Traveling for Fun and Profit!

If you can't afford a luxury holiday, why not try working abroad? There are many different ways you can get a job in a foreign country for a short period of time (or longer, if you prefer!). Not only do you get to see the country for free, you get a much more detailed insight into the people and culture than you would as a tourist.

Some ways to see the world:


1. Teach Abroad

There are many places in need of foreign teachers, especially teachers of the English language. In many situations, you don't need any formalized teaching training, although some places prefer you hold a university degree of some type. Just about any Asian country has many opportunities to teach English.

2. Volunteer

There are also many opportunities to volunteer abroad. Churches and humanitarian organizations are always looking for help both at home and overseas. You can get the dual benefits of helping others and inexpensive travel (there will likely be some cost involved).

3. Professional Exchanges

If your company has an overseas branch, or even close overseas partners, you may be able to arrange an exchange program. This lets you experience another country while advancing your understanding of your profession and company!

Whatever you decide, working holidays can be great opportunities to grow personally, enrich your understanding of a people or culture, and have a great experience.

Essential Traveling Gear

Travel is one of those funny things: sometimes you need a pile of stuff, sometimes you need nothing more than your passport and wallet. Or so it would seem.

There are different kinds of packers, as I'm sure you've noticed. We tend to fall into one of three categories:

1. The Annoying Minimalist: These people pride themselves on bringing the bare necessities, then annoy their traveling companions by constantly borrowing their things.

2. The Over-the-topper: These people would pack the kitchen sink if only they could figure out how to bring the plumbing as well.

3. The Comfortable Mediator: These people bring precisely what is required and not a thing more. They always seem to have space for their purchases in their luggage, and they never look overpacked. They are very annoying to the first two groups.

Whatever category you fall into, there are certain things you must have for extended holidays (I'm talking here on the assumption you'll be traveling beyond your national borders!):

1. Your passport, and a safe place to keep it
2. Enough clean clothing to last until you find someplace to wash it
3. Some sort of traveling wallet you can wear against your skin
4. Materials appropriate to the location (eg: sunscreen, insect repellent, gloves, etc.)
5. Emergency contact information
6. Empty luggage space (let's be honest: you're bound to make purchases)

I often pack a backpack when I travel, but I tuck an additional backpack inside. That way, if I make purchases I can fill the extra backpack and check it on my way home, but I don't have to bother about checked baggage while trying to navigate a foreign airport!

Travel on!

The Holiday of Your Dreams

It's never too early to start planning your dream holiday! Unless you're independently wealthy, you'll probably have to spend some time searching for the best travel deals, as well as saving money. For these reasons, many people shy away from planning, putting that holiday dream on the "someday" list. Well, you've heard it said that tomorrow never comes -- how much farther away is "someday??" Don't be afraid to start planning now!

1. Start dreaming!
Where have you always wanted to go? What will you do once you get there? Hit the internet, check out the library, and talk to friends. If you've always wanted to tour Asia, where would you stop? If your dream destination is the frozen North, where would you specifically like to go? It's time to turn those dreams into practicalities!

2. Do some research.

How much do flights cost? Where can you stay? What's the off-season? Are there times when weather or work renders travel impossible? If you could organize this holiday according to your own wishes, when would you travel? It's time to consider all of these questions and more!

The best thing you can do at this stage of the game is hit the internet and start checking out package deals. This way, you'll get an idea not only of the range of prices out there, but things to do and places to stay.

3. Learn everything you can!

Check out travel blogs and online journals from people who have gone to your dream destination. What did they do? What did they love? Get ideas.

4. Make a plan

Assuming you could go on this vacation, what would you do? Sit down and plot it out, with approximate timelines and prices. Of course, for some people their "plan" might be a lot of backpacking and seeing what came up. That's fine -- just give yourself an approximate budget.

5. Start saving!

Now that you know approximately what your dream holiday will cost, how can you attain it? What can you give up? How long will it take you to save? You might be surprised to find that dream not nearly as far out of reach as you anticipated!

Some Things Stay the Same!

I was thinking the other day about the city I lived in when I taught in Japan. It struck me that this city of about 70,000 people had two McDonalds but only one kaiten sushi place. Is this a theme? There are certain companies that just aren't content to stay within their own borders! Sometimes that's okay (I can't begin to explain the relief you feel when you see a Pizza Hut in Thailand after six months of Japanese pizza, which primarily involves seaweed, mayonnaise, and corn). Other times, it feels very much like a cultural intrusion.

These are a few of the companies I've noticed almost everywhere I've gone:

1. Costco
2. The Body Shop
3. McDonald's
4. Pizza Hut
5. Starbucks

I'm sure there are far more; I just haven't encountered them -- or can't think of them at the moment.

On the other hand, there are almost always small cultural enhancements made to these places to better suit the culture they're working with. McDonald's is a great example for me just because I have so much experience eating there (I know, I know). A few things I noticed in Japan:

-a shrimp burger
-you have to ask for ketchup, because they won't give it to you if you don't. Hardly anyone in Japan eats ketchup on chips.
-melon soda as an option

I guess it's part of today's cultural mixture: very western ideas adapted to fit another culture.

Off Season Again

Statistically, January and February are not wealthy months. In most of the Northern hemisphere, it's the bleakest, dreariest part of winter. Depression sets in and merchants prepare for a long haul as people recover from holiday spending. With no major holiday in sight between New Year's and Easter, many people find these winter months a depressing time of year.

But guess what? This is the PERFECT time for a weekend mini-holiday. That's because it's the off season, meaning that hotels, airfare, and many other travel aspects are ridiculously inexpensive. This is especially true of tourist destinations, because so much of their revenue depends on tourism. They will go to extreme lengths to make their locations popular even during the off season!

Of course, if you're planning to travel someplace warm and tropical on a long weekend, you'll probably find increased prices. But if you're able to take a couple days off in the middle of the week, or create a long weekend of your own, you can find some very good deals at this time of year. And really, what better way to beat the winter blues than a break from the routine?

Some ideas to consider:

-a romantic weekend getaway
-a trip to someplace in the (far) south
-a brief ski holiday
-a visit to a place you've always meant to see, but never found time to include in your holidays

The important thing is, have fun and enjoy the off season!