17 reasons why you should do your Working Holiday in New Zealand – Backpacking tipps

17 reasons why New Zealand is the right country for your Working Holiday

Today we give you in this article 17 good reasons why New Zealand is the right country for your Working Holiday. Besides New Zealand there are several other countries in the world where you can do a Work & Travel, but some countries are much easier to travel to and also have the most useful language.

New Zealand is one of these countries where you can start your Working Holiday (also known as Work & Travel) with little effort. Enjoy reading our article and have fun planning your trip with our blog.

 

 

Here are our reasons for your Working Holiday in New Zealand

You’re evolving

In no way can you develop yourself faster than during a year abroad. After all, you are responsible for developing all solutions yourself. And believe us, you will learn this faster than you would have ever thought before. During our own Working Holiday in New Zealand we learned so many things we never thought possible before. A by-product of these new things, the website you are reading right now, which has been with us since our own Working Holiday.

 

Meet new friends

Nowhere is it easier to make new friends than on a journey. Especially if you travel alone, you will quickly make new friends, because New Zealand is the country of travellers. No matter if you stay at a campsite, a hostel or on a freedom campsite somewhere surrounded by beautiful nature. If you want to (and really only then) get in contact with others quickly. An appointment for a hike or a parachute jump is just as easy as a dinner where everyone contributes something. It is not unusual to meet larger groups with whom you can travel for a while.

And as long as you don’t just sit around with your smartphone in front of your face all the time, you’re sure to get new contacts and some new friendships on your journey.

Even after several years we still have contact with some (few) from our New Zealand time.

 

You can travel alone or with other travellers

You are not sure if you want to travel alone or with others? Don’t worry, in the first hostel after your arrival there is already a good opportunity to meet like-minded people. You can also bring someone from your senior class or friends and start the trip together, but the more exciting stories are usually written by travelling alone. After only 4 days after my arrival, I had a Travelmate who travelled with me to Cape Reinga, after that we had different plans and said goodbye to each other in Kaitaia. He wanted to travel on, I wanted to work. All these little things make travelling alone or with others so exciting.

 

 

Improve your English skills

English was not your favourite subject in school? Honestly, neither was mine. With the minimum requirements in English I graduated from high school. But the learning curve in New Zealand is steep and after a few months you probably laugh about your initial concerns yourself. If you don’t talk to travellers from your country in your native language all the time, then the learning curve goes steeply upwards. At every opportunity, exchange three more words with the locals or spend time as an au-pair or at the wwoofen in New Zealand. This increases the learning curve even more. In the meantime, after one year, I would declare my English skills as quite passable and I can also cope with everyday life in New Zealand without any problems. So, don’t worry about previous knowledge, because it is sufficient on a minimal level. And if you arrive without any English knowledge at all, why not take an intensive course at the beginning and start your New Zealand adventure afterwards. Advantage of a language course, you learn really fast and meet like-minded people who you can even meet again on your trip.

 

Becomes much more independent

Self-employment is a big and important topic, especially nowadays. On your New Zealand trip, you will be faced with unknown problems and best of all, you will solve them on your own. No problem (ok almost none) is too big not to solve it yourself or at least to grow from finding the right helper for your problem. You lack money? Then go on job search. You have little driving experience? Then start driving your car carefully and slowly in New Zealand. You speak little English? Then find a host family and get to know the real New Zealand together with your hosts. There are many more problems we have not listed a solution to now, but be sure you will be able to solve everything. And in the end, you will come back and be more independent than ever before in your life. A travel evolution of yourself, so to speak.

 

Learning to deal with the unknown

The unknown scares you? Don’t panic. Most people are. But after the unknown comes the joy of having achieved something. When I flew to New Zealand in 2016, I had nothing planned except the first 4 nights in Auckland. It was a strange feeling, because on every previous trip in my life everything was planned in advance. But since the bad unknown was a must, I just went for it. Many things suddenly become much more relaxed and also the great danger of the unknown, is actually just a negative belief. With some experience you can easily get rid of it and afterwards you just laugh about your old rejection of the unknown.

 

You can enjoy the wonderful nature of New Zealand

New Zealand offers something for every outdoor fan. Whether you like hiking, surfing, camping or a cabin tour. New Zealand is blessed with such a rich and unique nature, so no one needs to get bored. Only if you are a city fan and want to party all the time, then there are probably better countries than New Zealand. The well-maintained and popular Great Walks are a figurehead of New Zealand, but let’s face it. You will discover the real nature off the beaten main tourist paths. And if you take your time, you can discover many highlights. There are also free hiking trails and huts in many places, so we strongly advise you to keep your eyes open. At many places in New Zealand you can also surf perfectly, because thanks to the weather and the long shape you are never far from the sea. Do you like mountain biking? Then New Zealand is well prepared for you, because there are many beautiful places and mountains with special mountain bike tracks that are easily accessible. Some of these tracks are accessible all year round, while others are only accessible in the low tourist season. Therefore, it is worthwhile to buy your own bike or surfboard, even if you are planning a longer stay. Mostly this is cheap from other travellers who are leaving the country soon.

 

Experience a great year abroad

In your home country you probably have someone who encourages you to do something “reasonable” first. Therefore, you will rarely be able to discover yourself in your home country in such a free and relaxed way. And on the other side of the world, in New Zealand, the local influences are so far away that you can try yourself out in a relaxed way. Trying out an unusual job? Just relax for a month? Surfing holidays in your own van? All these things are easily possible in New Zealand, because you are the creative head of your year abroad. And whatever you have in mind, you can make it happen. There are no limits to your creative ideas, try it out, you’ll be surprised (just like we were).

 

You can get many insights into jobs

Not seen much in working life yet? Not getting any insights besides internships at school? Then New Zealand is perfect for you, because with your Working Holiday Visa you are allowed to work locally. Why not use the time for a creative and relaxed journey through different work impressions? If you don’t know yet what you really enjoy doing, you can perfectly try and get insights in as many jobs as you want.

 

 

Work comfortably on site and finance your trip

Wouldn’t it be a dream to travel and earn money in the long run? This is no problem during your Working Holiday year. You don’t have to become a digital nomad or have a degree; you can just travel around New Zealand. And if you need more money, you can look for a local job and earn as much as you need to travel. Simple jobs are easy to find and, in the section, job search we have a more detailed article on how to find a job in New Zealand. You can find the article about job search in our blog here.

 

Get an insight into New Zealand family life

If you would like to get an insight into one (or more) New Zealand families, you can also try out perfect woofing or an au-pair stay. That way you get a real insight into a foreign country. Cultural differences and your English skills can be experienced and improved even faster.

 

Gain your first international experience

Many large companies are happy to have international experience, so you can easily include your year abroad in your CV later. Because where can you learn and show your independence faster than on a big trip that you spend alone on the other side of the world. Don’t be afraid to sell your year abroad in a positive way, because the richest experiences you will make when you are responsible yourself.

 

You can experience your own Vanlife

The Vanlife theme is omnipresent in New Zealand. You have the greatest freedom when travelling with your own vehicle. A small van is quickly purchased and will take you comfortably through New Zealand. The choice of sleeping facilities in the van is huge and camping sites are sometimes available for free or very cheap. During our year abroad we have used every opportunity to sleep in our van. Even now with a larger van we still like to take advantage of this opportunity. Definitely a recommendation and a good opportunity to make your first Vanlife experiences.

 

 

Learn to live with little luggage

Nothing is more annoying during your trip than a full backpack full of things you don’t need. Therefore, it is a good experience to limit yourself to the essential things. A large selection of shoes, make-up or many other comfortable things are not necessary to travel well through New Zealand. If you do it cleverly, you can travel around the country for a whole year with a backpack weighing 10-12 kilograms. If you find that you are missing something, there are shops in New Zealand where you can buy all the usual things.

 

You can start your time abroad in New Zealand perfectly

New Zealand is a great country, because there is no country where it is easier to start. The infrastructure in New Zealand is perfectly designed for backpackers. Thousands of other backpackers start together with you, so you can constantly meet new travellers. And if there are any problems there is always someone you can ask. In addition, New Zealand makes it easier to start your trip with the predominant language English. The school English from Germany is good enough to communicate and after one year you have taken your language skills to a whole new level. Try it out, you can only grow by yourself.

 

You can arrange your trip according to your own ideas

You are your own tour operator, because you can arrange your year abroad according to your preferences. Do you like lying on the beach and surfing? In New Zealand this is possible without any problems. Do you like hiking and spending time in nature? That’s also something you can get in New Zealand anytime. You like to camp and meet new people from other countries? At every campsite and hostel, you can meet and interact with dozens of other travellers. No matter what you have in mind, New Zealand is versatile and offers you great freedom to travel. Don’t worry, the few limits are mainly your wallet and your creativity. Have fun!

 

Experience what you want and don’t let yourself be controlled by others

There are many external influences in Germany. School education, the parents waiting for your studies and much more. All this is not available in New Zealand or only to a very limited extent. So, if you want to spend some time without many external influences, then this is exactly the time for you.

 

You have questions, comments or are unsure?

Then we look forward to your comment here under our blog post. Have fun in New Zealand, enjoy it!