My work and travel abroad: An introduction

This is an introduction to a series of posts about the working and traveling abroad I have done over the past eight years. Perhaps it was my families constant moving houses that has inspired me or perhaps I just have it in my genes but I know I love exploring and seeing the world especially from a local's point of view. Working abroad ticks both boxes. It funds being abroad and you live more like a local rather than a tourist.

I'm just going to briefly outline where i've been and in further posts will talk about each experience further.

Summer 2007 - Au-Pair - Germany

At the end of my second year at university I started searching for an au-pair job. I popped a profile up on aupair-world.net and after discussions with families in America and Germany, I flew over to Paderborn, Germany in the June of that year to look after a 9 year old girl for a month. Read about it here.

2008 - 2009 - Many jobs - Australia

In the November after graduation I flew to Australia.  After a fun introduction week and experiencing Christmas and New Year in Sydney I settled into working for a few months before exploring Tasmania and the East/West coast and central Australia. Another office job, working on a farm then packing oranges helped top up the funds ready for a last week away in Fiji before home beckoned.

This was an amazing year and I can't believe I haven't made it back yet!

Winter 2012/13 - Chalet Host - France

Working my butt off that winter for family ski holidays, I hardly took a breath when I was in my chalet. I cooked, cleaned and looked after a 12-bed chalet in a tiny ski-resort in France. Cooking breakfast, afternoon tea (cake), childrens meal & desert and a four-course adults meal all in one day 6 days a week and still allowing time for a quick ski and an afternoon nap was knackering but so worth it. 

During these five months I had the best time out there, made some great friends and went from nursery slope to trying a black run in the last week. From here at the end of April I went straight to Italy . . .

Summer 2013 - Chalet Assistant - Italy

The longest six months eventually won me over. I hated it at first and was ready to pack it in at a moments notice, but Lake Garda and my colleagues eventually won me over. I was working at part of a team in a 70-guest chalet in the quiet lakeside town of Gardone Riveria. The lake had plenty of quaint towns to visit on my day off each week but it was very hard work at times. 

After a short visit home came Austria . . 

Winter 2013/2014 - Chalet Host - Austria

Back to hosting for the winter season, in a slightly larger chalet than my first season. Being a big resort this was a totally different vibe and experience for me than France. It tried to fit in but the place just wasn't for me. It had some darn good skiing though and my accommodation was pretty interesting. Think 70's style dark wood, tapestry pictures, yellow curtains and brown patterned carpet!

Austria was my last work/travel but I do have dreams of working in Lapland in a few years.

I hope you enjoyed that quick run-down, I shall talk about each in more detail in their own posts soon. Does anything take your fancy here? What would you like to hear about first?