Travelling

Looking for some advice. Me and my girlfriend have been getting really stuck in a rut recently. Just generally * off with work and feel like we are just getting through life and no more. Working 9-5 to pay the mortgage. We both have a year left until fully qualified in our jobs but after we finish that we are thinking about just selling the flat and going travelling.
Anybody on here ever done anything similar and have you got any advice on the best travel/accomedation/employment ect.?

 

Done it years ago mate, just packed a bag, handed the keys of my gaff to my mother and took off for 16 months. I was lucky though as I didn't have a mortgage but I just had to get away.

I done Europe by the cheapest way possible, hitching, buses, trains etc and working wherever I could along the way. You usually find that if you're clean and presentable you can pick up work pretty easily and even if not and you have cash, there are plenty of hostels and campsites around Europe that are safe and clean. Best advise I could give is to go online and research before you go....at least you have that luxury. I went before the internet was commonplace...didn't have a clue where I was going till I got there

 

Cheers mate. I'm def up for doing it and I'm just trying to research as much as possible now. I kinda like how yours was just spontanious tho, not too much planning involved. One of my mates got some sort of rail ticket with so many journeys and just started that way, i think that would be a decent way to start

 

thinking about doing the same thing as you. i think theres a train ticket that lasts for so long and works throughout europe, might be worth looking into.

 

Go for it. You'll always remember it!

 

Listen pal, take my advice, if you are serious and feel this is what you want to do
finish your year and in that time you can put a plan together,then go for it
i have seen the world this will open your eyes, nothing better than going to see and experience different cultures


good luck and stay away from Sudan :icon_mrgreen:

 

if i were you i'd seriously think about South East Asia. Temperature never drops below 80 degrees F and you'll just love exploring places like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam etc. You didn't say what qualifacations you were working for but if you were lucky enough to gain employment while you were there, all would be good. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

Try a glance over here:
Rail travel in Europe travel guide - Wikitravel

Something I've always wanted to do but don't think I have the baws for it.

Think prices can be found here
http://www.interrailnet.com/interrail-global-pass-order

 

Forgot to say guys I'm almost qualified as an architectural technician and my girlfriend is a hair dresser, I don't know if there is a particular demand for that an any certain area

 

You should maybe give America a try bud. 50 states to travel through, and you get to see sides of America you would never see on the television.Ideally if you can get your hands on some wheels then it is a skoosh case. There are lots of cheap hotels,motels, and youth hostels stateside, and you can pick up casual work along the way. Once you are on the freeway, you can hit all the rest areas on the way to freshen up and exercise the legs, camp outside or sleep in the car to save money. It all comes down to your inventiveness and imagination

 

Sounds like a great idea man I always fancied giving the travelling a crack, know a few people who have done it and they said it was an amazing experience

 

I've done this a few times, once around Africa for a year & twice around Europe for 18 months or so each time.

It was good for me in many ways & I've no regrets - although when looking for jobs now people always look at it as a negative, as they think I'll just up & * off again.

Think about it seriously, the grass is not always greener & it's not for everyone.

 

buildings made out of hair, somewhere in india i presume

 

What kind of work did you do mate? And any particular places you would say are a definate "must see" or "stay well away"?

 

You could volunteer to work with the Thailand Tims for a few weeks, months when your ready.

 

Your most realistic job prospects while travelling are teaching English and volunteering work. But remember, you cannot just start working on a tourist visa, thus having to leave said country and enter again on a working visa.

 

I did waiting & bar work mostly, but had quite a good spell labouring in Spain for 60 Euros a day.

You'll pick work up if you're staying in places & you'll end out staying in places that you get a good vibe for, other places you'll just pass through.

If you're on a budget look locally for flat shares etc... probably better than living in a tent if your both working, although some campsites have all amenities...I've done both & also rented flats, although you'll need a deposit - if it's off peak season many holiday complexes will rent their apartments out - with this current financial climate, you'll probably get more rentals much easier, as people need money.

I wouldn't like to go over the summer months, as it is extrememly hot, although I went to South Africa in December, which was mad - our winter into their summer. I was also going around Souther Europe in a tent in 2003, the hottest summer for decades!

Just go & enjoy yourself, keep an open mind & watch out for hangers on, you know cadging * - it's pretty safe, but people will sometimes try to steal your stuff if your in hostels & *, campsites are generally more safe in that regard.

 

Certainly much better to get out and enjoy life by travelling than the daily 9-5 grinding. Sadly in todays society everyone seems to work non stop and never get round to celebrating life at all. By the time they do they are usually too old to enjoy it anyway.

 

Lochee Bhoy.

If that is the way you feel then get on your bike and go while you are still young.
I am 66 years old, I closed my house up 10 months ago, got in my motorhome and crossed the channel.
So far I have been through France, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, Morocco & Portugal. I will never go back to living in a house as I have total freedom to go where I want when I want.
I started off stopping in camps which are safe and very well run but just wild camp on beaches, in the mountains or forrests now as the camps are full of grumpy old *. I never know what day it is or where I am going next but that does not matter.

There is lots of work around at harvesting time iand building work n most places if you don't mind doing anything.
Someone mentioned a tent, I meet lots of people doing this.

It is a wonderful way to live I meet different nationalities and learn about different cultures almost every day.
You only need enough money for food and fuel and the hardest decision you will have to make is do you turn left or right when you rise in the morning.

Do it Now, you have plenty of time to stabilise your life later.

 

Cheers guys, alot of good sensible advise and certainly alot for me to think about. I'm gonna finish my training here then hopefully head off next summer with my girlfriend. Thanks again for all the advice!