I want to travel overseas, how can i accomplish this??

[loveliketheflowers]

hello there....one of my dreams is to travel and to experience different cultures, backgrounds, environments. can anyone help me with any advice or guidance on how i can accomplish this. i would love to travel by may or june 09. i don't have much money, but i can save up. any recommendations on plane tickets, where to stay, how to get around, how to get the most out of my experience. I would love to do a study abroad program or volunteer overseas also, but i don't know where to find the info. if someone could point me into the right direction with tips or advice, i'd greatly appreciate it.

[David Cain]

I have the same dream. I love people and cities and culture, and I'm going to be off for a year this october.

A great place to start is CouchSurfing - Participate in Creating a Better World, One Couch At A Time

It is a huge organization of travelers who host other travelers all around the world. You can find places to stay in foreign countries, usually for free. And you instantly have contacts in any country you want to travel.

The coolest part is that you can easily meet people with the same passion as you. I've hosted a few people, and I'm going to be surfing a few people's couches in Asia and New Zealand soon. Everyone you meet is especially interesting, full of stories and photos.

If Europe is where you want to travel, try Europe Budget Travel: Backpacking, Hostels, Eurail Trains, Cheap Flights, Tours, Travel Advice, Maps & More | eurotrip. Lonely Planet Travel Guides and Travel Information is also full of information on countries, hotels, hostels and flights.

Go make some contacts around the world!

[recordrustle]

hey, cool! traveling is an amazing experience
i studied abroad through a university programme, have a look at universities websites in the cities you want to go to and look for the international student section, that should tell you a bit about it.

i've traveled to europe and central america, europe is quite pricey sometimes while central america is pretty cheap. i couch surfed in europe and found it was a pretty great experience. I didnt have so much of a plan for europe, i bought a eurail pass that allowed me to travel to 8 different countries by train and that worked out well for me.

I booked my flights with STA travel and they were really helpful, they have some volunteer programmes:
International volunteering programs for students | STA TRAVEL | Volunteer Abroad

Hey David Cain, I'm on the couch surfers network (search 'Vomle'), if you need a couch to surf in Wellington, New Zealand, you'd be most welcome. i just checked out raptitude.com the other day and really liked your articles, you sound like an interesting person to meet!

[Lisa McGregor]

If you're good with children, maybe you could au pair. Find an agency to place you.

L

[Kazeko]

David Cain - thank you very much!!! For revealing CouchSurfing for me!

Finally! That's just what I needed so much!... Very excited...


...gone to register there

[David Cain]

Originally Posted by recordrustle

Hey David Cain, I'm on the couch surfers network (search 'Vomle'), if you need a couch to surf in Wellington, New Zealand, you'd be most welcome. i just checked out raptitude.com the other day and really liked your articles, you sound like an interesting person to meet!

Hah! I noticed in Google analytics that I had a visitor from Welly. Great, I'll find you on couchsurfing.

[LifeFirst]

Why not just move to another country and live there??

Definitely hell of a lot more interesting than living in the U.S.

U.S. might be a overall better country, but living in the suburbs is just boring as hell.

[Plays With Life]

One way to do this is to head out to the coast, and walk the docks. Find a boat that's crossing the ocean, and crew your way across. There's also WWOOFing - Willing Workers On Organic Farms. It's a directory of organic farms that take people who want to work in exchange for room and board. It's mostly big in the U.S., last I checked, but there's some around Europe and in other places, also. As far as getting the most out of your experience - I would say buy a one-way ticket and don't plan anything Choose a destination because it's a place you've never heard of, and just see what's there.

[moriez]

Originally Posted by loveliketheflowers

any recommendations on plane tickets, where to stay, how to get around, how to get the most out of my experience. I would love to do a study abroad program or volunteer overseas also, but i don't know where to find the info. if someone could point me into the right direction with tips or advice, i'd greatly appreciate it.

-Google for cheap tickets.

-Staying in hostels is the alternative to couch surfing. Walk around the city or get a map and make some calls so you get the cheaper ones.

-Figure out where you wanna go and go there. Get a feel for the place by walking or biking around. Smell the air, listen to the sounds. See how the place makes you feel. Stay for a while to adapt or perhaps move on if its really not your cup.

-Getting the most out of it depends on your personality. Me as quite an introverted type was quite happy with butterflying around on my own. Doing stuff that I always wanted to (watching whales for example). Do what you feel. In cities you get plenty of other travelleres and if youre around twenty it will be ideal as most of them are around this age. Dont let it put you off if youre older or younger. No prob really.

Basically, if you want to do this, its taking the plunch and you probably wont be dissapointed. Adventure ahead I tell ya

Originally Posted by Plays With Life

There's also WWOOFing - Willing Workers On Organic Farms. It's a directory of organic farms that take people who want to work in exchange for room and board. It's mostly big in the U.S., last I checked, but there's some around Europe and in other places, also. As far as getting the most out of your experience - I would say buy a one-way ticket and don't plan anything Choose a destination because it's a place you've never heard of, and just see what's there.

Agreed to what he/she said. WWOOF-ing is a great thing if you enjoy the country life. Let me add that WWOOF-ing is quite huge in Europe too. In fact, around the world! Check out their site.

[aelle]

Originally Posted by LifeFirst

Why not just move to another country and live there??

Definitely hell of a lot more interesting than living in the U.S.

U.S. might be a overall better country, but living in the suburbs is just boring as hell.

...visa issues?

I've travelled as a tourist, I've worked internships and jobs for which I'm qualified and that would sponsor my visa. I may want to emigrate at some point in my life, but that requires preparation. I can't think of a country that accepts immigrants who just decided to up and leave.

[Plays With Life]

Lots of Americans live in different places around the world without actually getting the visa. They just leave and re-enter the country they live in, periodically, so as to not overstay their "guest" visa.

[brendannz]

Where do you live? and where do you want to go?

I think you should first of all put your efforts into saving money. It may sound like a silly and obvious suggestion, but you can decide wehre you want to go what you want to get out of it etc. in the meantime.

[rocksupreme]

Originally Posted by aelle

...visa issues?

I've travelled as a tourist, I've worked internships and jobs for which I'm qualified and that would sponsor my visa. I may want to emigrate at some point in my life, but that requires preparation. I can't think of a country that accepts immigrants who just decided to up and leave.

You can go almost anywhere on a tourist visa, get your bearings and find an employer, then change your visa status with your employer as a sponsor. It's actually not as difficult as it sounds.