Blogs from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 5

First stop should be the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which lists eligible countries, application procedures, and any contry-specific variations. This page of the Japanese Embassy in London outlines the requirements and process for UK citizens. And this youtube video gives helpful info on what to put in your application paperwork (and is fairly amusing). Basically, if you are a British citizen, aged 18-25, you can get a working holiday visa for Japan. Once issued, you have 12 months to enter the country, and can then stay for 12 months. In theory there is a quota (no more than 400 issued in a year) but that quota has never yet been reached. In addition, if you are over 25, don't despair, as... read more

I'm procrastinating packing, so figured I'd try and explain this . . . Pros - chance to live in Japan for a year!!! How is that not the most amazing thing ever??? - opportunities to learn a new language, engage with a different culture, and all that other stuff that looks good on the CV. - working will enable you to travel for longer elsewhere, as at the very least you could cover the costs of being in Japan, making a potentially expensive part of your itinerary cost-neutral - if you're wanting a year abroad in one place (perhaps you're considering a year in Oz or New Zealand), Japan offers a chance to go somewhere a bit more exotic-seeming, while still earning enough and living comfortably. Cons (or, why they aren't cons really) - Japan is ... read more

Hi Have just set this up so am just fiddling about and seeing how this works. Let me know if you are able to read this. More later Helenx... read more

Tesco Green Wheelie bag will travel. As it's only 14 days until we move out of our house and 48 days until we leave for China, our thoughts have turned to packing and re packing and re re packing. As Chris has been frantically digging, like a dog, in the large box upstairs on the landing, to try to gather all of his equipment together - it's been a dawning lesson to us both as to how we are not going to be able to carry everything that has been bought for our journey (and has yet to be bought). Chris has everything for every eventuality and every possible life enhancing, thrill seeking, heart pounding extracurricular sporting activity, whereas, my mind turned to wonder how I'm going to fit the ever increasing library of books and ... read more

What kit, jabs etc. are needed is a frequently asked question, and also perplexed me at first. So I thought I'd post my list, and what I got: Essential Kit Rucksack - 45L Regatta £27.99 The next 3 were from Itchy Feet but to be honest I'm not sure I always found the cheapest price, so shop around: Money Belt Micro-fibre towel Swiss army knife Compass Daysack (either small back-pack or satchel: I prefer satchel as it's easier to carry with a rucksack and easier to keep an eye on) - Pacsafe Citysafe 200 Sleepsack (get a silk one off ebay for less than you'd pay for cotton in Blacks) Sunscreen Insect repellant (inc. one with deet for malaria-risk areas) First aid kit: plasters, anti-sceptic cream/wipes, rehydration salts, aspirin/paraceatamol. Make ... read more

It was about 6:30-am when I got a text from my friend Sue, asking R U awake? I thought "well I am now". This was the day of the 2008 Egg Run in aid of Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Sue was concerned about riding her bike in the snow which had fallen over night and was looking for a ride as pillion, but on this occasion I couldn’t help her because my back seat was promised to Joanne, Lyn’s daughter. I got the VFR out and headed off to meet up with some of our members at our meeting point, the Blacksmiths at Renishaw. Shortly after 8:00-am, 5 bikes all but one with pillions, left the Blacksmiths and headed to the M1 motorway junction 30 then north to junction 33 where we turned left onto the ... read more

Starting the count down now. It won't be long until I'm on the other side of the world enjoying sun, sea and the beach (not to mention a distinct lack of work). I can't wait.... read more

Maybe I'll travel to France next summer: it would be good fun to improve my primitive French, sample the wines and the cafés, and take in some French culture. I think Paris would be a good start, although not sure what camping in a city would be like! Maybe i'd stay in a hostel. At the moment I'm thinking scrap the car, and just walk and catch public transport everywhere, along with a tad of hitch hiking maybe. I think the car would hold me back more than anything in that you always have to come back to where you left it before you can travel elsewhere. The possibility of a barge holiday in Norfolk with friends sounds quite appealing actually, so may look into this further. On another note, i'm off to the Lake District ... read more

Here I am, back in my FAVORITE country, with some amazing friends. I have just a few of my own pictures and then... Below are some pictures that Dan Butler took. His pictures are just too good not to publish. So, here is his first public debut!... read more