Hit me up if you’re ever in Norway.
Another option for food and accommodation is to join the WWOOF program. We’ve hosted WWOOfer’s in the past and while we did expect them to contribute to the daily chore load, we also fed them extremely well and tried to make sure that they had a decent time. If you decide to take this route, be very aware of the tone of the emails you get back.
http://wwoofinternational.org/
I have about 70 credits.
True, it’s not as much student debt as if I were starting college fresh, but the government isn’t going to let me delay my loans for a year just to gallavant around the Earth.
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Another option for food and accommodation is to join the WWOOF program. We’ve hosted WWOOfer’s in the past and while we did expect them to contribute to the daily chore load, we also fed them extremely well and tried to make sure that they had a decent time. If you decide to take this route, be very aware of the tone of the emails you get back.
[/QUOTE]
Great resource! Thank you!
I wouldn’t be so sure of that. There are about seven different federal loan repayment plans, each suitable for different circumstances.
Assuming you are going to a state school as a resident and keep your living expenses low, an additional 30 credits and living expenses would be something along the lines of $30,000. If you manage to work at all, that could be much lower. With the extended repayment plan, you are looking at monthly payments of $199. If you pick up, say, $10,000 worth of work on your travels, with an income contingent plan you’d end up with no payments. You can switch your plans as needed, so you can focus on paying down the debt when you return.
Of course if you do something more organized like Peace Corps (which you can only really do with a degree), you’ll have even more options. Peace Corps will defer your loans, so you won’t pay interest on them during your service, and they offer some help with repayment.
Heck, you may even be able to kill two birds with one stone and study abroad for a year. You’ll get a bit of adventure, and finish school.
Anyway, not advising you to go headlong in to debt without thinking. But student loan debt is a tool, and it’d be foolish not to try to understand it before you write it off. I promise you, you will have much better options with a degree, and if you want an international career, you basically have no options without one. You may get grim stories from your friends (who may honestly be having a tough time, especially if they are fresh out of school), but statistically, they are likely to find their feet. Check out the numbers: http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm
Is he planning on working on jobs as a stripper or something?
Couchsurfing would probably be better than Craiglist for that.
Sounds … ominous. I think Hollywood has produced dozens or hundreds of … um, documentaries, I’m sure … showing the dire outcomes of friends who vanish off to foreign locales.
Probably Thailand. Everyone vanishes in Thailand.
Ah, yes, we have forgotten that Australia is the entire world.
Did the o.p. say that he was going to Australia to get a job? No? Then your point is invalid. No Showcase Showdown for you. Get off the stage and make room for the next contestant.
Stranger
They never returned but have stayed in touch, one owns a furniture company in Honduras, another sells fuel additives to ships in Holland, another owns a large nightclup, casino in Costa Rica. Most seem to be doing pretty well.
UK Temporary Work visa | Workpermit.com
Italy http://www.esteri.it/visti/home_eng.asp
EU in general: Can I Travel to Europe if I Owe Child Support? | Law for Families
I got thrown out of my own company so I took the opportunity to travel around the world for a year and a half. It cost me about $40K a year to travel around in 2001-2002.
I effectively speak only English (2 years of high school Spanish and completely useless Saturday Japanese school because of my Japanese heritage) and had no problems whatsoever communicating in the shitload of countries I’ve been to.
I was 42 at the time and stayed in hostels and went on cheapo safaris with kids. Yeah, it was weird at times, but what can you do? If you’ve got a decent personality, people will hang out with you. Bars are the universal meeting place and you will always find someone to chat with.
I started out in Europe to get my feet wet. It was all first world until I got to eastern Europe which was good practice to wander around where hardly anyone spoke English. Next I went to Asia and once you’ve experienced places like Myanmar and Laos, you’re pretty much prepared to go anywhere.
I always travel solo because it gives you absolute freedom in your itinerary. You will find people to hook up and travel with for a while, but then you just split when the time comes.
It was the greatest experience of my life.