The International Contingent

[TheBurns]

7 minutes ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

Wherever you are coming from, be it New Zealand or just across the channel it will be great to see the  flags of all your nations on the farm!  

But only in the campsites.

[Calvin Klein]

1 minute ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

Wherever you are coming from, be it New Zealand or just across the channel it will be great to see the  flags of all your nations on the farm!  

I've only taken a flag in 2014 but without a pole. 

So if you've ever seen an Argentinian flag, that was not me. I'm too afraid

[guypjfreak]

10 minutes ago, TheBurns said:

But only in the campsites.

Top of the range old son.. 

[sirjonnyp]

1 hour ago, kalifire said:

Hold strong, @sirjonnyp - we’re in the same boat but I’m quietly confident about the trip now. HK has experienced its peak, and Cathay will touch the Au-HK-London route last of all. I’m more worried about Glasto going ahead than I am being able to get to England, at this point. 

I read this, which isn't great reading, particularly about further job cuts: https://www.ft.com/content/8214daec-635c-11ea-b3f3-fe4680ea68b5

But as you said, there's another more pressing question now, which is whether we will need to travel at all. 

On a complete aside, my de facto partner visa is to be approved (woop woop) so I have to leave the country for five working days. I'm going to New Zealand next week and had been planning five days of trekking in Arthur's Pass with some time in Christchurch too. On Sunday I sprained my foot so badly that I can barely walk on it, so any hiking is off of the cards now and I'm looking at doing a bike trail (my foot can cope with that) around West coast campsites between two nights in Christchurch instead. @Bryanrebe do you have any recommendations for Christchurch / Greymouth area that are easy on public transport? 

[Ayrshire Chris]

39 minutes ago, TheBurns said:

But only in the campsites.

See edit!😁

[Bryanrebe]

15 minutes ago, sirjonnyp said:

 

@Bryanrebe do you have any recommendations for Christchurch / Greymouth area that are easy on public transport? 

I'm from Wellington and only travel by car when I visit family in Christchurch and stay with them. I've heard the train along the Coast is beautiful and you could go to Kaikoura. I haven't been since a big earthquake was centered there couple of years ago but I've heard it's recovered well.

[TheBurns]

39 minutes ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

See edit!😁

Good Work! My tricolour will be somewhere in Dairy Ground.

[kalifire]

2 hours ago, sirjonnyp said:

I read this, which isn't great reading, particularly about further job cuts: https://www.ft.com/content/8214daec-635c-11ea-b3f3-fe4680ea68b5

But as you said, there's another more pressing question now, which is whether we will need to travel at all. 

On a complete aside, my de facto partner visa is to be approved (woop woop) so I have to leave the country for five working days. I'm going to New Zealand next week and had been planning five days of trekking in Arthur's Pass with some time in Christchurch too. On Sunday I sprained my foot so badly that I can barely walk on it, so any hiking is off of the cards now and I'm looking at doing a bike trail (my foot can cope with that) around West coast campsites between two nights in Christchurch instead. @Bryanrebe do you have any recommendations for Christchurch / Greymouth area that are easy on public transport? 

Congrats! That's huge news

If I'd known you were in the visa game, I'd have offered you advice - that's my line of work. Feel free to get in touch.

[MetaKate]

3 hours ago, Calvin Klein said:

I was thinking about doing northern Italy prior to the festival as well but that is no longer an option. 

I'll stay in Spain for 10 days before a week in London, and then take the coach to Glastonbury.

I've had Buenos AIres-Madrid plane tickets since November. And booked an airbnb in London but that's it. Haven't booked the flights to London yet and I might have to wait a little bit more. 

There are too many variables right now which has pretty much killed any buzz about the festival for me

As per northern Italy, I feel by June it should be all cleared up there, so I'm not discounting it yet

[sirjonnyp]

21 minutes ago, kalifire said:

Congrats! That's huge news

If I'd known you were in the visa game, I'd have offered you advice - that's my line of work. Feel free to get in touch.

Thanks very much! After we put the application in last year, there wasn't really much to do other than wait. I might hit you up in two years when we approach the permanent phase (I think) or if I get back in two weeks time and find that the London office messed it up somehow!

I've already had one job interview earlier in the week, which was mildly amusing due to my horrendous limp and hiking pole from the sprain. Anxiously waiting for the phone call now, turns out I really want the job - the role profile was practically written for me and it's a 25 per cent pay rise on the job I left in the UK but I have minimal knowledge of healthcare in Australia, so I'm worried that that will be my Achilles heel. I've been missing post-work pub action and the only person I know here is my partner, so getting back to the living world will be a welcome relief. 

 

2 hours ago, Bryanrebe said:

I'm from Wellington and only travel by car when I visit family in Christchurch and stay with them. I've heard the train along the Coast is beautiful and you could go to Kaikoura. I haven't been since a big earthquake was centered there couple of years ago but I've heard it's recovered well.

Thanks for the tip, I shall look in to it!

[Mark H]

18 hours ago, Bryanrebe said:

I'm from Wellington

Me too!!

Hi Wellington friend!

Hope the virus clears up and you get to enjoy the wedding and festival. This whole situation is causing me some anxiety..

 

[Bryanrebe]

1 hour ago, Mark H said:

Me too!!

Hi Wellington friend!

Hope the virus clears up and you get to enjoy the wedding and festival. This whole situation is causing me some anxiety..

 

Hi!! How crap has this cold wind been!?

It's giving me anxiety too, I honestly feel like the shit is going to hit the fan any second.

[sirjonnyp]

On 3/12/2020 at 10:03 AM, sirjonnyp said:

On a complete aside, my de facto partner visa is to be approved (woop woop) so I have to leave the country for five working days. I'm going to New Zealand next week and had been planning five days of trekking in Arthur's Pass with some time in Christchurch too. 

So the NZ government's new restrictions has fucked my holiday and visa plan up bigtime. I'm not sure it's going to be possible for me to self-isolate once in NZ (I'm supposed to be there for seven nights) so I need to make other plans in order to get my visa. I have to leave Australia by the end of March due to my health check being done in April last year. I don't really want to go anywhere else at the moment, so I'm looking into going back to the UK for a week instead, where I can at least self-isolate at my parents if I need to. @kalifire does that sound sensible on my part? I'll be allowed back in, won't I?

[sirjonnyp]

Also, thoughts with @Bryanrebe and other NZ posters, if the festival somehow does go ahead there's two weeks of isolation for you to come back to. 

[Bryanrebe]

My friend is in Australia and her flight is due to get in at 11.55pm (aka 5 minutes before the cut off). Hoping she makes it back in time!

We know a few people who will be in self isolation, we're a country of travellers so this will hit hard!

[Bryanrebe]

1 hour ago, sirjonnyp said:

Also, thoughts with @Bryanrebe and other NZ posters, if the festival somehow does go ahead there's two weeks of isolation for you to come back to. 

Sorry to hear about you trip too! 😔

[kalifire]

3 hours ago, sirjonnyp said:

So the NZ government's new restrictions has fucked my holiday and visa plan up bigtime. I'm not sure it's going to be possible for me to self-isolate once in NZ (I'm supposed to be there for seven nights) so I need to make other plans in order to get my visa. I have to leave Australia by the end of March due to my health check being done in April last year. I don't really want to go anywhere else at the moment, so I'm looking into going back to the UK for a week instead, where I can at least self-isolate at my parents if I need to. @kalifire does that sound sensible on my part? I'll be allowed back in, won't I?

Ah, shit. Sorry to hear that!

If you go back to the UK, you should be fine. Even if it becomes a country subject to Australian travel restrictions (unlikely), you'll be covered by the current policy:

Australia will deny entry to anyone who has left or transited a country subject to travel restrictions within the previous 14 days, with the exception of:

• Australian citizens
• permanent residents
• New Zealand citizens resident in Australia
• immediate family members of Australian citizens and permanent residents including spouses, minor dependants and legal guardians
• diplomats.

You'd be considered an immediate family member, so even if you're required to self-isolate, they should let you in.

[sirjonnyp]

Grand, I had seen that but just wanted to check. I'm going to notify the London embassy that I have changed my plans due to the above - that shouldn't be any problem with having my visa granted? 

[Ayrshire Chris]

Reckon we should all spare a thought for the many glasto lovers who travel from all corners of the world and committed so much time and money to attend the festival. The uncertainty must be a hundred times more worrying than us in the U.K. 

[Jay Pee]

4 hours ago, sirjonnyp said:

So the NZ government's new restrictions has fucked my holiday and visa plan up bigtime. I'm not sure it's going to be possible for me to self-isolate once in NZ (I'm supposed to be there for seven nights) so I need to make other plans in order to get my visa. I have to leave Australia by the end of March due to my health check being done in April last year. I don't really want to go anywhere else at the moment, so I'm looking into going back to the UK for a week instead, where I can at least self-isolate at my parents if I need to. @kalifire does that sound sensible on my part? I'll be allowed back in, won't I?

Hi Mate,

I cant offer any advice but will send you support and Karma.

This is unreal what we are experiencing globally.  Just focus on the Cider Bus on 25 June 2020.  I will get the apples in and some sort of mindfuck chasers..

[kalifire]

1 hour ago, sirjonnyp said:

Grand, I had seen that but just wanted to check. I'm going to notify the London embassy that I have changed my plans due to the above - that shouldn't be any problem with having my visa granted? 

Nah, you just need to be offshore. Doesn't matter where you are as long as you're not in Australia. Just let your case officer know of your revised departure date. Can't remember where you're based, but if it's Melbourne, let me know - there's a few of us here and it would be nice to organise some kind of meet, whatever happens in June.

[assorted]

Train tickets for the festival dates from London went on sale today at gwr.com (I'm buying from my Coach location in Bath).

I've been very bullish on being optimistic the festival is happening, keeping my group of fellow international travelers optimistic and pumped, mostly avoiding "that coronavirus thread" of doomsday preppers.... 

But the news of the gov announcement coming Monday has shaken me up for the first time. I'm not jumping to buy those non-refundable train tickets just yet. I'll wait for a statement from the festival after the government statement before committing... and hope for the best. Good luck to all of us that this all works out! 🙂 

[Mark H]

8 hours ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

Reckon we should all spare a thought for the many glasto lovers who travel from all corners of the world and committed so much time and money to attend the festival. The uncertainty must be a hundred times more worrying than us in the U.K. 

Thanks Glasto friend!!

As well as the emotional toll of ‘will it, won’t it’ that we all feel, my family stands to loose $19,000 NZD on this trip and have put off job changes and other life events since we were successful on T-Day last year so we could make the trip work.

It’s a rough time! But will be worth it when Macca belts on Let It Be at the end of sunny day at the farm!

M.

[sirjonnyp]

14 hours ago, kalifire said:

Nah, you just need to be offshore. Doesn't matter where you are as long as you're not in Australia. Just let your case officer know of your revised departure date. Can't remember where you're based, but if it's Melbourne, let me know - there's a few of us here and it would be nice to organise some kind of meet, whatever happens in June.

Yep Melbourne indeed, up in Coburg. Getting some beers in would be good, although I'm hoping that by the time that I'm back Australia has caught up with the scale of the situation and has put in more effective social distancing measures. Might just be me, but it seems pretty relaxed so far compared to the rest of the world (apart from the UK). 

[sirjonnyp]

10 minutes ago, sirjonnyp said:

 Might just be me, but it seems pretty relaxed so far compared to the rest of the world (apart from the UK). 

I take back what I said, looks like I'm in the spare room for two weeks when I get back lel.