Want to travel to Australia.

[Generic Box Of Cookies]

So like, it's me(Im 16), a guitar, a halfstack, and some clothes and stuff..One way until I decide to return. From Reno, NV to Melbourne. What is the cheapest and most efficient way to get there?

[Captain Asshat]

Cheapest one way you're going to find from Reno is probably going to cost you around $650-$900, depending on how far in advance you purchase your flight and which season you travel in.

What kind of plans do you have? A guitar/half stack is a lot to be lugging around. Do you have a place to live there? Are you aware that you're likely going to come under scrutiny flying there on a one way ticket at 16 years old unless you have a visa and a place to live?

Just checking.

[Generic Box Of Cookies]

I have a friend outside of Melbourne with an extra room, until I find my own place. I plan on raising up at least 10 grand before I head out. I thought that might be odd to them, having a 16 year old fly over one way alone. I might be 18 by the time I can afford it though.

That price seems fair, since the cheapest round trip flight averaged a little over twice that much.

The halfstack weighs about 100lbs, and takes up quite a bit of space. I might just have it all shipped to me instead. I mean, it wasn't too much trouble to get it all from Britian and Korea to here, so getting it to Australia shouldn't be too too tough.

When is the cheapest time of year to travel there?

[Captain Asshat]

The cheapest time for flying is generally going to be during their winter months, which of course come during our summertime here in the US.

You probably know already, but buying flights during the off season and doing it at least a couple of months in advance can really help out on costs. As far as getting your stuff there.. it's going to cost a bit regardless. Your best bet might be to do like you said and just ship it.

I'd be sure to spend a good bit of time going over Australia's immigration requirements and the process for getting a visa to stay there, which has to be done before you leave the US. I'm not even sure if they'll grant one to you since you're a minor. If you're 18 at the time, no worries then.

[Generic Box Of Cookies]

Hmm ok.

Actually, I didn't know what. Thanks for filling me in. I've been researching the immagration requirements.

What are living expenses like there? I estimated to spend between 8 and 20 thousand dollars(usd) for my first year there. Don't know how accurate that is though.

[Captain Asshat]

I haven't been, so I can't give you very detailed information on the costs. I have a lot of close family living in Melbourne, and from what they say it's not exactly the cheapest city in the country. If you have that much money, you'll probably do just fine though as long as you're frugal.

And you should have a closer look at visa procedures. It's quite a bit more difficult than you'd think to get anything other than a 3 month tourist stamp. Unless you have family there or a job offer from an Australian company who has legally proven that they need to recruit someone from abroad for that position, it's going to be tough. You could always marry someone, but even that takes years to go through. For people to legally immigrate, most countries generally want educated people with skills that are in demand (IT, healthcare) and lots of experience.

That leaves you with a couple options. You could go on a student visa and study there, or you can go as a tourist (maybe purchase a round trip ticket so you don't look out of place) and overstay your tourist visa. That carries penalties if you're caught, but nothing extremely severe. It would mean that if you want to work, you're going to be working under the table.

If you got caught and the fine was too harsh, you could always hitch a yacht over to NZ and fly out of Auckland to get back to the US.

[Generic Box Of Cookies]

I haven't got much experience in healthcare... I have some education and experience in a few construction trades(welding, heavy equipment, concrete) and some basic IT skills(basic unix networking and hardware). Would that be enough to get me in?

Or perhaps if I were feeling scientificy enough, I could fake a birth certificate, and have myself cryogenically frozen for 18 years. That isn't likely though.

[Captain Asshat]

Well, most places generally want you to be an established, educated adult. Adult meaning someone who is 25-30+ years of age. It makes sense, but at the same time I think it's ridiculous considering that most first world countries let in how many uneducated, poor and sometimes criminal people from the third world who can't even speak the language? Then, when someone who has a 10x better shot at integrating into the culture wants to live there, it's a huge pain in the ass or nearly impossible to do it legally.

If you research, you'll probably find more info than I have. If it comes down to it, just go and overstay your tourist stamp. Worst case scenario you'll get a fine and not be able to enter the country for like five years, best case scenario you won't even get caught. If you do that, don't fly out of the country when it's time to leave. Get a boat to NZ or somewhere and fly out of there.

[ronin]

For most cases before immigration to Australia you would have to prove that you would be able to earn your keep and not fall back on welfare, so there your trade experience is handy but there wouldnt be too much work down in Melbourne for a welder.

Despite the fact you sound mature you would have to be legal because until you are you would have to be under the care of someone else. Though an interesting fact exists: you can get a trade skill visa with little reserve money (though you would have to have a job lined up) or the other for pretty much immediate residency would be to take 200k+ with you and qualify as an investor (it is very popular with asians at the moment)