Planning on travelling eventually&looking for ideas&

[Rawj]

Alright so here is the plan.

 

I planned on traveling after I graduated from college,but realized that would mean I would end up paying loan payments while traveling (since they start 6 months after graduation). So I contacted the bank and they said it is 6 months after graduation,dropping below halftime for 6 months, OR 7 years after the loan was taken out (as long as I stay above halftime). This means I have 6 more years until I have to start paying the loans back and I only need 3-4 more years to graduate ( In like 1 year I will have my Associates and in 3-4 years I will have my Bachelors). So I only need 3-4 years,but I have about 6. So I am going to spend 1-2 more years in Oregon while attending school full time and then I am going to move to Ohio( I will take 6 credits online ) with my brother for a year so that I can save up (he won't make me pay much of anything) Then for a year or so after that I will travel around for a year or a little more (I will continue taking 6 credits online). I Will then return to Oregon and finish up my Bachelors. IF I am able to find a job that pays me enough to offset the rent+utilities I won't be paying in Ohio then I would stay and save up in Oregon instead.

 

Anyways the real point of this topic is to get ideas,suggestions, and stories. I am mainly looking at traveling outside the USA,but ideas,suggestions, and stories involving the USA are cool also! So I was wondering where have you traveled? Did you like it? Where did you stay? How did you get around? How much did it cost? Anything else you think is important or think I should know?

 

 

The actual traveling wont take place for like 2-3 years,but I want to start early so I will be able to make some plans and get passports and things.

 

Thanks!!!

[michaelhobson]

My first suggestion is, don't discount the USA. It's a beautiful country with some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in the world, and a lot of really cool people if you know where to find them. Just using this forum, you could stay in most parts of the country for free. If you are driving, you can also just camp in your car for free in most places. We slept on a lot of beaches this summer, and Wal-mart parking lots in most places allow and even encourage overnight parking. Hotel breakfast buffets are a good place to snag a free breakfast in the morning, they usually have fresh fruit, bagels and cereal and they have no way of knowing if you are a paying guest or not.

 

If you want to travel in Europe, backpacking is still popular. I stayed in England for 10 days a couple of years ago and stayed with folks I met on veganfitness.net. I know enough people in Europe now that I could see most of the continent and never pay for a place to stay. The main expense is getting there and that I just can't afford.

 

I've had friends that spent months in India, again the main expense is getting there. Food and places to stay are just pennies a day once you're there.

 

My best advice is meet people wherever you go, most are kind and generous when given the chance.

[Guest]

I agree...the US is strongly underrated by Americans in terms of things to see. Its a gorgeous place. But if you feel like you need to go somewhere and spend money I strongly suggest SE Asia. The Philippines is amazing and very cheap, Thailand would be nice and so is South Korea(they also have 2 Stickyfingers bakeries)

[loveliberate]

Rawj,

 

Great idea for a discussion topic - travel is one of my favorite things to talk about! I love to travel & do so as often & as widely as I can. I strongly encourage that others do the same. I think about travel pretty much constantly & do a LOT of travel related reading/researching. I've traveled extensively in much of the US + a lil' bit in British Columbia, Canada & parts of NW Mexico - primarily Sonora. I've primarily traveled with little to no money, living out of a vehicle or my pack - dont let $ limitations hold ya back too much, esp. in the US or Canada.

 

 

Some general advice:

- Very few people truly explore or appreciate their own regions - dont make the same mistake! Here in Cascadia, we live in an amazingly awesome region with some of the best nature & most vegan-friendly places you'll find anywhere on the planet.

- Take things slowly: Enjoy the journey as much as the destinations, experience places for extended periods of time, live like a local - preferably by living with locals.

- For travel info, Wikipedia & Lonely Planet guides are great. To meet folks, I suggest giving these a try: http://www.couchsurfing.com - http://www.hospitalityclub.org

 

Beyond that, tell me more about your interests & I'll share some more suggestions.

[crashnburn]

Do it..

[Rawj]

Rawj,

 

Great idea for a discussion topic - travel is one of my favorite things to talk about! I love to travel & do so as often & as widely as I can. I strongly encourage that others do the same. I think about travel pretty much constantly & do a LOT of travel related reading/researching. I've traveled extensively in much of the US + a lil' bit in British Columbia, Canada & parts of NW Mexico - primarily Sonora. I've primarily traveled with little to no money, living out of a vehicle or my pack - dont let $ limitations hold ya back too much, esp. in the US or Canada.

 

 

Some general advice:

- Very few people truly explore or appreciate their own regions - dont make the same mistake! Here in Cascadia, we live in an amazingly awesome region with some of the best nature & most vegan-friendly places you'll find anywhere on the planet.

- Take things slowly: Enjoy the journey as much as the destinations, experience places for extended periods of time, live like a local - preferably by living with locals.

- For travel info, Wikipedia & Lonely Planet guides are great. To meet folks, I suggest giving these a try: http://www.couchsurfing.com - http://www.hospitalityclub.org

 

Beyond that, tell me more about your interests & I'll share some more suggestions.

 

I have been told about CouchSurfing before,but never HClub so thanks. I am a member of another Vegan forum that has tons of members all across the world and always has meet-ups everywhere and everyone is about meeting each other (I met a bunch of them at Ar2007 and I am meeting a bunch more in Vegas in November). And if anyone here is willing to put people up for at least short periods of time that would be good So all of these are possibilities for places to stay and I don't have a problem staying at hostels. I have done it before.

 

I am pretty much game for anything. Old things,new things, museums, architecture, wilderness, animals,ruins, countrysides, cities, food, exploring, hiking, biking,etc. I am really willing to do anything and go anywhere. One of the reasons I want to travel is because I want to see/do things that I wouldn't normally see/do. I also want to see how other people/cultures live. I would like to get stories and suggestions from people so I can decide which places I will go since there are so many places I would like to visit and I know I won't be able to visit them all during the year or so that I will be traveling.

[xbillyx]

New Zealand! I've been and it's beautiful. I actually lived in Australia for six months and spent one week of that time in New Zealand. I wish I had switched those around. Australia is nice and has some great stuff (Great Barrier Reef and beaches) but it's too much like the U.S. I recommend New Zealand. I rented a campervan and drove from Auckland to Wellington. Auckland is veg-friendly.

[loveliberate]

Billy,

I'd love to hear about yr New Zealand travels! When were ya there? Got any photos of yr NZ travel that ya can share? NZ is one of my top choices of places to travel - #1 if I didnt have to worry about $, time, etc. It strikes me as being very similar to Cascadia in most ways - did ya get this impression?

[lotus]

I love Mexico. I have not been to Guadalajara or Guanajuato but I have heard great things about both... I like to avoid the tourist areas and meet people who live in the areas I am visiting and just do they types of things they do. I have not bee to Mexico for Day of the Dead but I wish to.

Ride the buses, the trains etc. There is so much to see.

I agree with what folks are saying about the U.S. as well but I also like to go to see other cultures.

Although, there are many cultures with in the U.S. New Orleans Bayou, Appalacians, Native Americans (may tribes), SW U.S. etc.

I too, love to travel

Have a great time in whatever you decide!

[Rawj]

Since my trip will be a year or possibly a little longer I will obviously be visiting many areas and many countries. My question is should I plan it out completely and have set dates (especially for things such as bus/train/plane tickets) or should I go more with the flow of things and go/come as I feel fit. I would think buying tickets and stuff ahead of time would be cheaper right (well possibly),but it would also put on some strain and make me feel like I have deadlines and stuff. Suggestions? Personal preferences?

 

 

My first suggestion is, don't discount the USA. It's a beautiful country with some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in the world, and a lot of really cool people if you know where to find them.

 

Oh, I haven't. Since I live in the USA I will be able to travel to different areas of the USA at different times with much more ease I think ,but with other countries (especially overseas) I think it would be easier to travel to as many as possible each trip. So I think it would be best for this future trip to focus on other countries.

 

Beyond that, tell me more about your interests & I'll share some more suggestions.

 

I did ;P

[brother shamus]

i would watch as many lonely planet/globetrekker episodes as i could and just try to find places that interest you.

i'm sure your local library has them.

 

when i'm trying to decide where to go, i tend to look up pics on sites such as http://www.pbase.com and read the thorntree on http://www.lonelyplanet.com...as well as random travelogues.

 

you can make some general plans, but don't plan everything out to a T because you won't be able to stick to it.

if you have a year, i wouldn't sweat getting things such as bus/train tickets in advance.

you'll talk to fellow travelers on the road and find out if you need to buy tickets a few days in advance for particular areas/routes/times of year.

but in the interest of saving money, you might want to get a RTW ticket.

 

how much money do you plan on budgeting for your trip?

if i was going away for a year, i would just stay away from western/central europe considering how weak the dollar is.