Long-term "adventure" travel + working.
Replies: 6 - Last Post: Feb 22, 2012 7:27 AM Last Post By: ETracy
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Long-term "adventure" travel + working.
Hey Thorntree-ers.I have just come back from the most brilliant two weeks in Fernie, BC hanging out with some of the people working the season there. It has given me a bit of direction for what I want to do when I travel in the future - probably starting in about 18 months time.
I was wondering if the forum could help me out with some travel ideas that fit the bill of what I'm looking to experience - perhaps trips that you have done in the past that meet the criteria.
Here are the details:
1) I'm 25, female, Australian. Will be travelling solo - probably.
2) I have an Irish passport which means I can work relatively easily in any EU country, I think.
3) I pretty much can only speak English, but am totally willing to learn another language if it is kind of a 'key' language to help me in my travels (I've started on French and Spanish).
4) Countries/continents I am most interested in experiencing: Europe, Canada, South America.
5) Other countries I am interested in exploring: Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal
6) Here is where it gets more complicated.
I'm not particularly interested in just going to another city and working, and I'm not terribly interested in doing a tour to all the major cities and walking around looking at the tourist sites....
I like - in fact, NEED - to have an outdoorsy type 'activity' that is actually the focus of the trip.
-For example, I'd like to work the winter season in an alpine resort in Canada or Europe so that I can snowboard during the day.
-Another idea is to teach English in Spain, near the Pyrenees or something, so there is easy access to hikes and climbing.
-Another idea could be to spend a couple of months in Indonesia learning to surf, which would be great fun but I'm not sure about work possibilities there.
-Another idea is to do a motorbike tour around Europe travelling between HelpExchange host families helping them out around the home in exchange for accommodation/food.
7) Basically I'd like to get a list of key destinations where I can spend 2-5 months at a time, get a job to cover costs, and have a lot of the spare time taken up by being in the outdoors experiencing new places and meeting new people.
I've been brainstorming but thought that I would turn to Thorntree to see if anyone out there has had some really incredible experiences that kind of fit a similar bill, or any other ideas that they've been wanting to do themselves.
I'd love to hear your stories!
Kind regards,
Nicola
1
3) I would probably discourage you from trying to learn both French and Spanish at the same time, many people who try it just get confused as the 2 languages are very similar but at the same time different enough. Consider doing a Spanish course for a month or so in Guatemala or somewhere else in Latin AMerica.4) Plenty to keep you busy - probably start somewhere without planning too much and see where the wind blows.
6) If you can save some money, just in case you end up not finding a job that quickly. FOr something like working a ski season in the Alps try and sort it out before going. Obviously it'll be easier in Europe with an Irish Passport. For S. America contact the good people at South American Explorer's Club, they can probably give you some good ideas/tips.
3
Luckily we get little surprises in Spanish. Latin is scattered throughout it.Hwv is necissary for working in other countries than your own. Except if you have and use that Irish passport.
Working overseas is a great rewarding bonus for your life. People you work with are your teachers about other ways of seeing things. I'll always be greatful for my 2.4 years, doing it around oz.
Travelling solo is the only way to do that.
4
With an Irish passport you'd have no problem getting a ski resort job in the EU. You need to start looking about August/September if you want to get a job for the start of the season. It's a great way to spend the winter. There are lots of internet resources for ski jobs - Google for information on the countries you're interested in.Some ski holiday companies also run summer holidays that feature activities like watersports, so if you make a good impression you may be able to get a summer job with the same company.
Surfing in Indonesia sounds great but I wouldn't bother trying to get a job there. It's a very cheap country to live in, so your best bet would be to save some money before you go, and concentratre on the surfing whilst there. Same applies to Vietnam, Cambodia and Nepal, and Thailand to some extent.
If you have to pick one language to learn, Spanish is a useful option and it's not too difficult.
6
You might consider investing in a few weeks of Spanish instruction at ECELA Santiago, then heading up to some of the Andes ski resorts to find a job. After the ski season you could trek in Patagonia, which would be amazing, if not profitable :)http://www.ecela.com/loc_sgo.php
