events, you can’t live your life in one place and in fear of the inevitable. If we did, the human race would cease to exist. Wars would be more likely because we wouldn’t understand one another. Travel is important. Life is short. Don’t live in fear of “what if”. Make the most of every opportunity and each moment. 

Making your memories last a lifetime

Participating in a work and travel programme you’re constantly busy, whether this be working or travelling. What is sometimes forgotten is that when you’re working you’re making as many memories as when you’re travelling. This may be through talking to colleagues, or guests, or just events that occur during your shift. 

The saddest realisation I’ve had though, is that I’m not going to remember all the little things I’ve done. So I’m very thankful to my friends and family for my travel memory gifts which include:

A camera

Whether you’re a photographer or not, you’ll become one when travelling. 

A powerpack so I always have charge for those Instagram worthy pictures and making all my Snapchat friends jealous of course! Plus its a reminder to have fun.

A scrapbook (unfortunately this didn’t fit in my case) but I will fill it with selected photos and tickets .

For those that are less creative, travel journals are brilliant for writing down events and memories that have happened. As well as recording your itinerary. 

Finally, postcards and little items that remind you of things. 

Postcards are especially good, if like me, your photography skills aren’t brilliant!

At the end if the day, you’re not going to remember as much as you think or as you want to. So for anyone wanting to travel, I urge you to try at least one of these techniques. They’re not particularly expensive or time consuming either, which makes everything better!

What no one tells you about the work aspect of a work and travel programme…

When participating in a work and travel program, the work adspect tends to get overlooked. Why? Because you’re only working for three months, and the money you earn is being spent on your flights, accommodation and program fees before, during and after your placement.

However, even though three months doesn’t seem like a long time, it is when starting a new job, especially in a foreign country.

Personally, not enough was talked about in regards to the work part of the program. The predominant focus was on documentation , program and accommodation fees, and our plans after work. The fact that we had to work was almost forgotten. 

At the interview, we were told a bit of information about the resort and some of their expectations of us, and, if we were successful, we were provided with a vague job offer including the minimum hours of work a week, accommodation price and our job role and pay rate. But we did not know what our weekly schedule would look like in regards to breaks, days off and what location we were based in and whether this was more than one. 

Until our own research and orientation, we had a brief knowledge of the company but not who our managers were or who we would be working with such as other J-1s, permanent local staff or a combination of both. This meant the first couple of days were a bit daunting, although everyone was really welcoming so you soon settle in.

In regards to accommodation, it wasn’t until we arrived at the hotel and were given our keys that we knew where we were staying and who our roommates were. This was quite nice though as it meant we could present ourselves for the first time without people “knowing” us based off social media. 

The majority of people enjoy their jobs, however being capped at 40 hours a week has caused a lot of annoyance as people are not making as much money as they could have done if they had gone to another resort. 

Based on this and the things we were not told, if I partook in this program again, I would conduct more research into the resort as well as attempt to contact other workers. 

Language

Language noun- a system of communication consisting of sounds, words, and grammar, or the system of communication used by people in a particular country or type of work. Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus. 

When travelling to America, a language barrier wasn’t anything that crossed my mind. How wrong and niave I was! Britain and American have different names for multiple items- more than I was aware of, which is strange considering we supposedly speak the same language. 

For example, the British would call this a “note”, whereas Americans call it a “bill”, striking up much confusion in work!

The Brits call this a ” bill”, but in America it is a “check”.

The most frustrating and irritating difference if you get it wrong though is ” chips”. I’ve ordered chips and I get a plate of crisps. To say I wasn’t happy was an understatement. What I really wanted was “french fries”, as I have come to realise they do not sell the proper British chunky chips, which is really disappointing! 

America- chips. Britain- crisps. 

America- fries. Britain- French fries. 

America- ” They’ve never lived”- Emily Hallworth. Britain- chips. 

These are just some examples of the differences but there are many, many more. 

The two countries also take offence to different things too.

In Britain, we don’t mind saying ” I’m just going to the toilet” or having signs that say “toilet”. But in America, they consider this ” too much information”, so I have had to train myself to call it a “restroom” or “bathroom”. 

To this day, the funniest moment of difference and offence was when I told a man to “take care” and he stuck two fingers up at me. In Britain, this means something rude resulting in me getting insulted, however, the Americans use this symbol to say “peace”. Something else completely! I have yet to live this moment down at work.

As well as language differences between Americans and Brits, there are also many language differences between other participants on the work and travel program, with individuals speaking their native language as well as English, and a few speaking more. This makes me feel very lazy and ashamed of the British language system for not teaching us a second language to the same extent. Hearing these individuals switch between the two so easily is fascinating and really motivating to learn another language. 

So my advice before travelling is research the language beforehand if you want to be understood and not made a fool of! 

Cuisine

Food is such a big aspect of our lives, and a lot of us spend a lot of time planning our activities around it. Especially in America. 

Not having a kitchen means eating at restaurants or buying food from a cafe which is great (albeit expensive!) as it results in trying a lot of new and a variety of food. 

In New Hampshire they are really fond of maple and put it in a variety of recipes including whoppie pie. I haven’t tried one as it sounds too sickly! 

However, I have tried other “typical” American foods, such as soft pretzels with dragon breath mustard:

Grilled cheese sandwich:

New York cheesecake 

Vanilla milkshake

And a fluffernutter, which is marshmallow fluff and peanut butter in a sandwich! It’s weirdly good but I couldn’t eat a whole one! Personally, I just love the name! 
It’s true what they say though, America does have big portions! 

I still can’t get over the size of this banana and nut muffin! It was really tasty though, which is why I expect it’s so large! 

These nachos are a third of what they serve… as an appetiser! I have managed to eat a whole portion though after an hour at the gym followed by a mile walk and three hours at work! 

Although, it can be hard to find something you like, especially if you have dietary restrictions. In America, meat is at the centre of every dish whichis difficult for me, being a vegetarian!

One lunchtime I was only able to get this in the cafeteria after a 5 mile hike. I was so hungry! 

But after a few sickness incidents after this meal I don’t eat there anymore! There’s a reason why rice should not be reheated! 

It looked and tasted good as well! 

So now I eat out, or get an employee meal where I work. This was my meal at the top of Mount Rosebrook the other day. A Greek wrap with crisps (chips) and a pickle. They love their pickles here, thankfully, so do I! 

It can get boring eating the same meals everyday so I try and change it up a bit with side by sometimes getting fries or chips. I’m still trying to get my head round the fact that chips are crisps here, which is harder than I thought it would be! 

They also have different names for other items not just food, but that’s a whole other blog! 

Ultimately I’m just looking forward to trying foods from different states, however I do miss my mums roasts, especially her Yorkshire puddings! And British chocolate of course!

Making the most of everything

Being part of a work and travel program is difficult because you’re working full time, yet all you want to do is travel. This is why when you get your schedule it is important to plan your days off. 

For example, at my resort there are many activities to get involved in. Mostly though I’ve just been hiking a lot with friends, as there are so many beautiful sights to see. 

A walk also helps clear the mind and wake up, which is especially useful if you have a day off. 

The time spent in the program is short, and you’re only going to get more tired as the season goes on and gets busier so saying YES feels like a must. However, it is important to look after yourself in order to be able to work and make money for the travel after. 

You’ve just got to try and make the most of every situation because it may feel like a long time, but this experience won’t last forever.  

The beginning of “The Best Summer Ever”

Day 1- waking up alone in a strange country with no idea where to go, or who anyone was. Thankfully, I bumped into other J-1 associates and ate breakfast with them. 

What’s the best way to make friends and get to know where you are? Take a walk around the grounds! Especially when it’s as stunning as this!   

Before the first orientation talk, I sorted out my room and documentation in an attempt to make it like my own and more homely. 

The orientation talk was as expected. Long and boring, but the information was necessary and we got free lunch so it wasn’t all bad! 

Afterward, a few of us decided to investigate the activities on offer in order to make the most of this amazing opportunity! Then we ate dinner (a dilemma I have as a vegetarian, it’s basically just salad and fries!) and had an early night as the jet lag was setting in. 

The second day was also an early start for breakfast, followed by sorting out more documentation and yet another talk, this time on American customer service. Again, necessary but dry. As a British citizen, the American customer service seems so over the top and invasive, but that’s how they like it! 

The talk finished early so we were able to go on a tour about the history of the hotel which was pretty cool! 

After dinner, all the J-1 associates decided to go to the bar to get to know each other and their countries, as well as celebrating the beginning of the best summer ever. 

Finally, Friday was the third and last orientation day. I finally slept through the night, waking up naturally early for breakfast. 

It was a pretty exciting day as we went to the local town to TJ Max, Dollar Tree, the liquor store and Walmart, which was insane! Beyond anything I’d seen! The liquor stores and Walmart are definitely a must see just because they’re so different to everything in Britain. 

In the afternoon it was the moment we’d been waiting for. Meeting our managers and starting work. The reason we were here had arrived and it was time to prove ourselves. Now to work hard, play harder and hopefully save for some travelling! 

But first I’m going to tuck into this $3 meal from work!