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Travelling thread


Dangelus

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On 2/6/2022 at 9:24 AM, moreblack said:

No travel. Pandemic.

Yep, went to Strasbourg for a weekend exactly two years and a month ago but haven't been anywhere anymore since. Yet most people I know have been going on vacation or travelled in between lockdowns, but I just didn't want to take that risk.

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43 minutes ago, EvanG said:

Yep, went to Strasbourg for a weekend exactly two years and a month ago but haven't been anywhere anymore since. Yet most people I know have been going on vacation or travelled in between lockdowns, but I just didn't want to take that risk.

Ironically, the last time I travelled abroad there were less chance of being infected at my destination than back here in Norway. So travelling can be a means to reduce risk :D

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6 minutes ago, SoulMonster said:

Ironically, the last time I travelled abroad there were less chance of being infected at my destination than back here in Norway. So travelling can be a means to reduce risk :D

It wasn't just the risk of being infected, though, also the risk of a trip getting cancelled was part of it. We have gone from lifting most restrictions to going back into lockdown in no-time several times these last two years, and that hasn't given me too much confidence to book something, not even last-minute.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I might be travelling to London, UK for three or four days in May for work.

Actually, perhaps someone from the UK might be able to clear something up for me.

The trip is mostly for work, whereby one of the charitable organizes I photograph for is bringing its top donors to the UK for a tour of some of the London and Britain's most exclusive locations.  I generally photograph all of their marquee events as I know the donors well, which helps document these kinds of events since familiarity produces better images. 

My question revolves around the need for a work visa.  The UK Visa and Immigration Department charged me $5 to submit an online enquiry that didn't provide me with any real clarification.  The only response back was a link to this website:

https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

I submitted my answers and it's still not clear.   I discovered that there are allowances for certain kinds of work as a standard visitor, but I'm not sure if that includes photographer/videographer:

https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor/visit-on-business

I am hired by a Canadian company for the purposes of a project that will only be seen in Canada.  I would think needing a work visa for this matter isn't necessary.  But's really not clear and the Visa and Immigration department weren't much help.

I know a visa is required if I were to be employed by a British company, but as I'm being paid by a foreign operation I don't think it's required but I'm not 100 percent certain.

Normally I'd just, um, "misrepresent" my intentions for visiting the country, but considering the chance of a member or two of the royal family being in attendance I'd rather not risk it.

Anyone have any idea?

Seems pretty stupid that we still have the Queen on our money in Canada but somehow we have to still jump through hoops to do something in the country where the Queen lives.  

@Dazey@Gracii Guns@Graeme@alfierose

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@downzy

I don't know a lot about this, and certainly can't provide legal advice, but...

It's only four days and as long as the Canadian company can provide you with a press pass (or equivalent) and you can demonstrate that you hold an adequate insurance policy, that should be enough. I would classify what you're doing as "attending a conference/meeting" for work. It's the kind of thing people fly in and out of London all the time for. You of all people wouldn't be a concern to immigration officials at the airport. 

Hopefully someone else can provide better info than me!

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14 minutes ago, Gracii Guns said:

@downzy

I don't know a lot about this, and certainly can't provide legal advice, but...

It's only four days and as long as the Canadian company can provide you with a press pass (or equivalent) and you can demonstrate that you hold an adequate insurance policy, that should be enough. I would classify what you're doing as "attending a conference/meeting" for work. It's the kind of thing people fly in and out of London all the time for. You of all people wouldn't be a concern to immigration officials at the airport. 

Hopefully someone else can provide better info than me!

Thanks!

Yeah, I realized afterward that asking British citizens about working visas for non-British citizens is kind of absurd.  If someone asked me the same question about Canada I would have little idea.  Just curious if anyone knew of anyone who had a similar situation. 

They give allowances for camera operators who come in to shoot movies and tv shows.  I feel like what I'm doing is not that different.

The itinerary for the three days is pretty crazy so I'm not really going to be making that much money going if I do end up getting the job.  More about the experiences than a financial opportunity. 

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5 hours ago, downzy said:

Thanks!

Yeah, I realized afterward that asking British citizens about working visas for non-British citizens is kind of absurd.  If someone asked me the same question about Canada I would have little idea.  Just curious if anyone knew of anyone who had a similar situation. 

They give allowances for camera operators who come in to shoot movies and tv shows.  I feel like what I'm doing is not that different.

The itinerary for the three days is pretty crazy so I'm not really going to be making that much money going if I do end up getting the job.  More about the experiences than a financial opportunity. 

Yeah, you nailed it there. It's not the sort of thing that people have to think about for themselves, and would only really have to think about for others if they were working in a field where colleagues were coming across to do work. I think you should be fine, though, it seems pretty benign and unobtrusive, but then, in my opinion, the British government are arseholes about immigration/borders/work permits etc., so what seems reasonable to me might be tied up in red tape by them. Hopefully not!

Edited by Graeme
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Afraid I wouldn’t know all that much about this. Had to sort out my wife’s visa applications but that was for permanent residency not work. Let me know if you’ve got any free time when you’re here though if you want to grab a beer or two. 

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  • 1 month later...

Going to Sweden again this year, but venturing up a little more to the north (not too much though). I will be driving there, so planning on staying a few days by the west coast, and then we rented a little holiday home in Värmland for a week, right by the Norwegian border, so we might even take a day trip there. The place we rented isn't even on Streetview :wow: It will be interesting to see how we go with no wifi for a week.

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18 minutes ago, Lio said:

Going to Sweden again this year, but venturing up a little more to the north (not too much though). I will be driving there, so planning on staying a few days by the west coast, and then we rented a little holiday home in Värmland for a week, right by the Norwegian border, so we might even take a day trip there. The place we rented isn't even on Streetview :wow: It will be interesting to see how we go with no wifi for a week.

When are you going, this summer?

I will be spending my summer at my mum's place in the south of Norway, mostly. Before that I will travel to Salt Lake City, Berlin, Boston, Hannover, and New York City for business. 

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7 minutes ago, SoulMonster said:

When are you going, this summer?

I will be spending my summer at my mum's place in the south of Norway, mostly. Before that I will travel to Salt Lake City, Berlin, Boston, Hannover, and New York City for business. 

We're going the second half of July.

Jesus, you have a busy schedule coming months. Well, me too, but mine means I'll be sitting here at my desk until July :lol:

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I've never been to Scandinavia but I've always wanted to go. Ryanair doesn't fly there and that's usually how I pick my city trips. And I guess also because city wise many Scandinavian cities aren't that different from here. I reckon a lot of tall, blonde people and buildings and streets with sorta the same architecture as here.

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11 minutes ago, EvanG said:

I've never been to Scandinavia but I've always wanted to go. Ryanair doesn't fly there and that's usually how I pick my city trips. And I guess also because city wise many Scandinavian cities aren't that different from here. I reckon a lot of tall, blonde people and buildings and streets with sorta the same architecture as here.

You shouldn't come to Scandinavia for the cities. You should come for the nature. And then the answer isn't Sweden or Denmark. Sweden and Denmark is the question, and the answer is "no". You should come to Norway. We have the greatest fjords, the tallest mountains, the whitest glaciers and the easiest girls. 

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Just now, SoulMonster said:

You shouldn't come to Scandinavia for the cities. You should come for the nature. And then the answer isn't Sweden or Denmark. Sweden and Denmark is the question, and the answer is "no". You should come to Norway. We have the greatest fjords, the tallest mountains, the whitest glaciers and the easiest girls. 

I know, but when I travel it's usually for cultural and big city reasons because I Iive in a rural area with lots of nature, and when I'm travelling I like to see things I don't get to see much at home. But yeah, from what I've seen, Norway's nature looks beautiful and that alone would be a reason to go there.

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28 minutes ago, SoulMonster said:

Expect mosquitos :lol:

Yes, that's what I fear most. I'll bring lots of repellent. I just have to stay by a lake once, I've been dreaming of it for a long time. Maybe I'll never do it again after this, but I have to try.

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Just now, EvanG said:

You think we don't have nature?

You have fields and roads and cities and villages and canals. Some planted trees here and there. Land fills. Dikes. It's not "nature" if you can't get lost, wander for days and then get eaten by a bear.

2 minutes ago, Lio said:

He's Dutch, so you should warn him to bring a big bag of money when travelling to Norway.

Yes, if he wants to experience our city and culture then he will need that. I would suggest to just pack a tent and a fishing rod, though. Our culture is rubbish. 

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Just now, SoulMonster said:

You have fields and roads and cities and villages and canals. Some planted trees here and there. Land fills. Dikes. It's not "nature" if you can't get lost, wander for days and then get eaten by a bear.

I'm not comparing it to Norway, but where I live there are a lot of forests, many big lakes, and contrary to what most people think, not all of the Netherlands is flat either. Most of it is, and we don't have mountains like you have, but the Ardennes are only an 1,5 hour drive away from here.

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