Hilton Head Island: America's Best Kept Secret

This is one of America's best kept secret.

Hilton Head Island is a hidden gem on the east coast of the USA. It lies southwest of Charleston in South Carolina, and northeast of Savannah in Georgia.

I had the opportunity to live and work there for nearly 4 months this summer, and felt the need to share my discovery with the travel blogging community. Although it is a well known vacation destination for most Americans, Hilton Head is relatively unknown here in the UK. When I was offered the job, I had to do a lot of research of where exactly I would be living.

One thing I will highlight in this post is that I left the island with great sadness. It's beauty captivated me and made me want to return for the rest of my life.

Set in the state of South Carolina, this Lowcountry resort oozes the southern charm that the south is known for, yet it provides an escape from the buzz of the mainland and daily life.

It is surrounded by postcard perfect beaches where you could spend all day sunbathing and dipping in and out of the warm atlantic ocean. Be careful of sharks though, I happened to see many whilst out there!

The summer sun and heat makes this place a great destination to catch a tan, yet the sea breeze keeps the humidity under control for an overall pleasant climate.
Being an island, there's plenty of delicious and fresh seafood restaurants to choose from including the famous Salty Dog Cafe which is internationally recognised. If you visit there, buy a t-shirt!

The island is home to the official marine animal of South Carolina, the bottlenose dolphin, so a dolphin cruise is a must! Other island activities include paddle boarding, surfing, kayaking and the well known mode of transport, biking! The island features numerous bike paths and scenic routes for a leisurely afternoon bike ride.

Golfing plays a big part in the island, and I actually rented a villa where the golf course was literally my backyard!
It is also home to a PGA golf tournament in the Sea Pines resort. To get a fantastic view of the golf course, go up the Harbour Town lighthouse to take in the stunning views.

 You will find many beautiful houses that are owned by wealthy families here, but the island isn't expensive to vacation. Hotels like the Marriott, Omni, Holiday Inn as well as a Disney Vacation Club resort are found here. These accompany the array of bars, restaurants, shops and clubs found on the island.

Off the island, you have the chance to explore the nearby Old town Bluffton for a taste of the quintessential southern charm.
Savannah is only 45 minutes drive away and is known as one of the friendliest cities in America.
Charleston is a must to visit as well, and is only around 2 hours drive from the island.

Although you cannot fly directly to Hilton Head from the UK, you can get connecting flights that stopover in Atlanta, Charlotte and New York. I thoroughly recommend that you visit this island if you are looking for somewhere different to visit, or like many people do, you are looking for somewhere to stop off and stay on your way to Florida or the surrounding states.

A few days spent on this island will leave you feeling well rested and eager to return to the charming island that is Hilton Head.

Disney HHI: Final Checklist

Ok so with 3 days to go, this post will be the final checklist for your Disney International Program. Of course it may differ from the Orlando programme, however it is roughly the same and includes a general checklist of things you will need to take.

Firstly and most importantly, the documents you need to take that will allow you into the country are:
- DS-2019
- Passport with Visa
- Disney offer letter
- Proof of medical insurance
- Flights tickets
- Onboarding paperwork
- Photocopies of passport photo page and visa page
- Travel Insurance

Towards the end, these documents aren't necessary but good to have on you just in case. For Hilton Head programme, we don't have to pay a program assessment fee therefore I haven't included it, but do check the requirements for your program.

Next is a general list. I've tried to pack as little as possible with the intention of buying everything else out there:

- Clothes (for the suitable temperature)
- Shoes
- Underwear
- Make-up/toiletries
- Smart business wear (a few days worth)
- Medications/painkillers
- Hair/Jewellery
- Waterproof
- Chargers/adapters
- Towel (Hilton head have bedding provided)
- Suncream
- Litte satchel
- First Aid- plasters
- Swimwear

This list is for hand luggage but could be optional or taken in your luggage:
- Phone/charger
- Sunglasses
- Documents!
- Money
- Camera
- Ipad/Things for the plane

There are other things that you will need but this post only aims to cover the basics. One thing I've done is bought travel miniatures of shampoo/conditioner etc and then buy bigger versions at Walmart. This saves space and weight! Make-up is cheaper out there as well as outlet malls so I am aiming to take as little as possible and come back with more than I went out with. It's proving harder than it looks!

My Summer Awaits...

I can finally say that exams are OVER!!!

It feels so good to not have to revise, or feel guilty about not revising! I have worked my butt off for these exams and I have revised properly since January. I have to say, second year of university has been tough in so many ways, and I would be lying if I said I didn't struggle.

There have been times where I have felt like giving up, but I persevered and I am so glad I did. My one piece of advice for anyone in a similar position is that no matter how hard it is, it is only temporary and by working hard and having motivation, it pays off in the end. I now have one more year of my degree and then I will hopefully be a graduate! But for now, I have 3 months of living and working in the USA to look forward to!

So now I am back home and I have begun packing and sorting out all my documents. This week I have my dad's birthday, my birthday on Thursday and then New York on Saturday. A very exciting week up ahead.

Hopefully I will be blogging over summer, so expect lots of posts about my adventures! For now, its back to packing!

Disney HHI: The Countdown Begins!

Well it's been a long time since I've written a post about my Disney CEP, but I've been in the midst of 4 massive exams so I've dedicated all my spare time to revision. I still have two more to go, but I've managed to exclude myself from textbooks to update everyone!

It's exactly two weeks till I leave for the US, yep thats right, TWO WEEKS! That gives me 14 days to finish exams, move out of university, pack and get everything sorted. Not to mention I also have my dads birthday and then mine! Talk about last minute stress!


So in two weeks I will be flying to New York for 3 days, then I fly down to Hilton Head Island to begin my 3 months working at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. I am so excited!! All my paperwork is done including visa and medical insurance, plus I've sorted out a Fairfx card for spending dollars in America (you can find a link to this at the bottom of the post). This basically means I don't have to carry around big lumps of cash, instead I can use it like an ordinary debit card.

I'm not sure what to expect when I get out there, I have been given instructions about the first few days including training, and details of our accommodation but apart from that I'm flying out there not knowing much (which slightly scares me!)

I guess I should start packing soon, the advice I've received from others has been to pack as lightly as possible as you buy lots out there, so I'm trying to take this onboard. It's proving very difficult!

As soon as exams are over I will post a packing list including all the documents you need to take. For now though, its back to the textbooks...


This is where I bought my cash card, which had the best exchange rate:
https://www.fairfx.com/

Disney HHI: Visa Appointment

Today was finally visa day! 

My appointment at the London embassy was at 11.30am, however I made sure I got to London in plenty of time as the queue outside is notorious for being long. I got to Bond Street station at around 10.30am and made the short walk to Grosvenor Square. It's easy to spot the embassy, just look for the queue! 

So I joined the queue just after half 10 even though my appointment wasn't for another hour because they don't really care what time it is at this point as there are so many people.

The queue moves quickly, just make sure you have all your documents to hand. These will be checked about 5 times! Also, there will be so many other people there for Camp America etc so not everyone there is for Disney (which I thought so I went up to randomers asking about disney, embarrassing!)

Once you're through security, which is basically airport style, you will be given a ticket and directed to a waiting room with an Argos style number system that directs you to a window. As it was very busy when I was there, I waited for around half an hour, but the time depends on the amount of people there.

Once called, you go up to a window where they check your documents again! Here they take your finger and thumb prints, so no papercuts! They also ask about reading your rights or something similar, although I couldn't understand the lady very well.

Once this is completed, you walk through to another room and visit another window more or less straight away. This is where you have your interview and your documents are checked for the final time. The questions are easy, just what you are doing, how did you find out about it etc. The stamp of approval is then issued and you are free to go! Your documents and passport are kept and sent back via courier.

Overall I was in and out within an hour and there really is nothing to be afraid of. For some reason I was nervous but it was very relaxed and really not a lot of hassle, as long as you have all the correct documents.

A few tips I would give are:

- Bring supporting documents just in case, like flight confirmations, offer letter. They only checked my passport, DS-2019, DS-160, and I-901 form but it's better to be safe then sorry. 

- Bring a visa size passport photo. You may or may not need it but if you do then you will need to hand it in. 

- Phones, keys and bags are allowed in now. I took the bare minimum just in case but they seem to be a bit more relaxed about it. Although it changes regularly so do check before you go!

- Getting there earlier means you will be out earlier, so more time for shopping!

So not a complicated process and now I can legally work in the US!
Currently all flights have been booked so all that's left is medical insurance, American sim card, travel insurance and to start packing! It's all feeling very real now, and I'm flying to New York on May 30th for a few days before flying to Hilton Head Island! 

Disney HHI: Visa Information!

It's been a long time since I posted a Disney HHI post...

So, I can finally write a blog post about Disney Hilton Head Resort Summer Program! After many many weeks of waiting to hear something, I finally had my visa documents arrive! These have arrived earlier than normal this year, which is really good as it means I can book an appointment for when I'm home and not at university.

The documents included my DS-2019 form and various other instructions which means I can now book my visa appointment at the London embassy. Exciting times Ahh!

As I was looking online, I saw that there were many blog posts from various other blogs that give you detailed instructions on the whole visa application. I've decided I'm not going to go into too much detail as it is the same for this program as it is for the normal Disney CEP. If you do have any questions then feel free to email me :) I have linked the ones I used as these were the most helpful, so thank you to whoever wrote them!

Yummy Jobs do send out detailed instructions of their own which gives you the links to the embassy website for you to fill in the DS-160, which needs to be completed first before you can arrange an appointment. This form takes a lot of time and patience! It requires a lot of detail, such as your last 5 visits to the USA, so if this is the case then you need all your old passports. After this is completed, you can then phone a premium phone number or use the new online system to book the actual appointment. It is here that you will need to pay the visa fee which is I think $160 (not entirely sure) so have your debit card at the ready. A lot of the time you will need to refer back to a particular form, such as your DS-2019 which includes your program and SEVIS number, so my advice is to have everything handy.

Unfortunately I couldn't come home for the weekend to book this, so I had to make do with skyping my parents for all the details, which wasn't practically best, but it was manageable. In the end I have an appointment booked for April 10th at 11.30am! I will post another blog post about details of the day, as I know that regulations change frequently so this will be an up to date post.

I will include a checklist about what to take to the embassy, as this tends to change often:



http://danatdisney.com/category/crp/visa-crp/

(although this post is related to the CRP, if you substitute in the relevant documents then it still applies)