Sassafrass

Another idea for you. I have no clue as to their rules for employment, but some of the larger cruise ships have spas. Your work as a massage therapist might be a great fit.

The hours are long, the pay isn't great, etc. but your room and board is paid and you can be saving a lot of money while you are on the ship. Plus you are traveling.

I don't know all the companies that have spas on their ships, but check out Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, etc.

You might also be allowed to work in Puerto Rico. Check the rules there and the resorts that have spas. Just throwing it out for you to look at.

janisj

Sassafrass beat me to it. I've only been on one cruise - w/ my cousin who had back problems and she spent a lot of time in the spa w/ a couple of very good therapists.

If you concentrate on the ships/lines that do Mediteranean/northern European itineraries you can travel around and see places during the ports of call instead of sticking to a single resort area.

thursdaysd

"I guess my head was just stuck in the "hippie days" "

Ah yes, the good old days. I spent a summer traveling through Spain and Portugal with my then boyfriend in 1970. Hitchhiking and sometimes sleeping rough. It's not safe to hitchhike any more and sleeping rough has nothing to recommend it, believe me!

Suggest you spend some time here:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...spa?forumID=53
(Travel on a shoestring)

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...spa?forumID=58
(Gap year and RTW)

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...spa?forumID=58
(The long haul - living and working abroad)

There's always the Peace Corps, but that's two years, probably somewhere uncomfortable. I like the Aussie option, I would have suggested it earlier but I hadn't realized it was open to US citizens, I thought it was only for the Commonwealth. The big cruise ships aren't traveling, in any sense I recognize.

Nikatkins23

I found this website that helps you get a work visa for a few countries such as Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. I'm going to keep stalking the internet for other options as well. Thank you for the links and extra info. I'll make sure to look into those as well!

Sassafrass

While on a cruise ship, it is true, you will only be getting a little taste of places to visit when you are in ports, but you can be working in your field. You will have no expenses, you can work a few weeks or months contract, save lots of money and then have your adventure travel. You will also be with lots of other young people working on the ships and meeting people from all around the world. Ship's crews are often very international, so you would have an interesting cultural experience just working with so many different people.

StCirq

I think the cruise ship idea is brilliant!

And you're a good sport, Nik! Smart of you to rethink this until you can make it work legally.

Gordon_R

>>I found this website that helps you get a work visa for a few countries such as Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia.<<

Just be careful out there - I've read reports of bogus websites offering this sort of "help" in return for up-front payments.

thursdaysd

It does sound dubious. Make sure you don't have to make false statements.

thursdaysd

Do you mean like this site:

http://www.visafirst.com/en/irish_wo..._visa_info.asp

That's similar to the Australian scheme. Or do you mean a proper work visa? Care to post the links?

bigtyke

Check out www.crazyguyonabike.com It is full of journals of people traveling (of course by bike) all over the world. Many in Europe camp out, some 'wild camping' - that is by the side of the road/trail rather than in a campground. In addition to the info in their journals, I would guess that most would give you additional info if you email them.

StCirq

Well, be really careful about "wild camping." We have folks who try this in my commune in France, and not only do the locals show up (often with big hunting rifles) to evacuate them, but the local police often make raids on them and chase them out (and I'm happy that they do - do I want folks messing up the countryside and partying in the fields below my house? NO, thank you!) People OWN and paid for that property!

Not exactly helpful info, bigtyke.

PalenQ

Camping sauvage as my French friends who have done it often call it - camping wild - no you do not do it in some wealthy village dominated by rich foreigners or in any village proper but camping sauvage is yes for folks hiking or walking or biking and they may just go into some woods or a farmer's field - never hurting any crops or whatever - just some rural area out of sight of folks

So yes be careful but camping wild has a long tradition in France and not just with clochards - but yes respect the land - most wild campers are not the wild party animals St Cirq makes them out nor do I and others mess up any land but are careful to take our trash out, etc. and yes to respect the land not mess it up - there may be a few that do that but to paint all wild campers with the same brush is not being fair.

StCirq

<<no you do not do it in some wealthy village dominated by rich foreigners>>

If by chance you are referring to St-Cirq, you couldn't be farther off the mark, Pal. I am to my knowledge one of two "foreigners" (neither of us wealthy) in a commune of 311 inhabitants. The vast majority of my neighbors are French pensioners in their 80s or older. The rest are French farmers. And none of them has any patience with campers who help themselves to their land, whether they take their trash with them or not. I don't care what kind of "tradition" it is, or with whom, it's illegal occupancy of others' property.

StCirq

ttt

PalenQ

it's illegal occupancy of others' property> are you sure it is illegal?

Romani in France have rights to camp in vacant lots, etc - at least in Orleans they do - having camped in an abandoned plant's parking lot for several years - the local paper said they had a right to.

sorry about mis-characterizing your village - thought you were in the Dordogne which does have villages like I described.

thursdaysd

Guardian article on wild camping in Europe:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/201...-uk-legalities

"Wild camping in France is a legal grey area, but is generally tolerated with <b>the permission of landowners</b>, or if you're well away from tourist sites. You are also advised not to stay beyond 9am the next day. And whatever you do, don't light a fire." Emphasis mine.

StCirq

They (and it's not just Rom peoples - there are several categories) are only allowed to set up camp in official government-sanctioned aires d'acceuil des gens du voyages, and no town with a population under 5,000 has any obligation to set one up. And Hollande is busy continuing Sarkozy's efforts to dismantle camps and deport the cam dwellers, though he's being less harsh than Sarkozy was in that he has promised notto displace anyone until alternative lodging can be found.

Anyway, this wasn't a discussion about gens du voyage.

PalenQ

Not exactly helpful info, bigtyke.>

well this all is to paint the true picture of camping wild in France rather than the one you gave, where you upbraid someone who said it was possible and it turns out that it is very possible so rather than saying 'not exactly helpful' you should have said 'very helpful' if you had understood the extent to which many French do it - no not everywhere but many places - like the article says:

Wild Camping in France

Wild camping in France is a legal grey area, but is generally tolerated with the permission of landowners, or if you're well away from tourist sites. You are also advised not to stay beyond 9am the next day. And whatever you do, don't light a fire. They hate that. The Ardennes in the north-east and the Morvan peaks in Burgundy are popular with rambling Parisians. In the south, forums report laissez-faire attitudes to wild camping around Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer in the Camargue.>

so this is all to clear up some misconception that you had about camping wild that led you to castigate someone for even mentioning it.

good info bigtyke!