Cities have MySpace pages now? Who knew? Turns out that Sydney has got its own MySpace haunt because they want to persuade young Americans to head Down Under to boost the Aussie economy rather than helping out their own. Well, that's just our interpretation.

Now that US citizens aged 18 to 30 can get a working holiday visa for Australia, Sydney reckons it's got the goods to attract people: Surf and sand, plenty of jobs, good nightlife and decent places to study if you're so inclined.

Sydney--at least its MySpace version--doesn't have too many friends yet, and it has even fewer comments on its forum questions. But don't let that be an indication of whether this city is actually friend-worthy. Just because we think Melbourne's better doesn't mean you can't add Sydney as a friend: Melbourne isn't even cool enough to have a MySpace page yet.

Related Stories:
· MySpace Sydney [Official Site]
· Wanna Work and Play Down Under? [Jaunted]
· Melbourne IS Better Than Sydney [Jaunted] ]]> amandak 2008-11-20T09:00:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/28/171513/807

Were you already criticizing the American Airlines blog by the time we posted about it? Are your fave spots in LA ruined after they appear on "The Hills?" Do you have a collection of glamour shots--of Airbus planes?

You should probably be writing for us, then. And here's the good news: We pay our writers.]]> pbb 2008-04-28T17:30:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/9/9/73044/69651

If you're under 30, and either a US or an Australian citizen, you might be buzzed to know that these two countries have just agreed on a working holiday visa program. That means, for example, that young Americans can head Down Under for up to twelve months and have the right to live, work and even study a bit, and Australians get to do the same in the States.

The Aussie tradition of working holidays is already strong, with a big proportion of young people heading to countries like the UK, Canada, Japan and Germany where working holiday visas have been in place for years. What's that mean for the US? A wave of Aussies coming to work in hotels and restaurants near you. Just make sure when you return the favor you venture out beyond Sydney Harbour.

Related Stories:
· New US Visa Deal With Australia [news.com.au]
· Australia Travel Stories [Jaunted]

[Photo: floratheexlplora]]]> amandak 2007-09-10T09:30:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/1/23/111823/433

Working holiday-makers are finding a nice way to earn cash while surfing their way around Australia is to spend a month or two picking fruit. And Australia needs people to do this so desperately that there are incentive schemes involving extended visas and other perks to get people into the trees and bushes. This week the gave a good insight into life as a cherry-picker:

After two hours picking cherries it feels like the pads on my fingertips are going to wear through and the nails fall away from my thumbs.

But don’t worry, he was a beginner. Others talk of earning plenty of cash to keep extending their holiday, or at least to enjoy it more thoroughly, let’s say. But you have to pick your fruit carefully, according to an experienced traveler/picker:

Peaches are terrible. They've got that fur all over 'em. It gets into you like fibreglass and you feel like you are going to scratch your throat out or your arms off. And who'd do pineapples? Who'd want to work in those prickly bastards?

Related Stories:  
·   Britons! Rush east to India, land of opportunity! [Beyond the Beyond, via Boing-Boing] ]]> johnrambow 2005-11-21T17:52:17-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/