work and travel

Jimenez

Jimenez

Prime Suspect
i thought maybe someone did this before or is going to do work and travel. so we can discuss it here and share our tips and tricks.
and don´t forget to mention where you did your work and travel;)


well i guess i wouldn´t open this thread if I´m not planning to do work and travel on my own;) so here´s what i want to do:
at the moment i´m studying in germany and want to take a holiday semster next year to do work and travel for ca. 9 months in canada. I´m totally excited about it and hope so much that i will get my visa to do this in spring 2009. there are so many things you have to think of, so many preparations but this was always my dream and i´m so happy that i can do it hopefully next year or in 2010.
 
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I spend my life in perpetual work and travel mode these days (I'm NOT a student by the way, I'm a supposedly mature and all grown up adult), and I've decided it's a pretty good way to live!!

I think the most important thing is not to expect things to be exactly as you want them. Travelling is a great way to learn new skills - problem solving being the most important, followed by patience! I've met a lot of interesting people, and now seem to have friends dotted all over the globe - very useful when it comes to holiday plans.......

Sounds an interesting plan you have - I hope you get your visa!!
 
wow this sounds quite exciting and great what you´re doing.

of course i have many expectations and pictures in my mind but i think you´re right in the end it probably will be quite different, i heard that from a lot of people.
if you don´t mind i would like to send you a pm to ask you a few questions;)
 
Feel free to ask away (although I don't think I qualify for having pm as I haven't posted enough - yet!!). Always happy to answer any questions you may have.

I'm a bad influence for encouraging people to up-sticks and leave the comfort of their home. Once you've done it, you get a far better understanding of what you want (or in my case, what I don't want) in life.
 
This thread is perfect for me, I guess.


I'm currently taking a Travel & Tourism Managment Program in College.

We learn everything about the industry -we get to go on trips, like the

one I went to recently to Europe. Germany, France, Netherlands,

Switzerland, and the UK.


Also we have achange to study and do Internships in either France or

Germany. And stay there and work if we choose to.


Overall its a great program, the education is generic so you can a flight

attendant, travel agent, tour guide, etc.... Opportunities are endless.


So far I have travelled to 13 countries and counting I'm hoping do a lot

more travel given that the economy becomes more stable as well as

political stability in counries around the world.
 
Sounds good! I didn't have opportunities like this when I was at college (I like to think of myself as "ahead of my time" rather than old....), I'd definitely recommend living in a different country - it's such a good experience if you can do it.

Slightly off topic, but the problems with the economy in the UK seem far worse than I realised. I saw the exchange rate of the GBP to the Euro today, I nearly fell off my chair in horror. Not good. Another reason not to return!
 
well that´s real cool that you get the possibility to do this during your college,csinewyork000. in my case it´s a little bit more complicated. if i take a break during my college to go to other countries i have to catch up the college stuff after that and that means to study a year longer. so i only can do this once because the bachelor system isn´t real tolerant with that and of course i want to finish college as soon as possible to be a little more independent and to have a degree at all.

CSIviet, maybe you can tell me what time you think you definitly should spend in a country to get to know it and to get over these "touristic-feeling" .
did i get that right that you´re taking different jobs all the time in different countries? how did you handle that?
one of the main reasons why i want to do this work and travel thing is that i think you could learn a lot of such a journey, a lot of the country (in my case also the nature;) ), of other people, of values... but also about yourself, hopefully i will grow with that.
what do you think is/was the most important thing for you? if it´s possible to give a simple answer on that at all ;)
this waiting makes me go crazy:shifty:
 
A lot depends on which country you're in. As soon as you live anywhere that isn't a hotel or hostel, or start working, you cease to be a tourist in my book! Learning about the country you're in is far more interesting when you're actually there. I wasn't a big fan of history at school, but I've grown a real appreciation for it now. As for the job thing, I teach English (yes, I'm one of THOSE people) so it's pretty much the same job but in different countries. Once you've worked in this field for a couple of years, you know what questions to ask prospective employers so you don't get stuck somewhere you don't want to be.

I'm on my 3rd country in 6 years, not a bad record really, and I may have to move again in January. I think for me now it's not that difficult to move, I know what to expect. Once you lose the fear of the unknown, it becomes easier. I still need to learn the art of travelling light though!

I suppose the best thing about leaving is that I no longer feel obligated to do things to try and please other people. I've discovered that I'm a control freak when it comes to my life, I hate the idea of someone else having a say in what I do and when. I'm not a team player either, which is quite amusing as I always thought I was! I've also come to understand my relationship with my family, I've always felt an outcast and now I completely understand why. The best bit of this life is that I've met so many like-minded people that I'd never have come across if I hadn't left.

Hopefully you'll get an answer soon, the waiting is always the worst part! Once you know you can really start to plan!
 
ahh sorry but it´s so exciting for me to hear about these "different" way of living, i guess i have thousands of questions,i just can´t express them all yet!
of course i haven´t the skills and experiences to say i know what you´re talking about but i think i´m at least able to relate to a few things you´ve mentioned in some way.

if you´re moving quite often that means you always have to leave people you just got to know recently. you´re always okay with that? especially when you meet people who are like-minded? okay if they are like-minded people they maybe prefer beeing on their own sometimes too;)
anyway aren´t there times where you can imagine to stay longer?

may i ask you where you´ve been so far?


CSIViet said:
I teach English (yes, I'm one of THOSE people)
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well there´s nothing wrong with that. just sorry for all my mistakes:D
 
It is good, because our profs want us to get a real feel for the industry

and soak up as much knowledge and experience as we can. That is the

purpose of our trips. As weel a great learning experience.


But I guess its different for you guys.
 
Jimenez said:
if you´re moving quite often that means you always have to leave people you just got to know recently. you´re always okay with that? especially when you meet people who are like-minded? okay if they are like-minded people they maybe prefer beeing on their own sometimes too;)
anyway aren´t there times where you can imagine to stay longer?

may i ask you where you´ve been so far?
Click to expand...

Well I started off in China, met some very funny people (and some rather scary ones). I was there a few months, then went to Spain. I ended up staying there for 5 years - a lot longer than intended, but if it's good why change? I'm now in Vietnam but will be moving again either in January or July, depending whether they sort out my visa issue. I'll probably stay in Asia, and go to South Korea.

It can be one of the downsides that you meet people, then either they leave or you do. As a result of this, I've got friends all over the world which is quite useful when planning holidays! And when you move somewhere new, you meet more people. Again, it's a good way to learn about different lives. I'm a fairly solitary soul anyway, so it's not that much of a big deal for me. I try to stay at least a year, as in some places it can take 6 months to adjust, but other than that I don't exactly follow a plan.

Ah, it's all good. I think my family are still waiting for me to get it out of my system!!
 
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