to those of you who spent some time travelling in your youth

[yes]

how did you do it? it seems like there're several options:

- just go there and work low-level jobs

- volunteer (involves fund-raising at home)

- teach english

- get a good job abroad in your field (next to impossible)

- save up and spend a year just traveling (sounds hard)

 

I'd like to spend some time traveling in the upcoming years. My hope right now is to do is as a grad student - going to month-long workshops in various colleges, maybe an exchange semester, etc. I'm not bent on traveling in any particular part of the world - I think it's the fact of being on the move that matters. I've gotta do it before I settle down though.

 

please share your thoughts and experiences!

 

-yes

[brashgal]

This was the topic of one of our conversations at Christmas dinner. Most had taken a semester abroad while in college, I went the year before I started college (exchange student). One woman who had been attending a private school in the US actually found that semester to be cheaper - tuition AND travelling to a number of other countries (mostly Europe, schooling was in England) came to less than tuition/room/board at the US school. Good thing about going while you are in school is there are lots of others in the same situation so you have travelling buddies, take advantage of lower cost school-sponsored trips.

[Quixotic_Dancer]

Oooooo! A thread I can really contribute to!

 

As you may know if you've read some of my other posts, I spent a year traveling abroad. Best year of my life!

I suppose it was hard (you said it "sounds hard") because it did take a few years to save the money, and some discipline to work out the budget.

 

I'm not bent on traveling in any particular part of the world - I think it's the fact of being on the move that matters.

 

Oh yeah! That's the spirit!

 

I'll tell you now--travel in the developing world is cheaper than you may ever have realized. My first suggestion, especially if destination is unimportant and you want the experience of movement is, go to India! The equivalent of $2-3 will get you a clean, basic room in India. Paying $5-7 will get you a large, comfortable room with a western toilet, and, usually, satellite TV. The trains go all over India and are cheap and reliable. India is a large, diverse, beautiful country--and it is very easy to find english speakers everywhere (there are so many different languages in India that English is the default language of business--the lingua franca, I guess). Also, it is very cheap to fly from India to Thailand, and it's a common backpacker route. Thailand is also beautiful, diverse, and very cheap and easy to travel in. You could live quite comfortably in the capital of Bangkok, and have an amazing amount of fun, for less than $15 dollars/day--I did (room:$3, food:$5, entertainment, i.e., beer: $7.)

 

You will meet the most amazing people when you're on the road. You can meet people in the morning and share experiences with them that will have you feeling like best friends by dinner-time. Also, budget travel, traveling "close to the ground" as some people put it, will give you the most opportunities to meet other friendly travelers, and to get to know locals. I would really recommend a low-budget backpacker place over a fancy hotel, and independent travel (trains, buses) over taking a tour. You sacrifice a little convenience and comfort (though really, not that much) and you gain so much.

 

I could go on for quite a while on this topic. Please PM me with any questions--I love giving travel advice!

 

I also want to recommend a few good sources of information, two web sites, and two books, though there are hundreds and hundreds of others.

 

(1) Lonely Planet's web site: Lonely Planet guide books are the ones most used by budget travelers, and their site is a treasure trove of information, especially their forum, the Thorn Tree, which is at

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/

 

Look especially at a thread called "The Long Haul--Living and Working Abroad". You'll find posts there about all the possibilities you mentioned: volunteering, working, teaching English, and if you don't, you can post a question yourself. There are some very knowledgeable people on that board, and it was one of the main resources I used when planning my trip.

 

2. Boots n' All, The Ultimate Resource for the Independent Traveller -- the name almost says it all. In addition to a forum, and articles on destinations, it has a feature called "Travel Insiders". Travellers, and often ex-pats, have volunteered to be resident experts on a country--and you can email them with questions! The URL for this site is:

http://www.bootsnall.com/

 

Oh, shoot, I want to add one more web site. If you're thinking of teaching English (which many travellers do), check out Dave's ESL Cafe at http://www.eslcafe.com/

 

Books:

1) The World Awaits: A Comprehensive Guide to Extended Backpacker Travel, by Paul E. Otteson: A very good overview of this kind of travel, and another important resource for me.

2) Work Your Way Around the World, by Susan Griffith: A frequently updated collection of information (mostly on the low-level kind of jobs). The 11th edition just came out this year.

 

I met hundreds of travellers and ex-pats on the road. Some taught English, some got by selling a service or some kind of art or craft they knew how to create, some, yes, had managed to find a lucrative job overseas in their field (not easy, but not at all impossible), some were exchange students, and some were on long-term volunteer assignments. Though I suppose I was adventurous in my travel, I was fairly conservative in my preparations. I made sure I had enough money for the long haul before I left, but I also met many, many people who left home with only a plane ticket and a few hundred dollars, and ended up living and working in another country for years.

 

So, I really applaud you for seeking this experience. I don't think there's any way you'll regret it. I hope I've answered some of your questions--please let me know if I can answer any others.

[yes]

thanks for your reply, looks like you're THE person to ask about this =)

 

India and Thailand sound great - I'd love to see that part of the world (as well as all the others, hehe).

 

one thing i'd be concerned about is - how safe is it for a girl (21) to travel like that by herself? police isn't to relied upon in third-world-countries, how do you get by w/out being robbed/raped/killed?

 

-yes

[Vivid_29]

Originally posted by yes

thanks for your reply, looks like you're THE person to ask about this =)

 

India and Thailand sound great - I'd love to see that part of the world (as well as all the others, hehe).

 

one thing i'd be concerned about is - how safe is it for a girl (21) to travel like that by herself? police isn't to relied upon in third-world-countries, how do you get by w/out being robbed/raped/killed?

 

-yes

 

Be careful with Thailand! High risk of AIDS and the country is full of corruption. Bankok is pretty safe, as well as Nhakon Phanohm and Nhakon Ratchasima. Stay away from Udorn!Ever see 'Broke Down Palace'?

 

My mom is going next month. Lucky her!

 

And if you want to travel the world at the governments expense -- Join the military!

 

~V

[Thinkalot]

I spent 18 months overseas, backpacking in Europe, then living in Canada. I obtained a year long working holiday visa (available to aussies under 30) and worked in the skifields in BC. I had a fantastic time and think it is a wonderful thing for people to do. It opens your mind and liberates your soul. I felt so happy when I was travelling, experiencing new things, meeting new people.

 

I even manged to eventually pick up a job in my own field of journalism, which was an added bonus and saw me through the summer months.

 

It looks like you've already received some concrete advice here...so I won't go on. Just budget, plan, read Lonely Planet and go for it!!