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.

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.

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.

1. Make the most of the money you already have – don’t stick with the same old bank account you’ve had for years. make sure you put your money into a high interest savings account to maximise your interest. Have a look at moneysavingexpert.com for some good advice on the best savings and current accounts to pick.
2. Stop spending money on things you don’t need - If you buy your lunch every day you could easily be throwing away £100 or more a month. If you buy a Starbucks every day that’s another £50 or £60. Little things easily add up. Look at where you could be saving money and cut back – If you can walk to work then do so instead of driving or paying for the bus – you’ll lose weight and get healthier too! Have a hard thing about how much you spend on socialising every month – there’s no need to stop going out altogether but wouldn’t you rather be drinking that beer on a beach in Thailand?
3. Have a clearout and make money at the same time – Ebay can be a godsend but so many people seem to either not understand how it works or can’t be bothered to take the time to use it. Trust me, it can be well worth your time and effort. Take a good hard look at your possessions – what haven’t you used in a year or more? what is worth more to you as money than it is sitting around the house? If you’re planning an extended trip you’ll probably be needing to put your possessions into storage anyway – better to get rid of as much as you can before you leave. And don’t assume that what you have isn’t worth any money – you’ll be suprised at how much some people will pay for things that you consider junk. I find Amazon marketplace easier than Ebay for selling books, DVDs and CDs. The fees are higher but you’re more likely to find a buyer looking for what you’re selling. Ebay is great for clothes, electronics, magazines and other general items. For general junk and stuff that’s not worth listing, try a car boot sale. I’ve made £500 in the first month of clearing out things that I no longer need on Amazon and Ebay and I will continue to do this until I leave on my trip.
4. Advertise your skills - If you’re a writer, illustrator, web designer or programmer, you will be able to sell your skills on a freelance basis to bring in some extra cash. Most of my freelance work has come in by word of mouth so try asking around your friends and colleagues first. You can also try sites like elance and getafreelancer which allow to you bid for work, although the prices have been pushed down by outsourcing companies in countries like India in recent years. I’ve had good success with PeoplePerHour which doesn’t seem to suffer from this problem. Try a google search for websites concerning the type of work you’re interested in – popular sites often have message boards with freelance oportunities posted on them. Finally, if you’re an illustrator, try submitting work to threadless – you can earn a nice chunk of money if your illustration is chosen to put on a t-shirt.
5. Get crafty - if you have artistic skills, whether it be sewing, painting or jewellery making, you can make money from your skills. I recommend Etsy for selling your work – if your pieces are popular, you can make a lot of money doing this. Think carefully about the time you’re spending and how much to sell your work for – unless you’re a very fast knitter it will be difficult to persuade someone to pay you at a decent hourly rate.
6. Get paid to answer questions - AQA and Texperts will pay you to work from home in your spare time as an internet researcher, answering questions that people send in by text. Both these companies are over subscribed and have long waiting lists at the moment but it’s worth taking the Texperts test to see if this kind of work is for you. I’m currently waiting for a position to open up so I’ll let you know how much you can earn as soon as I know more!
7. Cashback sites – they won’t make you rich quick, but every little helps. These sites offer you cash back every time you buy something online by clicking through their site. If you’re planning to buy something it’s worth checking on these sites first as you can often get around 10% cashback. They also offer you money without the need to buy anything – just for clicking on websites, filling out questionnaires and also by changing your gas and electric company etc. My favourite site is Rpoints and I’ve earned about £250 from them to date, but I’ve also heard good things about Quidco and Pigsback.
8. Mystery shopping – I’ve done a little bit of mystery shopping in the past and never really made a lot of money from it but if you’re serious about it and flexible about when you can work, it could make you a nice little chunk of cash for your trip. Check out the moneysavingexpert forums for reccommendations on the best companies to work for and what to expect.
9. Get paid to review music – Again, it’s never going to make you rich but you can pull in a few extra pounds a week (or more if you can stand it!) by reviewing music by unsigned bands at slicethepie. 5 star reviews earn 12p per track, although I think it’s pretty impossible to get to that level! Anway if you like listening to new music and spend a lot of time on your computer anyway, it’s an easy thing to do while you’re working on something else.
10. Make money from your websites – this is something that I’m still working on so I don’t know too much about it but there is money to be made for those who are willing to put in the time and effort. The main premise behind the idea is to drive traffic to your site and then make money from advertising and affiliate sales. This is a huge topic that I’ve not quite got my head around yet but there’s plenty of information easily available on the web for those wanting to know more.