I used to have a boss who, without realizing what he was saying, called FAQs “facks” and no one ever corrected him on it. In his honor here is a list of faqs that people have been asking about me and Miriam’s upcoming trip and my answers. I hope you faqing enjoy it.
1. “What are you going to be doing for the next 6 months?”
Miriam and I will be traveling to Queenstown, New Zealand. We’ve both been approved for a Working Holiday visa so we are planning on finding jobs and exploring everything NZ has to offer.
2. “What type of jobs will you be doing?”
Since tourism and agriculture make up a big part of New Zealand’s economy, there are a lot of jobs that are seasonal/temporary. They rely on traveling young whippersnappers like me to fill these positions. People that have the same visa that I have usually end up working at restaurants, bars, vineyards or orchards.
3. “Why did you pick New Zealand?”
Miriam’s sister and brother-in-law moved there in September for a year and when we heard about their plans we were very jealous. We looked into making this trip ourselves and learned about the Working Holiday visa which makes it easy for travelers to find jobs in NZ.
Not to mention that NZ is GORGEOUS! If you’ve seen any of the Lord of the Rings movies you know this. If you haven’t seen them then I don’t believe you. There are also tons of outdoor adventures and activities that I’m looking forward to doing.
4. “Gordon, you’re looking really jacked! Have you been working out?”
Nope it’s all natural. But thanks for asking! Next question.
5. “Why did you pick Queenstown?”
Queenstown is on the South Island and is one of the adventure sports capitals of the world. There is also great skiing in the winter (it’s almost summer). The tourism industry is booming in Queenstown which means it will be easier for Miriam and I to find jobs. It’s also very close to all the outdoor activities that we want to do. Whether it’s surfing, hiking, kayaking, swimming, mountain biking or zorbing, Queenstown seems to have it or be a short drive away.
6. “Won’t it be hard to leave for six months?”
I’m sure it will. I’ll miss major life events, holidays with my family and great times hanging out with friends.
I felt like this was too great of an opportunity and I would be a fool to let it pass by. I could have come up with plenty of reasons not to go but if I would have let those reasons sway my decision I would have regretted it.
Cheers,
Gordon
Game of Chicken 
Gordon, I’m uber envious of your & Miriam’s upcoming adventure & can’t wait to read more! As you said, it’s too good of an opportunity to pass up! Safe travels!
Don’t both adjusting to the time difference for a few more days. You’re going to have to be up in the middle of the night on Wednesday/Thursday anyway to support the Kiwis as they dust off the Mexicans! Then adjust in time for the return leg (which I’ll use the luxury of DVR to watch).
Hey Mike,
The game was at 9 this morning but Miriam and I missed up because we went for a hike instead. Oh we’ll. we’ll try and watch the second leg. After seeing the result I’m not too disappointed about it.