My adventure began before I even arrived in NZ. I debated with myself whether I should announce this incredibly stupid mistake online. But it is only one in a long line of mistakes, and I still seem to have people who love me. Lucky me!!
I always seem to do something stupid while travelling. On the way to India I left my wallet on the plane in Brussells. Some kind soul turned it in, and the man checking boarding passes at the gate had a great time watching my increasing nervousness before handing the missing article over. In Turkey, I left my wallet on a bus; never saw that one again... Once, I left my purse in a Starbucks in Chicago. Many of you will be surprised to hear that I actually did find that, jammed between the cushions of a very comfy armchair. The worst travel mistake to date was in Ireland. I left my $8000 violin on the bus I took from Dublin to Cork. I was about to send a package home, the first ever from a foreign country, and was so focused on that I forgot about what was really important. If I remember correctly, I was so ashamed that when I emailed my parents asking for more money (because I ended up stranded in Cork with no money while waiting for my violin) that I lied and told them I'do left my laptop on the bus.
So as I said, this particular travel mistake is one in a long line. Here goes. Instead of bringing my current Australian passport, I brought the expired one. Luckily, I still had my US passport but, of course, no visa. After a lot of help from a kind person at check-in in San Fransisco, I bought an onward ticket to Sydney. In New Zealand, you can travel without a visa so long as you have an onward ticket within three months of your arrival. I' moping that after my current Australian passport arrives, I will be able to sort out my status by visiting immigration. Perhaps I'll cancel my flight, or postpone it until after the hike if I can? Or perhaps, i will take advantage of my involuntary ticket and visit my cousins, who I have never met, and their Mom, who I haven't seen since I was a baby, in Australia. Maybe all things really do happen for a reason. Or maybe, I'm way to spacey for my own good.
I always seem to do something stupid while travelling. On the way to India I left my wallet on the plane in Brussells. Some kind soul turned it in, and the man checking boarding passes at the gate had a great time watching my increasing nervousness before handing the missing article over. In Turkey, I left my wallet on a bus; never saw that one again... Once, I left my purse in a Starbucks in Chicago. Many of you will be surprised to hear that I actually did find that, jammed between the cushions of a very comfy armchair. The worst travel mistake to date was in Ireland. I left my $8000 violin on the bus I took from Dublin to Cork. I was about to send a package home, the first ever from a foreign country, and was so focused on that I forgot about what was really important. If I remember correctly, I was so ashamed that when I emailed my parents asking for more money (because I ended up stranded in Cork with no money while waiting for my violin) that I lied and told them I'do left my laptop on the bus.
So as I said, this particular travel mistake is one in a long line. Here goes. Instead of bringing my current Australian passport, I brought the expired one. Luckily, I still had my US passport but, of course, no visa. After a lot of help from a kind person at check-in in San Fransisco, I bought an onward ticket to Sydney. In New Zealand, you can travel without a visa so long as you have an onward ticket within three months of your arrival. I' moping that after my current Australian passport arrives, I will be able to sort out my status by visiting immigration. Perhaps I'll cancel my flight, or postpone it until after the hike if I can? Or perhaps, i will take advantage of my involuntary ticket and visit my cousins, who I have never met, and their Mom, who I haven't seen since I was a baby, in Australia. Maybe all things really do happen for a reason. Or maybe, I'm way to spacey for my own good.