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Travelling the world...
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Me and my friend, basically have decided in all seriousness we want to pack up our stuff, and a bag and go travel the world. Well more of, just keep travelling and never have a perm location for a fair amount of time.
We've been discussing this for a couple of months, and i'm well travelled already i've been to at least 23 different countries already, so i know about how to travel what to do and what not to do. The things you need, and the preparation. Although any advice for specific countries and places, that have odd things to watch out for would be sterling.
The main question, that i'm pondering, how much would it cost roughly to get going places, we thought we'd roughly save up £3000 each and do everything on the cheap (not staying in lavish hotels, and fine dining all the time). Obviously that money wouldn't last for ever, any tips on replenishing it, via getting odd jobs in other countries.
Is it even possible, to be a completely self sufficient traveller without any ties, or is there a point where you do just have to stop?
This isn't a pipe dream either, i've got bank account with on going savings and plenty of equipment, passports etc. Won't be leaving for 10 months though (When we've both been 18 for a while).
Thanks for any advice in advance
We've been discussing this for a couple of months, and i'm well travelled already i've been to at least 23 different countries already, so i know about how to travel what to do and what not to do. The things you need, and the preparation. Although any advice for specific countries and places, that have odd things to watch out for would be sterling.
The main question, that i'm pondering, how much would it cost roughly to get going places, we thought we'd roughly save up £3000 each and do everything on the cheap (not staying in lavish hotels, and fine dining all the time). Obviously that money wouldn't last for ever, any tips on replenishing it, via getting odd jobs in other countries.
Is it even possible, to be a completely self sufficient traveller without any ties, or is there a point where you do just have to stop?
This isn't a pipe dream either, i've got bank account with on going savings and plenty of equipment, passports etc. Won't be leaving for 10 months though (When we've both been 18 for a while).
Thanks for any advice in advance
Post edited by JustV on
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Also, again if you are travelling and get internet access, check here out http://vbulletin.thesite.org/showthread.php/148555-Going-abroad-Look-for-advice-before-you-go.
Gives you unlimited train travel in 30 countries, they're a few hundred pounds for monthly tickets. Its what I want to do. I also want to do couch surfing because hostels (even the "cheap" ones aren't that cheap as you'd expect). My friend went around Europe for 10 days, spent nearly a grand alone. Most of that was on "cheap" hostels. You may want to look at http://www.couchsurfing.org if you feel comfortable enough to do it. Just be careful about it. Even their checks can sometimes be fooled.
Blogging about your experience on your phone too could be problematic if you don't find free wifi. Roaming charges will apply. I'd write it in a notepad (or take my laptop with me) and save any photographs or videos on my computer, then when I return home, setup the blog. You just change the dates of your posts to those specific days, even though its not as nice as live updating.
I think our hotel was only a few quid a night, on a place called Freak Street (named that because some hippies stayed there years ago) and food is ridiculously cheap. Obviously, doing more touristy things may cost a bit more (like a flight in a small plane to see Everest, or Chitwan park), but it's not extortionate.
Pluses:
- Very cheap
- Friendly
- Great food
- Beautiful
- Interesting culture
Minuses:
- Street kids
- Pick pockets
- Mosquitos/water diseases/stray dogs
- My friend found the beds hard and in monsoon season, the electricity cut out a lot, which meant the heat could be uncomfortable
Dammnnnn I wanna go back to Nepal for some hiking!
I highly recommend it if you can pull it off. Who wouldn't want to travel the world? I did feel a bit burnt out on my last trip, but I was having to travel to a different country every month for visa issues. Definitely catches up with you if you don't plan your visas in advance!
Check out this post I wrote, hope it helps! - http://finchblogs.com/2011/08/23/10-best-countries-to-live-in-for-the-online-professional/
Two specific pieces of advice for Vietnam.
Firstly, don't take any of the taxis in the airport. Walk a short distance out of the airport and get into one of the many Mai Linh or Vinasun taxis.
And secondly, more than any other country, make sure your bag is snatch-proof (i.e. backpacks, bum bags, etc). Not because it's any more likely than other countries, but because when it does happen in Vietnam, it's almost always from the back of a motorbike at speed. Having a typical shoulder bag risks you being dragged along the street until something snaps, as well as losing your valuables.
As for the overall trip, I guess your tactics would be to arrange to work in the countries where you're likely to get the most money. You don't want to get into a situation where you're slaving away in Thailand to make enough money to travel round Australia. It should be the other way round (having said that, you also don't want to end up in a situation where your wages are only covering your living costs, which is probably more likely in a richer country). I've also heard of backpackers teaching English, which pays a bit more money, but the types of schools that hire backpackers do also tend to be the more cowboy outfits, even by Asian standards.
Have you thought about WWOOFing?