6 months volunteer /travel/work america

I'm putting together trip to travel:

Galapagos islands for conservation/community involvement volunteer 2 months July.
Travel to Cuba 10 days.
Fly to California, do a road trip including the National Parks, San Fran and a few moderate hikes.

Finally move to Canada to work in my own profession for 6 months-1 year, science background.
??visas, ability to get work etc and good hikes . My plan is flexible to add new places to the list.
budget is prob €8000. Again this can be changed
Any advice appreciated, I'm over 35 years old and new to this.

Thanks in advance..

Nepal - Thailand - and then?

First I was in Nepal for about 6 weeks, roughly 3 of these weeks I was sick unfortunately from a cough to travelers diaherrea... Non the less it was fun despite not getting to complete all the trekking trails that I set out to do.

Now I've been in Thailand since the 12th of April, actually regretting not getting a 60 day visa!!! Been in Koh Tao for about two weeks, originally planned to dive but after snorkeling I figured it would be better to spend my money elsewhere... Specifically toward my climbing fees when I arrive in Krabi.

Anyways, I wonder - where to go after Thailand???

I looked into Malaysia since that seemed like an obvious go-to after here but it looks a little dull in comparison to Thailand, and simply the fact that a guide is a total must to climb the highest mountain (which appears to be a simple day hike split into two days) makes me almost want to not go the... more »

Flying South America to Africa (Morocco)

Hi

I wanted to get your opinions on the cheapest way to get from South America to Morocco. Both these continents seem to be some of the most expensive places in the world to fly to so I'm trying to see how low I can go.

Basically my RTW trip goes: Canada to Central America, to South America, to Africa (probably only Morocco), to India & South East Asia

Some of the questions I have are:

• Are certain airports in South America (eg. buenos aires, or rio de janeiro) cheaper to fly out from than others?
• Should I fly into one of the major european cities first, rather than direct to morocco?
• Apparently you can sometimes score fairly cheap flights from major airports in the US like JFK - if so, would it be worth flying from wherever I am in South America to the United States THEN to morocco?

Countries to Avoid in a RTW Trip?

I'd like toget some opinions on what countries you think I should avoid when planning a RTW trip. Am I right to assume that, as an American, I should avoid anything that ends in "stan?"

What countries are the most dangerous? Are there countries that I can assume I'll probably get robbed because I stick out as a tourist?

Also, which should I avoid because theyre not worth going to?

Thanks!

RTW travel & visas

Hi, not sure if this is the right place to post this or whether it should be in a different branch so if so, please do let me know.

I'm taking a year out and heading round the world (well, some of it) for around 12 months at the end of next month. I fly on 31st May to Zambia, India, China, SE Asia, Australia, NZ, San Francisco. I've got a couple of queries about getting my Chinese and Vietnamese visa's as I'm not sure what the best plan of action is. (I've already got my Indian visa)

I land in China on 4th August so I'm not sure when to apply for this visa. On the Chinese Visa Service website they say not to apply more than 3 months in advance - ideally you should apply a month before you go, but in July I will already be away (India). I had hoped to apply by post before I go and then I know it's all done and dusted but am I correct in that if I apply now (e.g. in the next week)... more »

Season shift

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to get some advice on my round the world plan.basically I want to run my itinerary by you guys and see if anyone thins its a ridiculous idea. I am a Portuguese/Australian citizen living in Sydney and plan to start my trip by spending xmas 2013 back in Portugal.

Dec/Jan - Portugal
Feb to April - England, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Moscow
May - transiberian railway to shanghai stopping in Mongolia for a week
june - ferry into japan for 3 weeks then cross to new York
july/august - new York to LA
September to December do Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago.

the dates aren't locked in, I may stay more time in Europe as I'm expecting to stay with friends for long stretches. My main concerns are the time of year I do the transiberian and, of course, my budget.

also, I'd like to know if anyone can tell me if its easier ... more »

Your choice

I haven't been around on Thorn Tree for a while but I notice the 'your choice' branch has gone! Anyone know why?

Turkey - Thailand

Hello

i m negociating at the moment with my work to have a 6 month sabbatical .

i m bored to stay on the same road as tourist and want to see the inside of few non touristic countries (Iran - Pakistan for example ) . just want to take my camera and see what s happening . not sure if it s possible in some countries.
my plan is to ,instead of chilling 6 month on a south east asian beach (one of my option but already done it ), try to do a road trip.
so the goal will be to start from Istanbul then go to with local transport to
-Iran
-Pakistan
-india
-Burma
-Thailand

first question is :
what do you think about the trip ? is it doable ?
Passport wise will i be in trouble crossing iran - pakistan - then India ?

i m looking to do a kind of silk road trip , starting from one country and arriving in south east asia if possible.
i thought about Moscow then go do... more »