[Leccy-Lee]

Hi All

Apologises not been online hardly at all in past 2-3 months due to where i was living, however PC and Broadband now up and running A ok :D
Sadly with some changes in my job and home i have had to postpone my planned trip to NZ (trip to find work and hopefully not return!) from this november to May/June next year, So a bit longer in this wonderful UK of ours (put that sarcasm detector away)

However........ I need some opinions on this mad Xmas holiday idea i have, i got 9 days off work at Xmas and madly was thinking of flying to NZ for a mere 5days (in NZ, rest travelling) for the Xmas period, seeing a bit of Auckland and hopefully more. As i dream and hope to emigrate and i am guilty of never having been to NZ yet (i know i going to love it anyhow) i thought a few days at least holiday seeing a tiny bit of the place / people etc would be very good and informative. But


Is this crazy considering distance flying time?
Will jetlag ruin any chance fun for my 5days? (never flown so far)
Will 5days over Xmas be a good time to visit, or everything shut up etc?
Will it be too expensive over Xmas period?
And am i just plan crazy considering this?


I do often do mad spontaneous trips anyhow like this for short times, such as a 3day trip to USA just to visit a theme-park, but is the other side of the planet for a mere few days feasable or just mad? I cant afford a great deal either, enough for flights and probably $880-$1000 for hotel/car etc, just want to experience NZ before i go out there for life! Appriecate your thoughts and any NZ Xmas advice for a tourist?

Its good to be back...

[auskiwi]

Hi Lee,
Xmas is a beautiful time of year to visit NZ- spend some time under a flowering pohutakawa tree etc...However, if you are hoping to do anything constructive re: job hunting, bear in mind that the whole country basically goes on vacation at that time of year. Any chance of meeting up with potential employers etc will be very slim, if not impossible. It seems when I lived there it felt like a ghost town from Xmas eve to 3rd or 4th of Jan.

Airfares at that time will be at a premium too. So, sorry to be a pessimist but my advice would be not to go at Xmas - it would cost you a whole lot of money for a few days with your head in a jetlagged fog...Better to go when you were able to have a little more time, cheaper fares, and be guaranteed that businesses, potential employers etc will be available to have a chat with you.

I do, however, admire your spontaneous thought process! ;)
Regards,
Amy.

[Diny]

I have to agree with the above advice, lots of places will be shut down and prices will be high (accommodation etc). Flights at that time of year cost an arm and a leg.

However, when we lived in Oz I once flew home attended a mates wedding and flew back in the space of 9 days - and it wasn't that demanding.

Is there any way you can save your days off and come a month or so later?

Good luck.

Diny

[Leccy-Lee]

It would purely be for a vacation to "see" a tiny bit of NZ, no thoughts of job hunting etc (albeit reading paper maybe) mainly for fun and Xmas vacation. Yes its crazy but at £1300 i found online for 7nts / flight / car i thought for Xmas wasnt too bad.

But maybe your right, but biggest concerns where simply, how bad is jetlag, will it ruin trip? And can a tourist amuse ones selve over Xmas or is all entertainmebt etc closed too? (surely beaches etc be fun)

...../Considers another dull Xmas in UK (god i got to do something LOL)

And, yes it would be either the Xmas trip or none til i move over, as after Xmas all cash/earnings going to savings for move.

[sizzlingbadger]

Have you looked at flying Boxing Day or even Christmas Day should be able to get some really good deals as people don't tend to want to fly on these days.

I'd say go for it get a taste of what life is like here and catch some warm sunny weather as the UK certainly won't be warm and sunny at that time of year :D

[Leccy-Lee]

Good advice, just looked and flights some £400 less flying out on Xmas day

Hmm

[kiwidebs]

As a non-parent then it would probably be ok as you could sleep on the flight. It would be one heck of a trip (and you probably wouldn't want to see another airline seat for some time), but would you really get a feel for living in a place when you would be completely in holiday mood - and so would the country? I, personally, would save the money for the 'real' trip later in the year. Let us know what you decide.

[spudulike]

I assume you are going to come later anyway even if you've visited over Xmas????

If so I would spend the money on having a last holiday somewhere in Europe as you'll wish you had once you're here and it's so far away! I know it won't be hot but you may find NZ a bit lonely for 5 days with everything shut. We visited for a month before moving and it still didn't prepare us for moving here - nothing can. :no

If I had that much money to blow I'd go to Iceland..... :exit

Have fun whatever you decide.

Louise

[katandbob]

we were zonked for about 5 days, 6.30pm was the average bed time for 3 days, and then when we got to Taupo we managed to stop up to 9, 10ish and one night 10.30pm!

I would save your cash and come when you have more time, and you can job hunt/sightsee at a less hectic rate.

Kat...at the end of the day you will do what you want to do

[jodieinchch]

agreeing with others. Go for the trip in Europe if you're wanting a vacation. Or Save your money for when you come out here. 5 days in NZ is not long at all in the grand scheme of things. Especially after 2 days flying here, 2 days flying back. You're spending as long at airports and on planes as you are in NZ...!

[Lupin]

My mum reguarly flies long haul and rarely suffers much jet lag going there. She puts this down to a few things: drink loads of water on the flight; start setting your body clock for local time of destination a few days early (if possible with work constraints); take a sleeping pill for the first leg of the flight and on touch down force your body into local time immediatly.

All totally impossible if you've got children in tow or a partner who can't do the same or have spent the previous few months delirious on the stress of emigrating!

They are bringing out new "anti-jet lag" planes in the future and they alter the cabin pressure to more similar to normal (currently like being half way up a mountain or something), adopt destination time from take off and a few other snazzy measures that should all but emilinate jet lag.

HTH, although I have to say, I think five days to scratch the itch of excitement and curiosity about NZ could be more frustrating than relieving.....

[Greenday]

I think you should go for it! If it really is your only chance to go before you 'go for good', then why not. I mean it will cost you a lot of money, but if you have it then it's not a problem, it will be a great adventure.

I find going through:

http://www.travelmood.com
or
http://www.travelbag.co.uk

are really good and helpful and cheap. A word of advice though, DO have a stop over for a night both ways, or certainly going there. We stayed just one night in Singapore going there and it was great, and we felt refreshed for the next days flight - didn't cost any more either (visas are not needed for Singapore either). Coming back we didn't stay, and it was horrific for us flying that long; I'd NEVER do that again if I could help it.

We didn't suffer from jet lag at all. We got to Auckland at mid day, then after checking in, a walk about the city, some thing to eat we went to bed at about 7pm, and slept brilliant until about 10am the next day, and was completely into the normal time of NZ. Even if you do feel tired, you can always have a siesta - you are on holiday after all!

[Leccy-Lee]

Hmm 2 for, about 6 against.....
Maybe it was a crazy idea afterall, still deciding! LOL

[Annierobrigado]

hi lee

read the posts about your wanting to visit nz during the christmas season...

if you want a christmas vacation and you're really not particular about where to spend it (i mean, it could be nz or europe or singapore or anywhere?), may i suggest you come and visit the philippines. my country has the longest christmas season in the world, starting from september when all the radio stations and malls start playing christmas songs, upto january when the christmas lights still blink on and off and the malls give you 70-90% off for season enders...

no one gets lonely here on christmas. we have christmas eve feasts, christmas day lunches, christmas day dinners, pre-christmas and post-christmas parties; we have the dawn masses (from dec 16 to 24 there are masses at 4.30 am) after which we have breakfast of filipino delicacies...

of course hotels and resorts will charge you arm and a leg because it's peak season, but that's relative to our currency. perhaps in your currency it would still be cheaper (I think your 1,300 GBP will go a very, very very long way here. that would include your shopping for christmas gifts and souvenirs for everyone back home).

then on new year's eve all over the philippines we have fireworks and firecrackers and champagne and whiskey and beer and punch and glorious food and all sorts of noise and merrymaking...:cheers

places could get crowded though. in the metropolis all these would mean horrendous traffic, because there are a lot of returning filipinos and other nationals... many expats from europe who have to stay in the philippines over the christmas season find december here fascinating. cool, not cold; no white christmas though, except for some faux snow and snowmen display over in most malls. people keep smiling. ( but don't mind our politicians. they never smile. i think they're happier when they try to grandstand or filibuster):exit

you won't get lost here. english is our second language, and billboards and signs are all written in english.

have a thought about it, okay? maybe from here you can go on to new zealand, although we don't have direct flights from manila to nz. usually we stop over at sydney first then transfer to nz.

cheers
annie

[Trigirl]

my country has the longest christmas season in the world, starting from september when all the radio stations and malls start playing christmas songs

Sorry annie - the rest of it really does sound lovely but christmas starting early annoys me even over here - christmas songs in september would likely send me over the edge!

[Rose]

Lee,

my 2 cents' worth: if you have the energy and you like excitement, go for it!

I think fresh air and sunshine (fingers crossed) help to counteract jetlag really well. I have had long trips where I have stepped off the plane and dived into the new time zone.

The warning: there is a small risk that you will be knackered and that in the short time you are in NZ you will have bad luck with the weather and the people you meet. Five days isn't long to sample a country.

Good luck making a tough decision!

Annie: (are you on commission for Wow Philippines?! LOL) I have been to the Philippines for work and I can vouch for the friendliness, hospitality, liveliness etc of the locals. Not to mention fantastic scenery and lovely handcrafts. (My abaca handbag goes everywhere with me). Chivalrous men with names like Romeo. I'd be happy to go back any time, loud Christmas music or not.

[Leccy-Lee]

Being such a spontaneuos person think i will have to wait to payday and toss a coin on this one!
Thanks All

[Annierobrigado]

Sorry annie - the rest of it really does sound lovely but christmas starting early annoys me even over here - christmas songs in september would likely send me over the edge!


hi trigirl

yeah, i know. it's been that way ever since michael jackson belted out that "People making lists..."

nevertheless, if you still want to visit the philippines, we could just turn off the radio and not go to the malls until december, and you can just relax... you'd still be welcome.

cheers!
annie

[Annierobrigado]

Lee,


Annie: (are you on commission for Wow Philippines?! LOL) I have been to the Philippines for work and I can vouch for the friendliness, hospitality, liveliness etc of the locals. Not to mention fantastic scenery and lovely handcrafts. (My abaca handbag goes everywhere with me). Chivalrous men with names like Romeo. I'd be happy to go back any time, loud Christmas music or not.


hi rose

no not really for wow phils. practicing for when i become a tourist agent or something, hehe, but i plan to do that for nz. and i'll work on the filipinos who are still skeptical about nz as a tourist haven.

ooh, abaca handbag! you can come visit albay (where mount mayon is) and you can get all sorts of handbags ranging from P120 to P350 (at USD 1 = Php 51.65, that translates to less than USD 2 - 7.00 ).

Local furniture i wish i could bring to nz, except that they're strict with wood and bamboo and rattan. so i guess i better not.

but come over to the phils anytime! am glad you enjoyed your stay here.:D

annie

[Rose]

Hi Annie

I hope one day the Philippines is so peaceful that it becomes a good tourist destination - it deserves to. And then you could go back and be the head of tourism for the country!

I will put Albay on my list of places to go. Thanks for the tip.

Good luck with your big move to NZ!

Rose

[Charlosparky]

Lee, the decision really comes down to weather A- you want to emigrate with a job and residency already sorted, or B- just want to emigrate then apply for jobs and Residency once in NZ. If Its A, then I'd come over non-xmas time, so you can have some interviews and arrange jobs. Residency without a job offer is much harder, and I can tell you, in my experience job offers just don't come until you can add Residency to your CV. If it's B, then yeah go for a whistlestop xmas tour, why not - gotta give pilots something to do at xmas!!

[Rose]

So Lee, don't leave us in suspenders. Was it heads or tails?

[Leccy-Lee]

Sorry al i know its an old post, but i been busy familt probs lately.

I decided against NZ for Xmas purely due to costs and such a short visit. I am however visiting friends for Xmas in florida as its only £440 flight and no other costs!

Still hoping to get back on track with NZ plans and i am not going to go hell for leather to make it to NZ one way or another in the Spring.