You know there’s not going to be any one concrete answer to this, right?

This is a question I get asked a lot in the comments and in emails, and it always makes me wince a little, because when I answer I usually have to say it depends.

Kind of vague, but true. What does it depend on? Well, a lot of factors and also on unforeseen circumstances. Even so, with some careful consideration and a little research you should be able to figure out a pretty good budget to aim for.

Here are the factors you need to consider:

Splurge on ice cream

What Is Your Travel Style?

The biggest influence on how big your budget needs to be is your travel style.

So what kind of traveler are you? I’m willing to bet most of the people reading this consider themselves backpackers, but there are many shades of budget. Will you be scrambling to find the cheapest flights , self catering and hostelling it up, or will you aim to rent apartments, eat out frequently and splurge once in awhile?

It’s important to be honest with yourself here. It might seem ideal to pinch every penny you can by squeezing yourself into the cheapest dorm rooms and eating nothing but canned beans, but chances are the actual reality might be miserable. If you’re the kind of person that values a private room, take that into consideration. There’s no shame in knowing yourself.

Cheap eats in China

Where Are you Going?

This may seem obvious but different parts of the world cost more or less. Six months in Europe is going to cost a whole lot more than six months in South East Asia.

Based on my experiences:

Expensive: Western Europe, Oceania, Japan

Mid-Level: South America, Eastern Europe

Inexpensive: South East Asia, China

Once you know where you want to go roughly, then you can start researching an average daily budget in those places. Blogs are a good place to start, but you can also get a rough idea by pricing out accommodations. The general rule of thumb for a daily budget is a nights accommodation x 2 or 3 (depending on how shoestring you plan to travel).

You can also start to price out flights, which are usually one of the biggest expenses for a trip.

How Long Are You Going For?

How long do you plan to to be abroad and where?

I wouldn’t recommend you plan your trip out to the day, but if you have a general ballpark for how long you plan to be in each region, you can figure out how much money you’ll need for that leg. It’s not necessarily true that a longer trip will cost more than a shorter one either, depending on where you go and for how long.

Some of us like a little more spontaneity in our travel plans. We don’t know how long we’re going ot be gone for or where we’re going to end up. That’s cool too, but then you need to pad your travel budget a little more to make sure you have room to choose as you go.

Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef

What Kind of stuff are you Going To Do?

Consider the big ticket items on your wish list- things like tours, rental cars, adventure sports activities or safaris. These things often cost quite a bit of money so you’ll need to factor that into your budget.

It’s definitely good to do a little web research while budgeting. Nothing is worse than getting all the way to Australia and realizing you can’t skydive because it costs way way too much money (not that I’d know or anything…).

Will you Have Any Income Streams?

Part of the reason it is hard for me personally to pin down the budget question is because I work on the road. I have money coming in as well as going out, and I’m not very good at accounting so it all kind of gets muddled up. I could tell you how much is in my bank account (I won’t) but I couldn’t tell you how much I’ve spent  on travel in the past year. I know, I’m a mess.

If you will be working while on the road, be it teaching English or freelance writing, then you have an extra cushion that most people don’t have.

Note that this is for people who actually KNOW they will have money coming in. If you think maybe you can start a travel blog and make some extra money as you go, it’s probably not wise to depend on that hypothetical money.

Life on the edge

How Big a Gambler Are You?

Another way to phrase this would be, how big a comfort cushion do you need?

Things go wrong on the road: people get injured, loved ones get sick, plans change. For that reason you will probably want to invest in some sort of travel insurance. You might also want to sock a little money away for emergencies not covered by insurance (read your policy, they are usually oddly specific on what is and isn’t covered).

Finally, consider adding in a re-entry cushion for after your trip. If you don’t have a job waiting for you at home, you will probably need some money to cover living expenses while you re-establish yourself post trip.

Okay all that said, the general wisdom is $20,000 to travel around the world for 1 year. That was my base line and my goal. Did I stick to that budget? Well, kind of sort of… My plans for a one year trip veered wildly off the rails at the very beginning which is why I’m writing this from a high rise in Buenos Aires and not an office building back home.

Plans do change, but you can set yourself up for success by planning ahead. So you take all of these threads and tie them together and you should have a pretty good picture of what kind of budget you need to aim for. Basically, creating a budget goes hand in hand with trip planning: it’s hard to do one without the other.

This post was written by me, brought to you by Expedia.

We may have made a tactical error. While Buenos Aires is a beautiful city, Summer may be the least desirable time of year to visit. Not only is it brutally hot and rainy, it’s a ghost town.

Hmm, well maybe we can go outside on... thursday?

To escape the heat, Portenos (residents of BA) flee the city in January and February to vacation at the beach. Businesses totally shut down and the streets empty out. It’s a little bit eery, but understandable- we too have spent many of our days cooped up inside with the AC blasting (this is the reason travel bloggers don’t get tans).

We did venture out one day when the temperature crept above 90 degrees, to go to Temaikan Biopark with former Buenos Aires expat Rease from Travelated. Temaikan is a serious zoo on par with the fanciest in the United States and miles above the shabby downtown city zoo.

It was a cool place, but again our timing needs work. Even at the zoo the animals seemed to be on vacation, hidden from view to escape the heat. We walked around peering into enclosures, trying to find the dozing creatures:

What about the wallaby?

Sleepy bats

lazy bums

It stands to figure that the only animals that weren’t bothered by the heat were the birds. Here’s where I ran into a problem. And by problem I mean I just discovered my latent phobia of parrots.

I can’t really explain it. Maybe it stems from the brutal parrot attack I sustained in Australia last year  or maybe it’s just the fact that parrots are creepy and make really weird noises (don’t even get me started on the talking ones).

So I did not fare well in the parrot enclosure, which was set up with a giant net over the area so that nothing stands between you and the pretty monsters. One took off suddenly and I nearly tramples a young mother in an attempt to fend off the eye clawing attack that was sure to come.

We want to eat your face

I mean seriously, I’d rather run up against these guys:

I digress, the lesson is not actually “beware of terrifying rainbow death birds.” The lesson is “don’t go to the zoo when it’s hot.” In fact, don’t do anything when it’s hot, it’s just not worth it. I’m going to go take a nap with the AC blasting now.

Today’s handsome postcard comes from Bob of the Travelling Fool:

Spoke to this guy for awhile and found out to be a Beefeater you must be retired military and most are retired CSM from the British Army. They live at the tower of London and their official job is to guard the king and Crown Jewels which are housed there. These days is mostly ceremonial and they give tours of the Tower.

(Do you have a photo you’d like to see featured here? Email me at Steph@twenty-somethingtravel.com)

Happy New Year! My year so far has been hot and rainy (Argentine summers are not the best) and productive! Now that we are installed in our comfy Buenos Aires apartment complete with AC and an indoor BBQ, I’m working really hard to pump out some good stuff. I’m also tackling Spanish classes, volunteering and trying to learn the harmonica. Busy times indeed.

What’s Up With Me:

Eat the World- Sometime in the next month Mike and I will be releasing our first travel iphone app. It’s called Eat the World and it’s going to help you figure out what the local specialties are when you travel. Visit the website and join us on facebook for updates so that you can grab it for your travels.

12 Reasons Why SE Asia is the Best Place in the World for Backpackers- BootsnAll- I wrote an article about SE Asia and the many things it offers to budget travelers.

Reorganization- As part of my productivity bid I’ve totally reorganized the categories in the menu bar. I think this will make it much easier for people to find back articles and use the archive for research. Have a look and maybe discover something you’ve missed.

Travel Plans- I will be spending most of February in Buenos Aires with a few possible side trips. We’re planning to head to Gualeguaychú in Northern Argentina to check out the Carnivale celebrations and there’s some other possibilities in the works…

This Month Around the Web:

photo credit: pedrosimoes7

• 10 Tips for Better Self-Portrait Photography- The Everywhereist- Geraldine might be one of the most charming people I’ve met online. She also has a lot of useful tips about finding your best side and taking pictures with pirates.
• Five Minutes in Burma- What’s Dave Doing?- Visa runs make for some weird travel days.
• When Travel Loses its Charm- The Road Forks- One of several articles I’ve read lately on travel burnout. It’s real and it’s deadly.

photo credit: jurvetson

• The Victoria Falls Bungee Jump Accident: An Opinion About Extreme Sports- Adventures with Ben- A little perspective and information on just one of the major travel accidents that happened this month.
•  Feel Lost: My Fork in the Road- Nomadic Matt- A brave post by Matt, who has been traveling for 5 years now and is struggling on where to finally settle down.
• A Place to Lay my Heart- Modern Love- Multiple people sent me this column about globetrotting love- wonder if they are trying to tell me something?

photo credit: susivinh

• Help Me Support Literacy in Bolivia- Tourist to Townie- Gareth is using his travels to make the world a better place, in this case, by raising money to fund a book fair and two libraries in Bolivia. A really worthy cause so consider sending a donation, I did!
• 6 Bad Travel Habits and How to Avoid Them- Trip Atlas- I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t guilty of some of these once in awhile…
• Being Deported from Eritrea- Art of Non-Conformity- Would you ever show up in a country without any visa? If not, you’re not nearly as brave as Chris Guillebeau.
• Operation Gringo Revenge: Tracking my Stolen Laptop in Panama- the Expert Vagabond- Finally, if you only read one of these articles make it this hilarious story of laptops lost and entertainment found. Plus! Transexual hookers!

What as your favorite read this month?

I got an email from a reader the other day (edited for length/personal details):

I took a year off from college with the intentions to travel.

Well…. I didn’t travel and one year later, I find myself in the same spot I was a year ago. Being twenty, I’m not sure what I want to do with my life, not sure which path I want to take, but I do know I do want to travel. I just want to get out there and experience everything possible. Immerse myself in other cultures, enjoy art & nature, meet new people.

But when it comes down to it, down to making a decision, to figuring it out, I find myself hitting a wall. The usual issues come up- no money, no travel buddies, not knowing where to go, how to even begin.

I was just wondering if you had any advice on how to take the next steps or what are the next steps?

Making the leap from the idea of traveling to actually putting a plan into action can be daunting. There is a lot to consider and a lot of choices to be made.

photo credit: josemanuelerre

I think a lot of people get stuck in the phase between deciding to travel and actually making it happen, because there is so much to consider when you are trying to turn an abstract concept into a reality. This then morphs into one of the common excuses I was talking about last week, most likely the “I’ll do it later,” syndrome. When something is abstract it’s easy to push off, that’s why you need to turn your potential travel idea into a concrete reality.

So here are three crucial steps to help you transition from thought to action:

photo credit: Lauren Manning

Think about what you want

The first thing you need to do is ask yourself some key questions:

Why do you want to travel?

What are you hoping to get out of a big trip?

There’s no right answer here. Maybe there’s a language you’ve been dying to learn, or a burning question you’re trying to solve. Perhaps there is a list of places that you’ve always wanted to visit. Maybe you’re really into adventure sports or big city culture.

The world is an enormous place and just setting out to see it is kind of a vague and unobtainable goal. By figuring out what you’re actually looking for you can narrow down your list of options and start to think in realistic terms.

photo credit: Ed Yourdon

Consider the resources available to you

The second step is a reality check of sorts. You need to evaluate your budget and resources to determine what you can actually pursue.

First think about the restraints of money and time. How much of either are you willing to invest in this project? Are you thinking about a month long experience or a year? Depending on how long and where you are going you will have to budget accordingly.

Secondly, consider all of the programs and other resources available to you. There are a plethora of volunteer organizations, study abroad options and work visas that you can take advantage of.

Also consider friends and family you may have strewn around the world. Having somewhere to stay and some one to show you around is an excellent motivation to go somewhere.

At this point you should have a fairly good sketch of what you actually want your trip to look like. You don’t necessarily need actual dates or itineraries, but a basic outline of what you intend to do (teach English in Korea, backpack through Europe, travel overland through Africa).

photo credit: purpleslog

Lastly, sit down and sketch out a plan of action- then start making it happen!

Once you’ve got a pretty good idea of where you want to go and what you want to do, the last step is creating a to do list (oh how I love to-do lists). This will be your plan of the actual concrete steps you need to take before you can leave. Stuff like: saving money, applying for visas, buying plane tickets and buying equipment. It might also include things like graduating from school, telling your family and looking for a new job.

This list might take awhile to complete- in my case I was seriously planning and saving for about a year and a half before I left. It’s tough work, but actually realizing your dream is a great motivation! 

It really is as simple as this. I’ve always though that making the decision to travel is the most difficult part. Once you’ve really committed, everything else just falls into place. It’s just a matter of figuring out 1. what you want to do and 2. how to do it.

Well I guess I can stop looking now.

El Ateneo on Santa Fe Avenue in Buenos Aires is probably the most impressive book store I’ve ever seen.  in the 1920′s it was a theater that could seat over 1000 people. It was later converted to a movie theater, then back to a theater and back to a movie house again and in 2000, a bookstore.

The ceiling is decorated with Romantic Italian frescos painted to celebrate the end of World War One.

The stage has now been converted to a cafe. On some afternoons jazz bands play there and their music echoes throughout the store.

The one drawback (for me anyways) of El Ateneo? All the books are in Spanish! The English-language section leaves much to be desired. None the less it would be easy to spend an afternoon just wandering around and gawking at the elegance of this historic old store.

Being an Angophile, I adore this perfectly London shot of a taxi racing by St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was sent in by amazingly talented Lisa Lubin who runs LL World Tour.

(Do you have a photo you’d like to see featured here? Email me at Steph@twenty-somethingtravel.com)

Enough already with the excuses! I’ve heard them all over the past few years. I never ask for them, but whenever I meet someone at a party, tell them what I’m up to and what I’ve chosen to do, the excuses come pouring out.

It always amuses me a bit, because I would never expect anyone to do the crazy stuff I’m doing unless they really had a burning passion for it. It takes all kinds of people and there’s definitely no right or wrong way to live your life. That being said, I also have to roll my eyes at the folks who clearly would like to travel, but let a bunch of trivial stuff get in the way. Travel, like so many things in life is about priorities. You have to make it one if you ever want to get anywhere.

Which is why none of these excuses work…

Photo credit: 401K

1. I can’t afford it

Probably the most common excuse for not traveling. Yes, traveling is expensive, and it’s hard to save up when you have bills to pay and all that. But…. there’s a lot of things you spend money on that you don’t need. You don’t need a new car, you don’t need a flatscreen tv, you don’t need a $15 martini. Most people who travel a lot aren’t rich kids, they just make it a point of saving their discretionary money for travel. If travel is a priority, there are a lot of ways to find money to make it happen.

In fact, in many instances traveling for a year can be cheaper than your expenses would be at home.

2. I’m stuck at my job

This just makes me sad. I know we are in a recession and jobs are hard to come by, but there are a lot of ways that travel can help, not hurt your career. A career break can re-energize you, give you new skills and resources and help you re-examine your career path. If you don’t believe me check out the guys at Career Break Secrets or Briefcase to Backpack.

photo credit: RambergMediaImages

3. I have too many loans

Yup. I’ve got them too, lovely student loans that I will be paying off for years to come. Actually a lot of travelers I know carry this particular burden. I pay them every month and you can too, you just need to build that money into your potential travel budget. You may also want to look into working on the road.

photo credit: josemanuelerre

4. Nobody will go with me

Well, you already know what I’m going to say. Solo traveling is great and rewarding blah blah blah, but it’s also sometimes the only way to get anything done. I set out to do my big trip solo, not necessarily because I particularly wanted to, but because I knew that if I waited around for the perfect travel partner I might wait a very long time. (As luck had it the perfect partner appeared much sooner than expected, but that’s another story.)

photo credit: tm-tm

5. I’m worried about safety

Okay, it’s certainly wise to consider the safety concerns of anywhere you go. That being said, there is a misconception, particularly in the United States, that the world outside is a big scary dangerous place. That’s simply not true. There are many places in the world that can be safely traveled, even by solo women.

photo credit: tropicaLiving - Jessy Eykendorp

6. I’ll do it someday

I say I’m going to do a lot of things someday: write a novel, start going to the gym, learn to cook. How many of them are actually going to get done?

You can put off travel indefinitely, but there’s a pretty good chance that the day you’re waiting for isn’t going to come. There is no perfect time to travel, but the time to start living the life you want is always right now.

The thing is, it’s okay if you don’t want to go anywhere. I don’t really get it, but I respect it. However, if you DO want to make a change, then it’s time to stop lying to yourself and to start living the way you want.

But how? That’s the hard part. That’s why I’m devoting one day a week over the next few months to telling you HOW exactly you can travel the world.

Stay tuned…

If there’s one practice that sums up everything that sets Argentina apart culturally from Europe, it’s mate. While Argentinean culture takes a lot from the motherland- a love of coffee, gelato and pizza for starters, the consumption of mate (pronounced mah-tay) is uniquely South American.

What is mate?

I’d never heard of the stuff before I met Mike, but it’s inescapable here. Mate is essentially a hot, tea-like beverage made from the stems and leaves of a plant called yerba mate (link). The leaves contain caffeine and other natural stimulants and taste sort of like a very bitter green tea. I would say it’s an acquired taste.

What tea is to the British, mate is to Argentina, except maybe more so. Argentineans drink mate all day long, on their own but especially in social settings. Family gatherings, afternoon chats and friendly get togethers all revolve around the passing of mate. Couples take mate to the park for a romantic date. Even in Montanita, Ecuador we would often see groups of Argentineans sitting on the beach with thermoses of hot water, passing around a mate cup.

It’s a custom that traces it’s roots back to Pre-Colombian times. As with any tradition that has survived that long, there is a ritual to drinking mate, a set of unspoken customs and rules. To defy them will make you appear very rude, or at least clueless. So, to drink Mate like a proper Argentinean, here’s what you need to know:

 The Setup

Mate is served in a communal cup (you’re all friends here so stop worrying about pesky things like germs). The cup is actually a vegetable gourd (sometimes the outer casing is metal or plastic) which the owner conditions with their own combination of preparation and fruit juice to give it a distinct taste. You drink out of a silver straw with a filter at the end, called the bombilla.

The Ritual

Mate is a group activity. The participants sits in a circle and one person, the server or cebador, prepares the mate with hot water and in Buenos aires, sugar (they have a wicked sweet tooth). The gourd is then passed around the circle to the right, each drinker enjoying the mate before passing it back to the served to be re-brewed. This continues for ages and ages, or until you run out of hot water.

photo credit: juanpol

The Rules

The biggest most important rule of mate drinking is DO NOT TOUCH THE BOMBILLA. It is considered very rude to re-adjust the straw or move it in any way.

When you are passed the mate, only touch the bombilla with your lips. Drink the mate until there is no more liquid, the straw will make a sucking, gurgling sound. The water will be very hot so there is no need to chug the drink, but don’t take too long to finish either. When you are finished pass the cup back to the server.

Argentineans can drink a LOT of mate. While I can’t even have a caffeinated soda after 5 pm, most people here have no problem drinking gallons of mate just before bed. If you’ve had enough, a simple thank you to the server should exempt you from further rounds. Even if you are not a huge fan, it is definitely more polite to at least have on serving when offered.

While it sounds complicated, drinking mate is a casual activity, so ingrained into everyday life that nobody thinks twice about it. Don’t stress too much and do find an opportunity to participate in one of Argentina’s most sacred rituals.

Unlike a lot of place I go, I know quite a bit about Buenos Aires already. This is in part because of my childhood obsession with Evita (I love Andrew Lloyd Webber and I’m not ashamed!) but mostly because my handsome Argentinean-American boyfriend has not shut up about the place since we met.

At least he's cute right?

This city is his second home, and he is incredibly eager to share it with me. According to Michael, Argentina has the very best steak, the best nightlife, the best ice cream and the best looking girls. I can’t say for sure yet about any of those things, but after a week in town, I do have some impressions:

It’s HOT

I know we were arriving right in the middle of summer but damn you guys. Apartment hunting in 100 degree heat is brutal and the subway is like a toaster. As a result we haven’t really done much sightseeing yet- we’ve spent a lot of time laying like dead fish in front of the AC.

By the way, I’ve also noticed that if you complain about the heat to your friends back in the dead of winter at home, they don’t have much sympathy for the fact your face is melting off.

The Food is Epic

After the very repetitive menus of roast chicken, rice and beans up north in Ecuador and Colombia, Argentinean food is a real treat. I’m sure I’ll go on about it at length as a later date but my first week here I’ve gorged myself on empanadas, pizza, pastries and of course, steak. When I left Ecuador I had to buy a bikini because my old one was finally too big, now if I get out of this country weighing less than 300 pounds it will be a miracle.

Sophisticated People

photo credit: -just-jen-

The people here, as well as the atmosphere feels very much more European than South America. Everyone is super classy looking, stylish and THIN (which is a little puzzling considering what I wrote above). It’s just an entirely different vibe.

Ice Cream!

Mike didn’t lie on this one- the ice cream here is freaking amazing. And they sell it in giant liter tubs, for maximum pig-out-ossity. Dulce de Leche is of course a major favorite but there are crazy flavors too like Pineapple Champagne.

Evita

They really do love Evita here! It’s just like I imagined. I’ve had don’t cry for me Argentina stuck in my head all week, much to the annoyance of one Argentinian-American boy I know.

Shallow yes, but the good news is that after a week of running all over town, we’ve finally settled on a pretty sweet (11^th floor! Inside BBQ!) apartment and rented it for the next two months. So prepare yourself for a slew of Buenos Aires articles!

I was so overwhelmed by the enormousness of Angkor Wat that I completely missed the tiny details, like these orange incense. Lisa Lubin from LL World Tour has a much better eye than me!

(Do you have a photo you’d like to see featured here? Email me at Steph@twenty-somethingtravel.com)

Money makes the world go round and it’s also a big factor in helping you go around the world. 

Twenty-something Americans probably aren’t in the best place to save up for vacations or round-the-world trips. They usually have entry level jobs, student loans and very little acquaintance with the practicalities of the real world. 

But they also have some of the best visa options available. 

Graduating university in 2009 I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next, but I knew it involved travel. I looked into trips to India, volunteering abroad and even going back to school abroad. All things that are a lot of work to achieve and some of which cost quite a lot of money. 

Then I found a compromise between the travelers dream and the graduates reality, a work-holiday visa for Australia.

This visa allows 18-30-year olds, from quite a few countries to live and work in Australia for a year, however they choose. One of the only limitations is that they can only work for the same company for six months.  

I wouldn’t have known this visa existed if it weren’t for some serious soul-searching and even more serious searching on the internet. After college I found out it was possible to move abroad, earn money and not need a company or benefactor to support me. 

Once in Australia, working and holidaying, I learned that Australia wasn’t the only country offering this opportunity. While a lot of the other countries under the world-holiday-scheme are closed to US citizens like me, there is enough opportunity abroad for young Americans to travel and work throughout their entire twenties. 

If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t change a single decision made in my travels, but here’s how I would advise young Americans with an appetite for travel to get on the road and stay on the road as long as possible.

Study abroad (2-4 years)

photo credit: stevecadman

As far as travel goes, the younger a person is, the more opportunity he or she has, mainly because of school. For twenty-something’s sake, I’ll focus only on university but quickly mention that even younger than university age, students can enter an exchange program, take part in school-sponsored trips, even win scholarships to travel abroad for academic purposes.

These days there really is no excuse for university students not to take advantage of international opportunities. Here’s the thing, university is expensive no matter where you attend. Why not spend that money not only learning about a subject, but also learning about the world?

A semester abroad may cost slightly more, but often times it’s pretty much the same as a semester in the States. Some student visas even allow people to work in that country, which takes away the huge concern of being able to earn money while abroad. 

If students plan their four years at university strategically, they could spend a whole year, maybe even two, studying abroad. The great thing about studying abroad is that it’s pretty much open in all countries around the world.

Students could even go further than just studying abroad and actually attend a foreign university.

Work abroad for current students and recent graduates (3 months to 2 years)

photo credit: j.o.h.n. walker

Travel may be the last thing on a recent college graduate’s mind after Sallie Mae starts asking for money. But the year directly after college offers a few opportunities to live and work abroad that disappear after that year.

Ireland has two types of opportunities open to American students and recent graduates. First is the J1 program, which allows students to work a few months every summer of university in Ireland. Next is a 12-month work holiday visa to Ireland open to people enrolled in post secondary education and those who have graduated in the past 12 months.  

Applicants must prove they have funds of €1,500 ($US1,900) and a return ticket or €3,000 ($US3,800) altogether to qualify.

BUNAC offers recent college graduates a similar opportunity in Canada. Their ‘Work Canada’ program is open to US citizens age 18-30 who graduated in the last year or are currently are full-time, degree-seeking students at an accredited college or university. 

Through BUNAC eligible candidates are offered 12-month work authorization in Canada. The program costs $405, which can be a bit of money to save. Luckily, Canada is close enough to the States that people considering this opportunity won’t have to spend as much on airfare. 

Other work abroad options offered to current or recent university graduates, include a six-month work holiday pass in Singapore as well as internships all over the world.

Internships are often unpaid or ill-paid. So why not use a money-less summer to see not only what it’s like to work in a specific work sector, but also to work in a different country. 

Not to keep mentioning the company, but BUNAC offers an ‘Intern in Britain’ program as well. While BUNAC will help with visas, giving interns the ability to be paid during their internship, it is up to the internship-seeker to find an offer.

Internships abroad can be found just the same as in the States. Internship-seekers should contact companies in their particular field to learn about opportunities open to foreign students.

Working holiday Australia and New Zealand (1 to 2 years and three months)

photo credit: rick

Opportunities to work abroad aren’t just open to college grads. In fact, what I think are the easiest two opportunities for twenty-somethings to travel, mainly require people to be age 18-30. 

As I mentioned at the start of this article, the sort of kick-off to me recognizing all opportunities abroad offered to US citizens was the working holiday visa for Australia. Well this visa is also offered in New Zealand.

The visas are pretty much the same, except US citizens have the option to extend their visa up to three months in New Zealand by doing three-months of farm work in the country. As of right now, an extension is not possible for US citizens in Australia. One other difference to mention is that the visa application fee for Australia costs $270, whereas New Zealand charges no fee to Americans.

I was shocked to see how easy these visas are to obtain. Basically, people must fill out an online application including personal details. As long as the person applying doesn’t have health concerns or a criminal record, he or she is usually admitted very quickly. I received my Australian work-holiday visa in a few hours and my New Zealand visa in a few days. People with health concerns or a criminal record could still be accepted, it just involves more paper work. 

On a side note, BUNAC also offers an IEP Work Exchange Visa Program for New Zealand. This is open to people 18-35 years old, even if they have already had a work-holiday visa for the country. It costs $550 and allows people to work in the country for 12 months. 

The next step (1 day to forever)

photo credit: simonsun08

By timing your applications and the order of these visas correctly, the combination of them should bring people from age 20 to 27. That’s not including all of the traveling participants will be doing in between. 

After exhausting all the visas easily available to you, it’s time to use lessons learnt on the road to stay on it even longer. 

One option is teaching English abroad. People can earn enough money to maintain a living in countries like Thailand or Guatemala or they can actually lead a somewhat profitable career in places like South Korea or Japan. 

Another option is sponsorship. It can be a difficult process, but places like New Zealand and Australia actually need more people in certain work sectors, especially skilled jobs like carpenters and nurses. Consider the work-holiday visa just a foot in the door to two countries that have a plethora of opportunities. 

People interested in staying abroad even longer may consider going back to school abroad. This is very expensive, but it’s a plausible option.

Finally, those who want to stay abroad badly enough will just find a way outside the realm of visas and citizenship. I’ve met so many people on my travels who just found a country they loved and refused to leave. They work at bars, in tourism and as nannies, sometimes completely under the radar. I’m not condoning it, but I must mention it to prove that there is almost always a way to stay on the road. 

Now that the money excuse is out of the way, why aren’t you traveling?

Bobbi Lee Hitchon has been traveling the world for over two years. She’s had working holiday visas in Australia and New Zealand. Read about her adventures abroad at Heels and Wheels. Get to know her on Twitter and Facebook.

Since I’m now suddenly in Argentina, it’s time to round up my time in Ecuador, a country I liked quite a lot!

Total Days in Ecuador: 40

Total Days in Didn’t Rain: 28 (major improvement!)

Amount Spent: $1360

Average Cost Per Day: $33.75 (our three weeks in Montanita really jacked this up, I think Ecuador could be done on $25 a day)

Places Visited: Quito, Banos, Montanita

Biggest Misconception: Probably that Ecuador is hot. Yes it is on the Equator and the sun can be quite strong, but we spent much of our time up in the mountains where you needed a sweater or maybe more for the chilly nights.

Most Memorable Moments: Reaching the glaciers on Cotopaxi without passing out was pretty rewarding. I’d also add celebrating the Quito festival and New Years on the beach.

Coolest Adventure: I jumped off a freaking bridge in Banos! For $20. I still can’t believe I did that. Actually everything we did in Banos from bike riding to white water rafting was a lot of fun.

Most Annoying Thing: The altitude really kicked my ass the first few weeks in Ecuador. Quito is the second highest capital city in the world (after La Paz) and I was constantly out of breath. It was a releif to come down to sea level and breath normally again.

Best Food: All of the shrimp on the coast. I’m not a huge seafood fan so the ceviche didn’t do much for me but I adored all the different shrimp dishes I got to try. Overall Ecuador had better food, with more diversity than Colombia.

Worst Food: Almost everything we ate in Ecuador was at least halfway decent. The worst food was probably the stuff I attempted to cook myself in our dingy kitchen in Montanita.

Favorite Place: I really fell in love with Banos. It’s such a relaxing little town in beautiful surroundings. I’m actually still kind of sad we didn’t get to spend more time there.

Least Favorite: This isn’t really fair since we spent barely any time they, but I was extremely unimpressed with Guayaquil which is a huge, dirty and purportedly quite dangerous city.

Best Sunset: Definitely the best sunset of the trip so far was the last one of 2011 over the ocean in Montanita:

 Biggest Regret: Not getting to see more. There were several places, Otavalo, Cuenca, that I really would have liked to see if I’d had more time. Not getting to go to the Galapagos! I was totally keen to see some blue-footed boobies, but at 1k a person (starting price), it just wasn’t feasible.

Best Advice: Don’t let the safety concerns in Quito scare you from seeing the city- it’s really historic and beautiful. Despite the scary stories we managed to get out of Ecuador totally unscathed.

Would I Come Back? Definitely. I think that Ecuador is a really cool country with a lot to do in a relatively small area. It would be great for a shorter vacation too, even just a couple of weeks.

Have You Been To Ecuador? What Were Your Impressions?

“Where are we going tomorrow?” We had no idea.

After 3 weeks of essentially vacation time (sunning, surfing, drinking, not much blogging) in Montanita, Ecuador, Mike and I were at a loss for what to do next.

Hard not to be relaxed here

Our original plan was to go on to Cuenca, a supposedly charming colonial city in the mountains, then backpack through Peru and Bolivia before reaching Argentina in around 2 months. This did not sound appealing. Our money and stamina were both running low and our to-do lists piling high. I wasn’t sure I could stomach two more months of backpacking right now.

So then, what else? We could fly to Buenos Aires, home of Mike’s family and the most loved city in South America. There we could set up house for a few months and establish some of the regularity we were so badly missing. The only issue- a big one: flights from ecuador to BA were $700+, not including the $140 immigration fee. That’s a lot of dough.

There was a possible loophole though: we could fly to Montevideo, Uruguay and take a ferry to BA, skipping the fee for flying into the country. But tickets to their were still 700+ (why does it cost so much to fly in South America? I have no idea but it’s very frustrating).

photo credit: borman818

We explored our options closer to home. We could always go back to Banos, a town we’d loved, and search for a short term apartment there. That would be pleasant but it would mean going backwards instead of forwards. We could head to Peru with the hope that we’d find somewhere we liked to plant ourselves for awhile.

Ecuador, Peru, Argentina or Uruguay? What to do?

It was a really weird predicament to be in: I mean, how many people can say they don’t know what country their going to tomorrow? The transient nature of living on the road can be very weird, but only if you step back and think about it. After awhile it becomes natural to discover a new city every few days, to make your home out of a strange hostel room. But it’s really not that normal is it? And times like this, when we are at a total loss, really illuminate the oddity.

Finally after comparing flights, plans and stress, we decided: damn it all, we’re going to Argentina! Sure it was pricey but for some piece of mind, a sense of routine and a major chance to catch up on work (Plus- steak!) it was worth it for us right now. We bought a flight for the next afternoon.

photo credit: Finizio

All of this to say: Argentina here I come! Stay tuned for a plethora of posts on hot argentine men, hot argentine steak and… well whatever else is down there (I will find out)!

 Have you ever made a really impulsive travel decision?

I never wrote about my 2 day long voyage from Japan to China, mostly because it was really, really boring.  I spent most of the trip  drinking beers from a vending machine and playing cards with the 3 other English speakers on the trip. One thing I did look forward to was the sunsets, although it was usually too cloudy to enjoy them. One night I spotted this gentleman playing his violin on a deserted corner of the ships deck. It was a nice moment.

(Do you have a photo you’d like to see featured here? Email me at Steph@twenty-somethingtravel.com)

I’ve always had a weird relationship with so called “party towns.” In case you’re not a familiar: party towns are small backpacker havens that exist solely for travelers to party and relax comfortably in a scenic back drop. You can find them mostly in South East Asia but it would seem there are a few sprinkled elsewhere around the globe as well.

Last year in South East Asia I didn’t fare so well with the party towns: I was grossed out by Ko Phi Phi, depressed in Vang Vieng and cautious at the Full Moon Party in Hat Riin. All around me people were having wild drunken fun but I just couldn’t relax.

Tug of War on Koh Phangan

Now I like to have wild drunken fun as much as the next twenty-something girl, but something about these places just rubbed me the wrong way. When you boil these places down what you have is essentially a bunch of (relatively) wealthy foreigners going wild without having to worry about things like “money” and “laws.” People who have flown thousands of miles to get high, eat french fries and watch Family Guy at a bar in Laos.

On the one hand I try really hard not to be a judgmental traveler. People can do whatever they want as long as they are respectful to the locals. Still, the weird artificiality and the strong differentiation between the western consumers and the local vendors really ate at me, and I just couldn’t loosen up. I felt like an old lady; “turn that down!” “put on a shirt, you’re being disrespectful!”

Which is why I had mixed feelings on spending the holidays in Montañita, Ecuador’s beachside party town. On the one hand, I was dying for some beach time after months in the Andes, but on the other hand, apparently I’m an old lady who hates fun and partying. Mmm, things could go either way.

Actually, things turned out pretty well because Montañita is nothing like those Asian pleasure islands. It was fun, and it was relaxing.

Ko Phi Phi

Montanita

The first time I walked down the street in Montañita was absolutely surreal: it felt like I’d transported back to Thailand. Everything was bright and loud and western. There were street vendors and restaurants selling fruit juice and crepes. Instead of colorful bucket sellers there were tiny street side bars serving every cocktail imaginable. Even so, the atmosphere felt entirely different because:

It’s Not Just Gringos

In SE Asia there seemed to be a strong differentiation between the western tourists and the people serving them. It made me uncomfortable: sure they were making tons of money off the masses, but their businesses were also entirely dependent on catering to foreigners. You would rarely, if ever, see a Thai tourist on vacation to Ko Phi Phi.

In Montañita things were more diverse. There were quite a few gringos from around the world, but there were just as many if not more Ecuadorians, Colombians, Argentineans and Chileans. This wasn’t just a vacation spot for backpackers- it was for everyone.

New Years Trick or Treating (?)

Ecuadorian Culture still Dominates

Although very different from anywhere else I saw in Ecuador, Montañita still retained some of it’s local charm. There are many foreign owned businesses but Ecuadorians are still running the town, the dominant language is spanish and the place has a unique charm. This was particularly evident on our fiery Ecuadorian style New Years celebration.

People Were Relaxed

It was easy to party hard in Montañita, but it wasn’t the hedonistic free for all of somewhere like Ko Phi Phi. Nobody was puking in the streets or starting fights, people either relaxed at a street side bar or danced at a club or listened to a band, but they did it all with good humor. Maybe it’s because the crowd was on average a bit older than you’d find in Asia, or maybe it’s the extreme prevalence of marijuana. Can’t say.

In any case, the place felt more relaxing and less cliche-d than any other party town I’ve been to. It had it’s downsides: it drained our wallet for one thing, and I got pretty damn tired of hearing the same 5 pop songs played on a continuous loop (if I never hear Party Rockers again I can die happy). Still, for a little while at least I was able to shake my guilts and hang ups and actually have a good time.

New Years Eve is too much pressure. I don’t know why but every year I become convinced that things need to be perfect; that somehow the rest of the year hinges on me having a good time on this one night. As a result I usually don’t. The pressure gets to be too much and things blow up in some hideous way.

This year was different though, this year New Year’s was actually fun. Drunken, fire-y fun.

We’ve been celebrating the holidays in Montanita, a kind of sleepy surfing town on the coast of Ecuador. At least it started out sleep when we arrived on December 15^th. Attendance crept slowly up over time, by New Year’s Eve the town was absolutely packed to the brim with backpackers, Ecuadorian tourists and Argentinean hippies.

In Ecuador they celebrate New Years by burning effigies of popular figures. This can be everything from politicians to policemen, but most popular of all was the cartoon characters. Every store front, house and street had picked out a papier mache Bart Simpson, Road Runner or Buzz Lightyear. For some reason this year smurfs were especially popular.

Joined by the awesome Erica and Shawn of Over Yonderlust, we settled on an $8 effigy of Barney, some roman candles and a paper bag full of little packets which we could only guess were gunpowder. I could only laugh nervously as everyone else’s eyes glazed over with fire lust.

After an evening of $2 cocktails at our favorite beach side stand, it was time. Around 5000 people crowded on the beach. Fireworks were already lighting up the sky and the atmosphere was crackling with anticipation.

Once 12 o’clock hit all hell broke loose. Fireworks popped all around us as alcohol and explosives combined. We set off our roman candles over the ocean, then it was time to execute Barney. We couldn’t get him to spark so after a few fumbling moments he was tossed into a bonfire where he crackled and popped loudly. Surfers with their boards chanted and danced around the fire like some sort of ancient tribe.

The fireworks went on long into the night as people danced and partied on the beach. We didn’t all come from the same place or speak the same language but we were united by one thing: FIRE.

Special thanks to Shawn and Erica of OverYonderlust for the photos!

I love this one! Such a unique view of a popular tourist attraction. This postcard was provided by Pawel and Lavanya of Iced Chai:

The magnificent ceiling of the Sultan Ahmed mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. The primary colour of the tiles used in the mosque is blue thus giving the mosque its unofficial and popular name – Blue Mosque.

(Do you have a photo you’d like to see featured here? Email me at Steph@twenty-somethingtravel.com)

It’s time for the second episode of our sporadic travel show: Travel Talk with Mike and Stephanie! This time we were in Quito, Ecuador and wanted to show the truth about hostels. We even got some of our new friends to play along.

Transcript below:

Michael: Hi, welcome to Travel Talk with Mike and Stephanie. We’re here in Quito, Ecuador, celebrating the Quito Festival. It’s a very festive time of year right now for the month of December. Everyone is dancing on the street, and there’s a lot of music going on, a lot of celebrating. It’s a happy time of the year here in Quito, Ecuador.

Stephanie: And to celebrate, Mike has grown his beard extra long.

Michael: Right after this, I’m definitely shaving.

Stephanie: So today we want to talk about hostel life. One of the questions that we often get from people who maybe don’t travel too much or don’t backpack is what are hostels really like. I think there are a lot of misconceptions about hostels thanks to some movies that I won’t name. So today, we are at the Secret Garden Hostel in Quito, and we’re going to ask some people in the hostel for their best hostel tips.

Jack: Hi, I’m Jack from England. Always pick a hostel with lockers so you can feel secure about your electronics and passports.

Jemima: I’m Jemima. I’m from England, and my tip is a lot of hostels are looking for volunteers, so it’s a great way to see a city properly. You’ve got free accommodation, free food, discounts on tolls and all sorts of cool stuff.

Tony: Hi, I’m Tony from France, and something really important for me in a hostel is a place to chill out and exchange all the information and feedback when you are traveling.

Alex: Hi, my name’s Alex. I’m from the United States, and I would recommend going for a place that serves breakfast and dinner.

Stephanie: Okay. So what’s your hostel tip?

Michael: Okay. So my hostel tip is to always have the business card of the hostel with you in case you go out and you don’t know the language, and you’ve got the address right on the card, so you can give it to a taxi and he’ll know exactly where to go. So it’s very convenient if you’re having a long night out or if you’re lost, you want to go wander, you’ll always have the address right on the card. What’s your tip?

Stephanie: My tip is that hostels are really fun, but they are a communal setting. So it is really important to be courteous and to not be a jerk, and that means not being too loud late at night or early in the morning. If you’re in a dorm room, not turning on the lights in the middle of the night.

Michael: Yeah.

Stephanie: Packing your bag the night before so you don’t disturb people. Just generally being a considerate person.

Michael: Well, thank you for watching. Send in your questions at questions@ArtofBackpacking.com.

Stephanie: Or questions@Twenty-SomethingTravel.com.

Michael: Thanks for watching.

I’ve never been big on New Year’s Resolutions. Big, grand gestures that are usually completely abandoned by mid-February. Sure we’d all like to lose weight, exercise more and stop biting our nails but ain’t gonna happen b/c of some magic decree.

Still, I can kind of see the point of using the start of the year as a vantage point for evaluating your life and deciding what kind of changes need to be made. Too often we get bogged down in routine, so this one point in time is a great catalyst for saying yes to something new.

Therefore I’m gonna help you guys out. Haven’t picked up a New Year’s resolution this year? I’ve got some ideas for you:

Eat More… Foreign Food

There is so much good food in the world- incredible, mouth-watering food that you’ve never ever tried. Even if you are a fairly cultured person this is still true (and if you’re not, there’s no better way to fake sophistication than espousing your love of pho). So this year, make an effort to discover new favorites: try a new cuisine, order something new off the menu, be a little adventurous. That way when you finally do get to Japan or Spain or Ethiopia, you’ll actually know what you’re talking about.

Spend Less… on Dumb Stuff

Okay nobody understands the joy of impulse buying more than me, but all that useless stuff you accumulate weighs you down and drains your wallet. Save your money for more important things (like travel) and cut yourself off from buying stuff you don’t need (if you’re like me that means pretty much anything you buy online).

Try Things… That are Scary

This one can be really hard because well, scary things are scary! I think that it’s important to do things that scare you once in awhile, it makes you stronger and also lets you experience things you would never otherwise do. These don’t have to be massive things like jumping off a bridge , my scary things to overcome this year are groups of people I don’t know, and dance lessons.

Explore… The World Around You

I could call this one travel more, because of course I want everyone to travel more, but I think it’s an important sentiment whether you are across the world or in your own home. Make this the year you really get curious and learn about the world outside your door. Go on a day trip somewhere new, do something you’ve always wanted to or yes, buy a plane ticket. Life is short and there is a lot to see so don’t drag your feet!

What is all boils down to is the resolve to make 2012 the year to challenge yourself. Be a traveler of life, no matter where you are going this year.

What is your resolution?