Name: Gina Manfredi
Hometown: Cherry Hill, New Jersey, United States of America
Current City: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Age: 25
Why did you decide to move abroad?: Through out my life, I’ve always had the desire to travel. I can’t pin point one major reason why I have decided to move abroad, but one of them was for my passion for photography. Seeing the world and capturing it through not only the lens but my eyes has been really important to me. If you asked me 5 years ago if I saw myself actually traveling, I would have told you no. Society has made us believe that there is this order to life beginning with school – graduating high school – college – landing a big girl/boy job – finding a partner – buying a house – marriage – kids – and so on. I was lost in that mold for awhile, but I’ve always had an eagerness to break it. Where was my dream to travel in that mold that was already set for me? When I “saved enough” to retire with it when I was 60+ (well now..more like 80+) years old? I want to travel at my prime – when I’m young and able. I was never going to have enough money to do this either. So I made a decision to drop everything and figure it out. I quit my job, did some research, booked my flight, bought a visa, and was off to the other side of the world on my own for the first time in my life.
How did you decide where to move?: Australia was always on the top of my list. The landscape, diversity of culture in cities, music, wild life, home of one of the seven wonders of the world..I could go on and on. But if I were being honest with myself, I needed to move to a country where I knew I could survive. Choosing a country that spoke English was top priority. I have taken Spanish for almost a decade and I still only understand how to say the basic colors, numbers, and when my birthday is (Mi Cumpleaños es veinte seis de Agosto). Also, I needed to work to survive for a long period of time over seas. A friend of mine shared a blog with me about a girl from New York who moved to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa (Kate from the States – Follow Her)! She gave so much information about her experience and explained its possible to break the mode, work, travel and follow your dreams. There is always someone out there to inspire you and she was it for me. Working Holiday Visa’s for Australia and New Zealand are super easy to get. I applied and received mine the same day (they cost around $300). I’ve done research on the major cities in Australia and Melbourne seemed like the perfect fit for my personality. Well diverse..not to big..not to small..so much to do and explore. Also, Melbourne has been voted Most Livable City in the world 5 times in a row and I wouldn’t be surprised if it won again this year.
What was the process you had to go through to move?: After I decided Australia was the country I wanted to move to, I booked my Working Holiday Visa. Once my visa was granted, I spent a lot of time researching which city / suburb I wanted to start in. I then researched hostels and booked a 3 week stay. I then swapped from US money for some Aussie dollars and the plan was to wing it once I landed. The perfect balance in planning a new adventure is to plan but not to over plan. Have the basics covered..but once you get to your destination have the freedom to change plans if needed.
What’s your favorite thing about living abroad?: MATE, there are many favorites I’ve collected over the past year. Numero uno has to be meeting all the beautiful souls I like to call friends from all around the world. I am so blessed to say that I have friends from almost every corner of the world now. Who knew I had best friends waiting to meet me? If I would have never made the jump..I would have never met them. I’ve gained so much knowledge about myself, the world, and this country and I feel that I’ve learned more in this past year than the past 10 years of my life.
What is the hardest thing?: The hardest thing about living abroad is the absence of your family, friends, and in my case my pup Chance. There comes a time in your travels where you’re like “Alright, maybe I’ve had enough” – bad day type feels. But my advice will and always will be to push through them. I did not get home sick until the half way mark of my year abroad because I was at moment of my travels where I had no plan. Pushing through and creating a new outline was the best decision of my life and I can say the second half of my trip may be close to my happiest adventure thus far.
How did you find a job(s): Winged it. Once I landed and settled into my hostel, I hit the ground running. I was on my lap top searching for work and calling every day. I took walks and handed out my resume. Being proactive and aggressive worked out in my favor because I landed a job the second week in the country. Australia may be different compared to other countries but if I needed help there was always someone there to give it. Advice, a contact, if you had a question..there was always someone there to answer it. Network, connect, socialize, trial, error, and the perfect job for you will fall into your lap.
What do you wish you brought?: I’m what they call a “Flash Packer” – not a true Back Packer since I brought basically everything with me. So I did not have much missing from me. This is weird and meaningless but I really wish I had portable speakers. There were moments where I’ve taken day trips with friends and we were missing music. **BRING A PORTABLE CHARGER FOR PHONE – LIFE SAVER **
What do you wish you left at home?: I would say half my clothes for weight reasons but I would be lying. I am happy I brought everything I’ve brought with me because I love to have options. grin emoticon
What have you learned: Life can be lived in multiple ways – I’ve always known that it could but never truly understood what it meant until I made the decision to move abroad. I’m so happy for making this move because now I know the way I want to live for the rest of my life..and that it is possible.
Any advice for others looking to move abroad?: JUST GO.
Any other comments: You won’t regret it.