A travel agency has announced a new scheme that will allow young Irish workers to fly to Adelaide in Australia for just €10.
Trailfinders is offering the cheap flights to 200 working holidaymakers in conjunction with the South Australian authorities.
The scheme forms part of larger efforts to encourage workers to visit the region and contribute to an economy that has suffered without a steady flow of labour during the pandemic.
The scheme is open to Australia working holiday visa holders or those with an application in process on May 10th. On that day 200 people will be selected to travel with Qatar Airways to Adelaide, South Australia’s capital and the country’s fifth-largest city.
Irish citizens aged 18-35 are eligible for the working holiday visa.
The €10 flight is not the only cost associated with the scheme. Travellers must book a Trailfinders Adelaide arrival pack, which provides a brief stay in a “sociable hostel in the centre of Adelaide,” job search assistance, information packs, 12-month membership to “the backpacker list” for job search and three months access to a work and travel support line.
The three-night arrival pack costs €197 and the six-night costs €286 per person. The cost of the visa is €330 for a 12-month stay.
Outbound travel from Ireland or the UK must take place by September 30th, 2022, and travel dates are subject to availability. The scheme is only applicable to residents of Ireland and the UK and departures will take place from Dublin or London.
Trailfinders have advised that applications can only be accepted online and bookings cannot take place over the phone.
The scheme evokes the hugely popular “ten-pound poms” programme launched after the second World War, which saw British migrants pay just £10 (€550 adjusted for inflation today) for the fare to move Down Under. This scheme ended in 1982.
You can apply for the scheme at trailfinders.com.
