Visiting family in Australia and pre-departure to do’s

Wedding was a total blast. Soo lucky to be a part of the bridal party. Here’s a pic of my brother and I hangin’ out at the head table.

July 28, 2012

I met a lot of people at the wedding… three guests just came back from Oz! The father of the bride (my cousin’s father/my uncle through marriage) was so excited to hear that I was going. Turns out… HE HAS FAMILY THERE who live right outside Sydney. He gave me their contact info and assured me that they’d love for me to go visit and stay with them for a while. Awesome, right? Now I’m thinking about when would be a good time to stay with them and for how long (possibly my 2^nd week there). Don’t you just love how things work themselves out?! 🙂

Now is go time. Packing, getting my financials sorted out and saying my goodbyes.

Checklist:

Credit cards… make certain all banks are aware of my leaving. I don’t want to be at a till in Oz and be denied payment. CHECK!

Insurance… purchase emergency medical and travel insurance. CHECK!

Cash… head to CIBC to convert cash into AUD. I won’t be bringing much as I’ll be using my credit card for the majority of my purchases overseas. CHECK!

Cell Phone… call Fido and let them know I’m leaving. I won’t be purchasing any international/overseas packages because I’ll be getting a new phone SIM card and number when I get to Australia. I’ll have my cell phone (from Canada) on me to check a few times a week for messages. CHECK!

Skype… set up Skype account for the parents and send my username out to all my friends and fam. CHECK!

Resume… have multiple resumes ready and rarin’ to go for whatever job opportunity I may be interested in.

USB… make sure all the files I need are on my USB key (resumes, work visa, plane tickets, accommodation confirmation, insurance docs etc).

Laptop… make sure everything I need is on my laptop. My cousin’s making sure I have Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator on there. I’m also going to find a thick old sweater, cut it up and sow it back together to make a neat case for my laptop. That way it’ll be safe/protected while I’m shuffling through my bags and luggage.

Shopping… buy clothes! I need shorts, tees, the whole lot. There’s an outlet strip mall in the city (Orfus. Rd) that sells clothes for cheap. Last year I got a beautiful dress (I believe it was Ubran Behaviour) for $1 clearance! STEAL! CHECK!

Knick knacks… buy a comfortable sleep eye-mask for the flight. My friend P already bought me a travel pillow (the horseshoe-shaped ones you put around the back of your neck), easy to pack towels, and a Turbie Twist. CHECK!

Packing… buy airtight travel bags. CHECK! And just pack already!

Food… find out what the regulations are for bringing food on the plane. CHECK!

Hostel… I decided that I’ll be staying at Bounce Budget Hotel/Hostel in Sydney. Looks awesome! I need to call them to see if they provide any sort of shuttle service from the airport to the hostel. CHECK!

Wi-Fi… look for free Wi-Fi close to hostel for first week (freeWiFi.com.au). CHECK!

Transportation… figure out how I’ll be getting from the airport to the hostel before taking off. CHECK!

“There are numerous shuttles from the Airport. Sydney City Shuttle bus is one of the cheapest methods to get to the city. The service leaves approximately every half an hour from outside the Arrival Gates at both the International & Domestic Terminals. The cost is from $12 per person one way.” BounceHotel.com.au.