Capture the Colour: Canada Eh

I've loved seeing everyone's capture the colours, there are definitely some talented travel bloggers out there. So thank you for the tag Alex! This entry is purely for fun, so I decided to add in the colour orange because I'm awful with decisions. I figured what better travels of mine to represent than my own country?! Anyway, if you aren't sick of sunsets yet, you'll enjoy!

Yellow: One of my favourite places to wakeboard!... West Lake, Ontario (Sandbanks Provincial Park).

Blue: A beach in Wellington, Ontario I tend to frequent.

Green: One of the million fields in the countryside near my home (& my dog, Bourbon)!

Red: One of my favourite hobbies, fishing! In Stirling, Ontario (a.k.a. Hicktown).

White: A lily in my own backyard!

 

Orange: Pumpkin patches surround the area I live in during Autumn; this was taken at one of my favourite places to stop at on my way to work.

 

I would love to see Andrea, Katherine, Kelsey, Brooke & Claire do this. I think you'd all rock this! Until next time...

xxx

The Cost of Au Pairing

Getting closer & closer to the date of my departure, I'm kind of curious (& scared) to figure out the actual cost of my decision to au pair once again, this time in Ireland. I'll compare the cost with that of when I au paired in France, but to be honest my memory is pretty horrid & it will more or less just be educated guesses. This will hopefully help some of you who are thinking about au pairing yourselves! Especially because when I googled the subject, it was incredibly difficult to find any sort of information on the topic.

 

Ireland
Visa: $425 + $2,500 in Support Funds
Flight: Originally $600 one way, but I had to change the date so ended up being closer to $900.
Essentials: Unfortunately I destroyed my laptop, so I will be buying a new one, as well as a backpack for travelling within Europe & new travel adapters. Say $1000.
Savings: Will be bringing around $3,000 (which includes my Support Funds).
Total: $5,325

France
Visa: I believe it was around $200.
Flight: $700 (2-Way, family reimbursed me)
Essentials: I probably spent around $300, but on new clothing rather than actual essentials.
Savings: Maybe $500
Total: $1,000

Pretty massive different between countries, but then again the Ireland Working Holiday Visa does require Support Funds, which the Au Pair Visa for France did not. Also I will be buying practical equipment this round as well as of course bringing more in savings. I will definitely be more prepared this trip, happy to say!

Also, bare in mind that although this does seem pricey, just think of the cost of moving abroad without a job lined up, having to pay first & last month's rent right off the bat, putting down deposits on utilities, worrying about your spending until you actually can find a job, etc...

In all, au pairing is a great way to move abroad for those with less funds or with the urge to leave NOW. I will also be finding myself a weekend job to fund my travels even further, which will ultimately allow me to live on my own! Any au pairs out there?! Would love to hear your thoughts. 
xxx

15 Photos: Describing My Love of Ireland

As you know (or don't!), I'm off to Ireland once again come September... Now the last time I visited I only had a chance to visit for two weeks, but that time alone was enough for me to absolutely fall in love with the country. These are 15 of my favourites, some repeating. Also back from when I did not have an SLR, so no judging on quality please! & of course there will be plenty more to come in the upcoming year.

One word: Wexford...

The GREEN

The streets...

Wild sheep along the side of every road made for multiple stops along the way.

The water!

Colourful buildings make for charming towns, not surprisingly I have about 50 other photos resembling this exact one but in different locations.

The castles, everywhere & anywhere! Some available for tours & some just random in the countryside.

As I said! More green & castles...

The beaches, this was a particularily foggy day making for the most perfect weather (according to me at least!)

The graveyards... Such beautiful tombstones no matter how small the yard.

Had to add yet another castle, of course...

The Blarney Castle Grounds

One of my favourite castles yet, on the Blarney grounds.



 Just more wild sheep, this time I've taken over the shot, typical.

Guinness... Possibly my favourite beer, although I'm quite sure I gained 5 pounds along the way just purely from Guinness. Was not a meal had in which I didn't have a Guinness alongside.

I s'pose that's all for now! Most of these photos I've even forgotten where they've actually been taken because over our two weeks we basically just rented a car & drove all of Ireland (excluding Northern). But if you're really curious I'm sure I can pin down the locations! Also, I can guarantee more posts on Ireland, so hoping no-one minds.

xxx