The Travel / Living Abroad Thread
 

I didn't see a thread of this sort upon searching, and it's something I like to talk about, so here it is. Discuss any plans, experiences or advice you have on travel and/or living abroad.

To start with, I'm thinking of jumping ship from the U.S. around June, and the destination that's currently at the top of my list is Melbourne, Australia. My first choice would actually be somewhere in Europe, but it seems that most of Europe has really strict work permit policies and that it would be hard for an outsider with no connections to find a (legal) job there. Australia, on the other hand, has massive immigration, a fantastic unemployment rate, widely spoken English, and a pretty nice climate to boot.

The main catch I've seen so far is that Australia's immigration site says I have to take a skill assessment before I can apply for a work visa, and the fee for the assessment is $400.00 AUD. That's just friggin' nuts, especially if there's a chance that my visa app won't even be accepted, and I really have to wonder if that's what the majority of Australia's 100K+/year of immigrants go through in order to get into the country. Anyone over there have any knowledge/experience with that? Sounds like your government is making a killing off of immigrants. :laughing:

Why don't you visit a few places first before you actually live there? If you like to travel, you should check out CouchSurfing - Participate in Creating a Better World, One Couch At A Time. Pure genius.

Well "visiting a few places" can get pretty expensive, and there really aren't a whole lot of places I'm interested in going that also seem realistically feasible (I'm ruling out the U.S. for one since I want to get a more unique experience out of this effort, and I also hate the government here), so Australia seems like a safe bet. If it's not all I hoped it would be, I can always move back. I may have to be there for a few months just to even find a job in the first place, so I'll probably have a chance to 'evaluate' it before making a final decision.

Oh, and I've seen CouchSurfing. It's a pretty awesome site indeed, and I might find it handy on my trip.

There are many countries in Europe in which English is the main language, fantastic over the roof unemployment rates and very nice climates indeed...the Mediterranean as always.

Italy, Spain, France(dunno if you'll stand the language) have many different ways of getting there with a job like from universities and the like.

I'd be interested in any of those countries, but I don't know any French or Italian. I have intermediate Spanish knowledge, but seeing as how Spain's unemployment rate is 19%... I can't see it being a very promising place to look for work. France and Italy certainly do not have "fantastic" unemployment rates either - 10.1% and 8.6% respectively.

Again, it seems like the way a lot of work permit policies are set up in Europe, an employer is expected to exhaust his options for EU-based job candidates before considering non-EU people. Not sure how it is in those three countries specifically, though.

I could always join the French Foreign Legion of course, but... no. :laughing:

I was actually on tenterhooks about living in New South Wales this summer (winter now that I think on it) for a program in my major, but it's just too damn costly to move there without some sort of financial support for any amount of time.

Last I checked plane tickets were between 1200-1700 USD, utterly absurd to pay that much unless you have a real reason to stay within the country.

Yeah, between immigration fees and airfare I would be out quite a lot of money in attempting to move there... especially if I were going to make the occasional trip back home to see family. That makes it a pretty tough call.

Bump.

I'm planning a solo trip for my birthday this coming February. Any MB residents from/familiar with Indianapolis willing to help me out?

I would recommend not visiting Indianapolis and choosing another city.

Funny, but it has to be Indianapolis. It's a Kurt Vonnegut inspired pilgrimage of sorts.

Going to the memorial library?

Indeed.

Go to a Colts game them.

Any US residents do a lot of hitchhiking before? How long do you think it'd take to get straight across the country (Nevada to Virginia, straight line) that way? I'd imagine pretty long, because you'd be stopping a lot...

I haven't but I know people who have.

I cannot stress this enough. If you're gonna do it, BE CAREFUL. As a guy you have a lot less to worry about but hitchhiking, for that far, can be very dangerous. I don't condone violence unless it's absolutely necessary but I'd at least consider picking up a pocket knife or something. Not trying to scare you, it's just... **** gets real and people are crazy. ALL THAT SAID. The people I know who have done it say it was a powerful experience, just that it's very important to keep yourself safe. If you've got friends, stick by each other. You strike me as savvy enough to keep your wits about you and be aware of your surroundings/the people you come across. Stuff gets sketch? Bail. Just bail dude.

And hey, if ya can make it somewhere around Cali and wanna hang I've got a place you can crash at.

Maybe I'll just go there... because SF is cool, and it wouldn't be that hardcore of a stretch.
At this point, the longest I've gone has been Reno, NV to Salt Lake City, and that took a few days

You probably know this Mondo, but it's also illegal to hitchhike in some states, so if a policeman sees you he might give you a very unwanted lift. Just check the laws out beforehand and definitely pretend NOT to be hitchhiking if a cop does stop ya.

I've been thinking of heading up to Portland for a couple days, just to see what it's all about for myself. Anyone have any suggestions on places to go/things to do? I'm looking for good places to eat/grab coffee/grab beer. Also if anyone near there wants to hang, lemme know!

Voodoos doughnuts and pick up some for Smee because those ****sticks don't ship

Oh they'll ship but I don't think you'll like the freshness level of the doughnuts (or the shipping cost) <3

Yeah, I mean who's ever heard of a donut shop, or any kind of restaurant for that matter, that doesn't mail its food? Sounds sketch.