Traveling Forum

[CyanIdes Of March]

Almost put this in the lounge but went here instead.

Does anyone have any suggestions on good ways for a relatively poor individual like myself to travel for a year? I've never traveled anywhere (twice outside my state to neighboring states, woo!) and I want to see some sights before starting the professional life. I've seen some programs advertised and through Google searches for teaching English abroad, but testimony from TLS on different ways to do this and the quality of different programs out there would likely be really helpful.

EDIT: Really want to travel to Western Europe.

[sinfiery]

From memory:
Round trip ticket is $1k to Europe
Hostels are 15-30$/night
a month train ticket that can take you all over Europe is about $700
Food will be expensive

Given what your budget is, this could be a relatively cheap 3 month trip



If you have a car and want to travel around the US, you can do it very cheaply.

[ilovesf]

I used to couchsurf a lot, spent months backpacking on a super low budget.

[CyanIdes Of March]

If you have a car and want to travel around the US, you can do it very cheaply.

That's definitely going to be part of my fall back plan. I'm trying to find ways to work part time in Europe for 3 to 6 months, if possible.

[dkb17xzx]

If you have a car and want to travel around the US, you can do it very cheaply.

That's definitely going to be part of my fall back plan. I'm trying to find ways to work part time in Europe for 3 to 6 months, if possible.

if you aren't dead set on teaching english, you could do one of those farming things where you work on a farm for a few hours and they give you room and board. i think it's called WOOF.

[CyanIdes Of March]

If you have a car and want to travel around the US, you can do it very cheaply.

That's definitely going to be part of my fall back plan. I'm trying to find ways to work part time in Europe for 3 to 6 months, if possible.

if you aren't dead set on teaching english, you could do one of those farming things where you work on a farm for a few hours and they give you room and board. i think it's called WOOF.

Not dead set on anything! I'll look into that, thanks.

[Tiago Splitter]

US Airways and American Airlines will be merging soon. While they're still separate, apply for each of their credit cards to get the mileage bonuses. When they merge in a couple of months those miles will be combined and you should be able to land a round trip ticket to Europe for close to free.

[WanderingPondering]

SE Asia, specifically Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam are very cheap to travel.

Also the organization you're looking for is WWOOF, I've done it a bunch and have had mostly great experiences.

You could also volunteer in India if you're looking for more extreme adventure. Or New Zealand if you have a bit of money and love the outdoors.

Its tough to give suggestions without knowing what you like. Pm me if you have specific questions. Good luck!

[thisiswater]

It's WWOOFing and there are also some other option, helpx and workaway. All of these are actual work though usually in rural areas and might help you stretch a trip a little longer they won't help you actually see many sights.

Unfortunately for you, you have chosen the most expensive area by choosing Western Europe and one that doesn't hire many Americans in non under-the-table situations these days. If you have any type of work anywhere skills (tech or something) the Germans do give visas pretty easily and Berlin is one of the best cities in Europe. Past that, teaching English is your best bet. I know you are too late for the official Spanish government English program but there are lots of small academies that might hire you. Again, lots of them won't want to mess with the visa so you might be living there illegally

Don't suppose you have any way to get an EU passport?

[CyanIdes Of March]

It's WWOOFing and there are also some other option, helpx and workaway. All of these are actual work though usually in rural areas and might help you stretch a trip a little longer they won't help you actually see many sights.

Unfortunately for you, you have chosen the most expensive area by choosing Western Europe and one that doesn't hire many Americans in non under-the-table situations these days. If you have any type of work anywhere skills (tech or something) the Germans do give visas pretty easily and Berlin is one of the best cities in Europe. Past that, teaching English is your best bet. I know you are too late for the official Spanish government English program but there are lots of small academies that might hire you. Again, lots of them won't want to mess with the visa so you might be living there illegally

Don't suppose you have any way to get an EU passport?

No way to get an EU passport. No family or any sort of connection there, only a desire to see some of the places I've studied and read about.

You could also volunteer in India if you're looking for more extreme adventure. Or New Zealand if you have a bit of money and love the outdoors.

Not sure how extreme I want this to be and I don't have much money. I make more than everyone in my immediate family combined, while still making under 25k a year, which is why I'm clueless on the subject and why I'm trying to do the whole job abroad thing.

I do have a slightly technical skill in that I'm a pretty decent and experienced web site and graphic designer on the side, more of a hobby than anything but I've used it professionally on several occasions and it's on my resume.

US Airways and American Airlines will be merging soon. While they're still separate, apply for each of their credit cards to get the mileage bonuses. When they merge in a couple of months those miles will be combined and you should be able to land a round trip ticket to Europe for close to free.

Not sure what all that entails (never flown before).

[RoaringMice]

If you are a citizen of the US or a Commonwealth country, you can get a work visa to work in the UK or Ireland via BUNAC. BUNAC charges a fee, but then you go over to Ireland or England and are legal to live and work there for nine months. You can get a job in a restaurant or whatever, and earn enough to support yourself over there, and to do some travel.

It is also possible to work illegally, although of course, I do not recommend that.

The only country in western Europe where I know of non-EU citizens being able to find jobs teaching English is Spain. Generally speaking, getting a job teaching English in western Europe is extremely difficult, if you are not already legal to work in the EU. The demand for that, in Europe, is in the east rather than the west, and speaking generally, the real demand is in Asia, not in Europe.

The nice thing about these work options is that you can earn some money to support yourself while over there.

[CyanIdes Of March]

If you are a citizen of the US or a Commonwealth country, you can get a work visa to work in the UK or Ireland via BUNAC. BUNAC charges a fee, but then you go over to Ireland or England and are legal to live and work there for nine months. You can get a job in a restaurant or whatever, and earn enough to support yourself over there, and to do some travel.

It is also possible to work illegally, although of course, I do not recommend that.

The only country in western Europe where I know of non-EU citizens being able to find jobs teaching English is Spain. Generally speaking, getting a job teaching English in western Europe is extremely difficult, if you are not already legal to work in the EU. The demand for that, in Europe, is in the east rather than the west, and speaking generally, the real demand is in Asia, not in Europe.

The nice thing about these work options is that you can earn some money to support yourself while over there.

I wonder what demand in Russia looks like? I might try Asia, but the history major (Mostly European history) prefers Europe.

[Happy Gilmore]

US Airways and American Airlines will be merging soon. While they're still separate, apply for each of their credit cards to get the mileage bonuses. When they merge in a couple of months those miles will be combined and you should be able to land a round trip ticket to Europe for close to free.

Post a guide to exploit free trips plz.

[Tiago Splitter]

US Airways and American Airlines will be merging soon. While they're still separate, apply for each of their credit cards to get the mileage bonuses. When they merge in a couple of months those miles will be combined and you should be able to land a round trip ticket to Europe for close to free.

Post a guide to exploit free trips plz.

http://www.millionmilesecrets.com

I'm no expert, but that site (and many others) will run you through the basics. And yes, credit cards do require a credit check, and signing up for that's of them isn't possible (or a good idea) for everyone, but they're by far the easiest way to travel far for low cost.

[AntipodeanPhil]

SE Asia, specifically Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam are very cheap to travel.

This. You could probably find work as an English teacher in Vietnam fairly easily. You can live well on a pittance, and there are all sorts of cheap flights to other places in SE Asia.

Or New Zealand if you have a bit of money and love the outdoors.

If you'd consider outdoor work, you can get a seasonal visa to pick fruit and do other agricultural work in New Zealand or Australia.

http://www.picknz.co.nz/Seasonal%20Work ... y%20Scheme

The best time to go is over the Southern Hemisphere summer. I know a guy who did this five or six years in a row, using it to finance travel on the way there and back. Apparently Australia pays better, but the working and living conditions can be a bit unpleasant.