Exciting News For Cheaper Trans-Pacific Flights!

The headline "First low-cost Asian airline cleared for flights to the U.S." caught my eye last night. . . all thanks to a friend's Facebook post. This news really excites me, a development like this really opens some new options for Americans looking to travel to Asia.

Even if they never start offering direct flights to the East Coast, where I live, I am still going to keep an eye on this as according to the article, AirAsia's "long-haul affiliate," AirAisia X, will be handling the US - Asia routes. AirAsia X has direct flights to Auckland, New Zealand from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Gold Coast, Australia.

Read the full article here: Money.CNN.com

1 Year Ago...

1 year ago, I arrive in the beautiful nation of New Zealand to begin a YWAM DTS, which unsurprisingly ended-up becoming the biggest adventure of my life to date. In the 7 months total that I was away, God really gave me a new and refreshed heart for missions on a scale that I could have never imagined before. I am so eager to see what is He has for me next!

HAPPY NEW YEARS! :D

When it comes to parenting a blog, I am not the most attentive of parents. Of recent, I have been an absentee parent for a few very major events and milestones: I missed Thanks Giving, My blog's 2nd birthday and even Christmas... oh my!

At least I have returned just in time to celebrate New Years! As a "peace offering, to make up my blog neglect, below are some pictures from my travels in the last year... travels which have been my most extensive to date. Actually, I don't think that they could be much more extensive but, such trips may become much more frequent in the future... God willing!

So, without further delay... especially for those of you who have been waiting since my "Why No Pics?" post, here you go!

OUT WITH 2016 AND IN WITH THE 2017!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERY ONE!
HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR!

My Current Travel Map (Updated: November 2016)

Samuel has been to: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Belize, Canada, Ivory Coast, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Egypt, Spain, Finland, Fiji, France, United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Liberia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Palestine, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, United States, Vatican, Vanuatu.
Get your own travel map from Matador Network.

Flight Statistics From My 7-Month YWAM Journey

I did some flight calculations from my big 7 month YWAM journey.

All in all, I flew with 7 different airlines, on 13 separate flights (legs), covering approximately 25,778mi (42,480km), spending about 53.5hrs (2.25 days) in the air. Don't get me started on layovers...

Airlines I Flew With:

United Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines

Air New Zealand

Air Vanuatu

Fiji Airways

Quantas

American Airlines

Flights Taken:

-Getting to Tauranga, New Zealand-

Orlando, Florida to San Francisco, California

San Francisco, Califonia to Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu, Hawaii to Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand to Tauranga, New Zealand

-Coming back from Outreach in Vanuatu (took a 5 day sail going to)-

Port Vila, Vanuatu to Auckland, New Zealand

-Going back to Vanuatu-

Tauranga, New Zealand to Auckland, New Zealand

(had an 18 hour layover... the longest in my life)

Auckland, New Zeland to Nadi, Fiji

Nadi, Fiji to Port Vila, Vanuatu

-Back to New Zealand-

Port Vila, Vanuatu to Auckland, New Zealand

-Heading home-

Auckland, New Zealand to Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne, Australia to Sydney, Australia

Sydney, Australia to Dallas, Texas

Dallas, Texas to Orlando, Florida

Longest Flight (EVER!): Sydney, Australia to Dallas, Texas - 15.5hrs - 8,580mi (13,800km)

Shortest Flight: Auckland, New Zealand to Tauranga, New Zealand - 0.5hrs - 90mi (145km)

WHEW!!! What a trip! :D

How Did I End-Up Here?

How did I end up here? ...in another island nation, in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, getting ready to voulenteer on a medical ship?

Great questions! In all honesty, I have only one answer: I followed the Spirit.

My DTS is now over and I am no longer in New Zealand. I had had the option to fly back to Orlando on the 22nd of June (today actually) but, somthing inside me opted to choose the next avalible award ticket date of August 30th 2016.

So, here I am back in Port Vila, Vauatu, ready to rejoin the the M/V Pacific Hope. While I don't know exactly what date my time on the ship will end, I have committed to approximately 2 months.

While so much is uncertain, I am really looking forward to my time serving on the ship. God called me here, got me here and will certainly see me through here. I am eager to see what He has planned!

10th Week In New Zealand

Yesterday I ended my 10th week here in New Zealand. It will be my last full week here at the Marine Reach Base. This coming Friday, myself as well as many of my fellow DTS students will move to the M/V Pacific Hope (the Ship) for our last week of lectures. Once that week ends, we will officially be in the Outreach Phase... So Excited!

This past Thursday, my "Spec Ops" team, along with other student voulenteers, went to the Ship to do some painting. This was my second time painting on the Ship... I have a renewed dislike of marine grade paint. Though we got got a lot done, there will probably be some "touch-up" work for us once we get on board and certainly by the time we set sail to Auckland on the 16th of April.

The highlight of my week was a Team Trip to the Redwoods - Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotarua, New Zealand. Such a beautiful place, it reminds me a lot of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, with the addition of palm trees. We hiked about 13km in total, as we made our way up & down, and in & out of the forest reserve. We had so much fun, we make a great team!

After our hike, we headed back to the Tauranga area for dinner. We got some takeout in then walked to Mt. Maunganui beach to eat and watch the waves.

After this week, I just have to say that I have a new love for the beauty of this country and the God that made it all. So eager for what lays ahead!

8th Week in New Zealand: A Week of Honor

This was a very interesting week at base and not because of St. Patrick's Day, which went almost unoticed. We had Relationship Week, which consisted of not just being taught about our relationship with God but also discussing our relationship with people.

The first day of lectures on Relationships set the tone for the whole week. The topics at hand were Honor and Love, two things the Bible commands us to do, for all people... even our enemies.

Now obviously there are no enemies here on our DTS... at least I don't think there are. In all honesty, we as students, who have almost been woven together by God himself, have naturally been going out of our way to be honoring to eachother,  especially the guys toward the girls. However, we (Ship and Base students due to a second week of combined lectures) were still given an assignment to take things to a new level.

Our assignment was to specifically honor the person sitting to our rights and lefts at the time the assignment was fiven. On top of this were were given a paper test to take so that we could better understand our, and thus eachother's, top "Love Languages."

There are five Love Languages:
Words of Affermation (Complements)
Physical Touch (Hugs, Backrubs, Bromance, etc.)
Receiving Gifts (Fairly obvious)
Quality Time (Spending time with eachother)
Acts of Service (Helping someone with chores or other jobs)

My top two were Quality Time and Physical Touch, with Words of Affermation being my lowest (but, God is changing that slowly). My two "Honorees" also had Quality time is their top twos, which made things really easy for me. However, this did not mean that gifts were out of the question. Actually, the whole thing became more of an "Obvious Santa." The Main objective was to challenge us all to get to know eachother better.

We all had a lot of fun just being with eachother and going the extra mile to honor a fellow member of the "Whanau." I enjoyed just spending time with my Honorees and of course seeing their smiles from recieving a meaningful gift.

With all the excitement of Honoring it is almost easy to for one the other main highlights of the week, the "Burn."

Now we first learned about "Burns" during Spiritual Warfare Week. These are really just elongated praise and worship sessions, 12 hours in our case, though some have lasted for 2 days or more.

We went from 7pm on Friday night to 7am on Saturday morning, with both staff and students signing-up to lead 1 hours slots. I was one of a handful that stayed the while night long. As much as I would like to say that I was awake and worshipping the whole night, that would not be truthful. I did fall asleep a couple times but, got back into the flow of things after 30 or so minutes of shut eye. Actually I don't think anyone was fully concious for the whole event, but that was okay, there was always someone still worshipping.

Starting tomorrow we start Week 9, Destiny and Calling Week. So excited!

Third Week In NZ: School and Fun

This past week has been really busy. However, it has been fun nonetheless.

The main DTS lectures this week covered "Hearing God's Voice." In the weekly Medical/Compassion Stream lectures, we covered vitals. I learned how to take blood pressure as well as calculate breathing and heart rates.

This past Wednesday the school scheduled a bug man to come and treat the place as normal bi-annual protocol. This meant that the main "Center" had to be clear of people for at least 4 hours.

So, in making sure that everyone was taken care of, we were given the afternoon away from base at Mt. Maunganui, just north of the city of Taurunga. At first a group of us hiked up to the summit of the mountain and had lunch, which we had pre-packed at breakfast. The views are amazing!

After lunch, we spent time down at the beach, though I soon left to trakdown a good fruit smoothie to reward my hiking efforts. Eventually I did take a quick dip in the ocean. There is a lot of seaweed there but, that is only part of the fun.

Mt. Maunganui is certainly a must see should you ever visit the area. Even if you, like me, are not into hiking and climbing, a once in a lifetime visit to the summit is totally worth the effort!

My First Week in New Zealand

I've been in New Zealand for one whole week now. Orientation week ended on Friday and the Lecture Phase officially starts tomorrow.

From what I have seen so far, Tauranga seems to be such a great city and I hope to explore it more. I went into town for the first time yesterday and had Thai food (also a first) with some fellow students, eager for future weekend adventures with my new YWAM Whanau.

#LoveDowntownTauranga

New Country, New Adventure, New Zealand

After 4 flights, 3 airlines, 3 layovers and 2 days, I arrived at the YWAM base yesterday morning. I do NOT regret listing to God and choosing this base, this place is absolutly beautiful.

I have been making lot of friends from all over the world. Just today, I got to practice both my German and Portuguese with native speakers.

Orientations started today, however classes won't really start till next week. So eager to see what God will do over these next 5 months. Might go to Vanuatu for Outreach! :)

2 Weeks to #MiddleEarth! YEA!

It is 2 weeks till the day that I start my journey to New Zealand for my YWAM Medical/Compassion DTS! (https://www.givesendgo.com/ywamnz)



Update (01/07/2016):

2 weeks to go before I depart for my DTS! I am so Excited!

Today, I made my first tuition payment. So far, I have been able to raise $3,400 (reflected in my “Amount Requested”), $400 from outside sources and $3000 of my own personal finances that I have been able to pull together. I have reached my limit in personal money and am seeking extra support to cover all tuition costs. Thanks in advance and God bless! 

Got My International Driving Permit!

(UPDATE ON 05-14-2019: Some of the information in this post is no longer accurate, so a new post on the topic of applying for and obtaining International Drivings permits has been made.

Please, click here!)

After getting the immunizations mandated for my YWAM DTS yesterday, we went up to AAA's (American Automobile Association) Bay Hill office up in Orlando to get my International Driving Permit (IDP). Originally I was going to mail-in the AAA application (found here) but, I needed 2 matching passport sized photos. So after a couple phone calls, we decided that it was best to just go and apply in person; no waiting period and I could pay with a credit card.

AAA charges $10 for passport photos on-top of the standard $15 fee for the IDP itself. Now if you are a premier AAA member you get this fee waived.

The IDP will good for one year from date of issuance. However, you can ask them to date it to a future date as I did but, not more than 6 months in advance.

To be honest, I am not sure that I will be using my IDP at all but, for such a small fee I wanted to be safe than sorry. I doubt that I would want to drive in NZ as they drive on the left; not sure how I would adapt to that. But, maybe if I visit Europe next year! :P (Check-out my GiveSendGo page: https://www.givesendgo.com/ywamnz)

Though I got my permit through AAA you can also get one through the National Auto Club (NAC). They are the only two private entities in the United States authorized to issue them to holders of US driver's license. So, if you see another entity offering them it is probably a scam. For more up to date information on IDPs, please visit: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/safety/driving.html

Note: While I do try to make sure all the information I provide is accurate, I will make no guarantees. Please do your own research. Also, I am NOT affiliate with AAA, NAC or USDOS. The links provided here will take you to other websites, click responsibly.

Update on YWAM Preparations - #2

Note: If you are interested in contributing to help me meet my YWAM Tuition costs, please click here... (https://www.givesendgo.com/ywamnz)

This morning I got my Tetanus and Typhoid immunizations taken care of. Though, I only really needed to get my Typhoid immunization, the nurse at the county health department suggested that I go ahead and updated my Tetanus Booster (Tdap) as well. Technically I was good with my Tdap until 2018 (once every 10 years) however, she said for active traveling an update every 5 years was recommended.

As for my Typhoid, I got the pill option, it will take about a week for full immunization. I take one pill every other day (4 pills). This treatment is actually a “Live Virus” but, I will not be contagious or anything. She said some stomach upset and tiredness will be the most of my worries. However, with the pill I am good for 5 years vs. just 3 years with the shot and the pill option was cheaper... poor marketing if you ask me. :P

All in all, I went in today not planning to get any shots but, I ended up getting two. The other was for a non-travel related immunization regiment that I fail to complete when I was a child. So, I am all set healthwise for my trip... SO EXCITED!!! :D

Next task is to get my International Driving Permit from AAA. Doing that today, leaving in a few minutes...

Update on YWAM Preparations - #1

Note: If you are interested in contributing to help me meet my YWAM Tuition costs, please click here... (https://www.givesendgo.com/ywamnz)

My YWAM base notified me that I need to update my Tetanus and Typhoid immunizations.  Who knew finding in-stock immunization vaccines was so difficult? I thought that I lived in a "first world country!" Not to mention that my local county health department has yet to return my call a week later.


Well, I got some time before I need to get the shots. If all else fails, I will get them in NZ before my Outreach Phase begins. However, I really want to get them state side just in case I have a negative reaction, I don't think I will but, better to play it safe. BTW, I hear that they now have pills for Typhoid... :)

Happy 1st Birthday... To My Travel Blog Of Course!

To be totally honest, I cannot believe that it has been a year since I started this travel blog. I am so excited for future travels, my YWAM DTS in New Zealand (http://bit.ly/1Ncg7Tj) is just next month... God, time is flying!

Some current stats:

Total Page Views: 1850
Number of Visiting Nations: 25+
Blog Posts: 65 (including this one)


My First Blog Post:

"A New Adventure"

"While I have traveled the world, this "Travel Blog" stuff is totally new to me. However, I will not shy away from a new adventure. I might not be the most traveled person in this world but, hey... I got info to share and stories to tell."

I have sure come a long way in one year! To the FUTURE!!! :D

Two Days in Auckland - By Tracey L Christensen

By: Tracey L Christensen

Like any capital city, Auckland is packed full of places to see and things to do and the best way to see it (if you have the time) is to wander around exploring every nook and cranny and visiting every attraction, restaurant or site possible. But... if you have limited time you need to be much more organised and having a clear itinerary is definitely the way to go. There are a great range of hotels in Auckland offering excellent Auckland CBD accommodation close to most attractions, restaurants and sights so you don't waste too much time getting around. Getting around Auckland isn't difficult, there are plenty of taxis, buses and trains in the CBD plus the Auckland 'Hop on, Hop off' Explorer charges a reasonable fee and allows tourists to hop on and off the bus all day, and stops at most of the major Auckland attractions.

Day 1

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki is first stop on your two day tour of Auckland. The gallery is the home of visual arts in New Zealand and boasts over 15,000 artworks by Maori and Pacific Island artists as well as international artists. Allow a couple of hours to look through the gallery and factor in some time for a coffee and cake at the gallery cafe. Next stop is the Auckland Zoo, home to New Zealand's largest collection of animals and known as one of the most progressive zoos in the world. The zoo is set on 17 hectares of lush parkland and houses 138 different species. Finish day one with a walk around cosmopolitan Viaduct Harbour and a quick visit to the Voyager Maritime Museum followed by a relaxed dinner at one of the Viaduct's waterfront restaurant. Retire to your Auckland CBD accommodation exhausted.

Day 2

Start day two with an adrenaline-filled jet boat ride around Auckland's beautiful Waitemata Harbour followed by a quick ferry ride from Auckland to Devonport for a much more relaxing brunch. Take some time to explore the charming seaside town, its beaches, shops and galleries. From Devonport head back to Auckland CBD and visit the Auckland Museum with the world's largest Maori and Pacific Island collection housed in New Zealand's most iconic and impressive heritage building. From here it's a short trip to the famous Sky Tower, Auckland's tallest building where you can enjoy 360° views of Auckland from a 1.2 metre wide observation deck called Sky Walk, 192 metres above the city streets. Adrenalin junkies may want to take the experience one step further and have a go at Sky Jump - described as base jumping while attached to a wire. Once back on terra firma a great way to conclude your two day trip to Auckland is with a sunset dinner cruise on Auckland harbour. There are several companies offering dinner cruises leaving out of Viaduct Harbour and if you're lucky you may get to see some dolphins while you're out there. A quick trip back to one of the excellent Auckland airport hotels means you'll be ready to fly out first thing in the morning knowing that you've seen the best of Auckland.

For more information on Hotels in Auckland including Auckland airport hotels and Auckland CBD accommodation visit Choice Hotels New Zealand online.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Tracey_L_Christensen/1188471

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7977479

Helpful Australian Tourist Visa Information

For those of you who have been following my blog, you know that I am going to New Zealand in January to take part in a YWAM Medical Compassion DTS (https://www.givesendgo.com/ywamnz). So yesterday, as I was looking at available flight options, I found that some of the flights from the USA to New Zealand will have stopovers (layover, plane change, etc) in Either Brisbane or Sydney, Australia.

 

Now I have always wanted to visit Australia, not long enough to get eaten but, just to visit. However, I knew that Australia, unlike New Zealand, required US citizens to obtain visas prior to entry.

Not really finding the info I was looking for online, I called the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C (202-797-3000). After following the prompts, I got a guy on the phone who told me to call a particular visa service at 613-238-1040. Now this number is apparently an area code for Ottawa, Canada, not sure if I will get charged for that call.

Anyway, the lady was most helpful for both my questions. I had two scenarios which I asked about.

#1: If I only change planes in Australia and never leave the airport, do I still need a visa?
Answer: No, as long as you do not leave the airport or have to re-check your bags.

#2: Do I still need a visa to leave the airport even for less than 24hrs?
Answer: Yes, you need one to leave the airport and/or if a bag re-check is required.

So, not knowing at this time what a plane change in Australia would mean, different airports handle long layovers and international bags differently I asked about getting a visa. She told me that Australia has an E-visa which is linked to your passport number. It costs only $20AUD (approx. $15USD as of posting) and is good for stay up to three months. You apply for it online and will be notified of an approval decision automatically. To qualify you must be free of any past criminal convictions and not have Tuberculosis. You can apply as well as get more information about this type of Australian visa here: www.eta.immi.gov.au

Long story short, I decided against changing planes in Australia as I was not prepared to pay the extra taxes upfront on my award flight, about $80USD per ticket. This is on top of US and NZ taxes too, However, I am glad that I got this information, it could be useful in the future. :D

PLEASE NOTE: "Answers" are paraphrased (not word for word quotes) and visa requirements may change at anytime. While I have made an effort to make sure the information I am providing is accurate I am NOT authorized to give immigration advice for ANY country. Please check with the nearest embassy of a country you plan to travel to for the most up to date information.

Next Trip Booked!

I will heading back to NC soon. This will probably be the last time I get to see my closest childhood friends till well into next year, when I return from missionary training in NZ.

Because I am saving for from DTS Tuition next year, I am on a very tight budget, so thankfully I had enough rewards points to cover my RT flight back to Asheville, NC.

Now, I am not going up willy-nilly, just to go up and say "Hi!" I am going to be confirmed into my church by the Bishop. This has been a long time coming (10 years at least) but, it has all been in God's hands and I am happy as a field lark nonetheless for another big milestone in my life.