Travels with my laptop

Traveling to Europe offers the best of both worlds. It is exotic for Americans, since ours is such a young country. and at the same time, it provides the security and safety of being in Western Europe.

Where you decide to visit is really up to you. Instead of returning to your old familiar haunts, try reading some travel books beforehand, and visiting some different places.

If you have never been to Ireland, try starting in Dublin and then driving around the isle and departing from Shannon airport.Staying at Bed and Breakfast inns along the way is enjoyable, and provides a glimpse of the culture.

If you are searching for furniture, England has wonderful antiques.

In Germany why not bypass Munich and go to Regensburg instead. Equally as Bavarian, this town is relaxed and pleasant without so many tourists.

When visiting Switzerland, check out Interlaken. Located between two lakes, it is a spa town with some of the best fondue you will ever eat.

Wherever you decide to go, you will be switching United States dollars into the currency of the area. This can be problematic for a couple of reasons. The first is that you can get all befuddled not knowing what the money is worth and how much you might really be spending on an item. The other is that just the act of exchanging money can cost you.

Here are some times for exchanging currency:

- Don’t exchange lots of money before you leave home. This can be some of the most expensive money you get.

- Following the same logic, the rate of exchange at your arrival airport may not be your best either.

- Before leaving home, see if your bank has a partner bank abroad. This could serve to save you fees.

- Watch out for transaction charges if you are using your credit card.

Another piece of advice to pull all of this together, is to spend your money as wisely overseas as you would at home. Just because it’s a different color, and just because you’re on vacation, and just because your mind wants to think it’s play money, is no reason to go crazy wild on a spending spree.

Be smart about your money whereever you are.

With books like Four Hour Work Week on the bestseller list, it is becoming clear for more and more people that traveling the world is not as expensive as was previously thought.  However, until establishing your own stream of income, it is still not always as easy as just picking up and moving to another country.  Fortunately there are still many different ways to live abroad by participating in volunteer work or taking a job.

One great option for most people is to try volunteering on an organic farm.  This is referred to as wwoofing (worldwide opportunities on organic farms) and in most cases you can receive free housing and sometimes even meals by volunteering on a farm.  Even though manual labor might not be your ideal job, it offers a quick way to live in another country with little to no expenses.  In addition, participating in something like organic farming will probably offer completely new experiences, with new people, in a peaceful setting.

Another option is to teach abroad.  There are programs all over the world that offer teaching positions for a year with the only requirement being a college degree (in any major).  Not only does this offer a steady stream of income in another country, the pay and benefits can be relatively good and the company will probably even sponsor your visa for a year and help you get settled in a new apartment.  For many people this is the quickest and best option for moving to another country with a steady stream of income.  For information about teaching in Japan in particular and some other information about Japan, this website has some interesting articles.

A last option is to participate in a volunteer abroad program.  Although many of these programs can’t offer any compensation, it can be an amazing experience to live in another country while volunteering your time.  It’s also a great excuse to leave your current situation and go to another country – you know your time will be benefiting someone else.  Whichever way you choose to make it to the foreign country of your choice, make sure to educate yourself on the options so you can eliminate any excuses; there is definitely a way to live abroad.

People often ask me where I get the money to travel as much as I do. My job isn’t particularly well paid but I manage to have at least 3 trips a year, usually on long haul flights and quite often to expenisve places (think Iceland… hmm). The truth is that there is no big secret – I just choose to spend my money on travel. I don’t go out much, I hardly ever buy new clothes and I generally spend as little as possible as I’m usually saving up for my next trip. I also maximise the funds I have by booking the cheapest flights I can find and staying in cheap accommodation.

As I’m currently pulling out all the stops in my attempt to save up for an extended round-the-world trip, I thought I would write a little guide to saving money for travel (of course this advice could be used if you’re saving for anything). Most of these tips can also be used while you’re on the road and a bit of extra cash when you’re without a regular salary is never a bad thing.
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