newtravlincorey

Hi. I have ran across a chunk of money to travel with. I plan on using as little money from my base amount as possible once I get to Germany. If anyone could give me advise on:
1. How to go about getting a cheap place and a "get by" job
2. What city in Germany(other suggestions) should I set as my "home base". I enjoy night life as well as scenery and history.
3. Any info on hostiles or organizations for traveling people like myself.

elaine

The only information I have about hostiles is that they made short work of General Custer and his troops.

crefloors

LOL !!!! Plus, who would want to STAY with hostile people and probably youths at that!!!!!

Scarlett

Hi Newbie ~
They are not really <b>hostile</b> but the are often called <b>hostels</b>
Will you be able to work in Germany? Do you not need special work papers being American?
The only hostel I know of is the one my son worked for in the US..Hostelling International..maybe you can start with that..
Good luck and watch out for Hostile people everywhere!!

ira

Hi new,

1. Unless you have a particular skill not available in Germany it will be nearly impossible to get a legal job.

Are you good at washing dishes and cleaning sinks?

2. Berlin

3. Try a search for &quot;hostels&quot; at www.google.com.

Good luck.

Christina

I just heard on the radio yesterday that it was really difficult to get a job in Germany, even for residents. My limited personal experience bears that out in that I have a German friend whose sister has been unemployed at least 6 months (she lives in Hamburg), and another friend who is married to a German woman and he can't get a job at all and has been trying several years. My German friend says he is nuts to think any Germany company is going to hire him as there is no reason since there are plenty of Germans to hire, and he isn't even fluent in German. He's an environmental engineer.

That may not be the same as a job washing dishes, though, I know, these people were looking for more real jobs, but I do know unemployment is high there. I've heard Berlin is a cool place, and Munich. My friend doesn't like Hamburg, thinks the weather is too dreary and wet.

suze

What is your home country and do you speak German? These would be the two things most important to see if you can realistically and legally find a job there.

There are many websites for various hosteling organizations. I also recommend www.lonelyplanet.com and go to The Thorn Tree, which is a bulletin board similar to this one but with a majority of younger and budget travelers posting.

crefloors

I hope I'm not going to get slammed for this...I'm not recommending it but will simply say that if you want to work you are probably going to have to do it under the table like my nephew did. On his first trip around the world he traveled to London with a gal from Australia he met here in the states. They had a room over a pub where they stayed while in London and the both worked in exchange for the room. I think they were paid a small amount over the cost of the rent. I believe that she had a work permit but my nephew was paid under the table. Just telling you what someone else did.

Christina

so, I was just listening to a report on NPR about unemployment in Germany, and they said it was overall 12%, the highest since WWII. In some areas more like 18-30%. They also said it was very high among the lower-wage and unskilled workers, also.

It sounds like a very unfortunate situation.

suze

If you want to work illegally that is an entirely different thing. There's even resources, websites, chat, to get information about going this route. It's an entirely different world and procedure than looking for a legal and legitimate job in a foreign country.

TexasAggie

If you want to stay in Bavaria (Munich, any of the Romantic Road towns, Garmisch, Bamberg, etc.) you should know that the hostels impose an age limit of 26 OR YOUNGER. Most of the hostels in Bavaria that I stayed in a couple years ago were very nice compared to Italian hostels. They cost about 15-22&euro; per night depending on the city. On tourist maps, the hostels are marked with a triangle with the letters JDH.

cmt

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34426139

TexasAggie

interesting cmt, do you think it is the same poster?

cmt

No, not really. Every few months we do get this question, and it's hard to resist taking advantage of the mistake, even if we usually try to be nice.

treplow

Forget about part-time work. In fact, there is a whole set of rules governing part-time work for GERMANS, just to get some off the unemployed role. And Auslaender (foreigners) are not included, even for garbage disposal. There are jusr below 5 million unemployed in Germany.

Now, as to home base location: I probably would start out in Berlin for some time, then Dresden, then Munich. That doesn't mean that you have to stay IN those cities. Each has a good network of commuter trains (S-Bahn) to outlying suburbs. And this network (as well as trains ) also allows you to visit nearby sights.

Since German hostels usually have a limit on how long you can stay, the idea of different bases fits in well.

Check into the various RR passes that are available, both those that cover the entire Germany as well as some regions, such as the Bayern Pass (Bavaria Pass). Some of the passes you may have to purchase before you leave the US

rex

Your questions were originally non-specific enough (though you should have included Germany in your message header) that your &quot;newbie&quot; header was entirely appropriate.

But now that you have more questions, you should include a specific message header - - and re-post your newset question again. And you might not know how to find any question on which you have posted: click on your own name.

Best wishes,

Rex

rex

So, I have been reading on your other post that Germany does not necessarily have to be the focus - - so message header aside, the relevant issue is the content of your question(s).

As usually used here, it doesn't sound to me like &quot;travel&quot; is really what you have in mind, unless you mean the occasional day trip or weekend getaway from the illegal job you're hoping to snag.

I have reached the stage in my life where I guess I am a man &quot;of a certain age&quot; (an inside joke, from another thread here), and it tempts me to want to offer you some (curmudgeonly?) &quot;fatherly&quot; advice...

... of course, for all I know, you could be my same age, decades older or younger. Nothing you've said clues us in to that, does it?

So, a game of twenty questions (actually I don't need 20)...

How old are you? Still getting your &quot;formal&quot; education? Employed? If not, any employable skills or work history? Any &quot;fixed&quot; living expenses that will carry on, even while you are in Europe (house or car payment? apartment lease? or the like?) Can you state, in one sentence, WHY you want to travel to/work in Europe - - as opposed to any other continent, or parts thereof?

There... that's fewer than a dozen...

newtravlincorey

Rex. Thank you for trying to help. It is my first time going to Europe, and I am trying to put a folder together with useful information about every city I plan on seeing. I have just started my research which should take up to a month or more. For the past 2 days I have been doing Germany and an overall &quot;start&quot; to my european research.

I am a 19 year old male.I graduated high school in Clemson, SC. I have just recently finished 1 year at a local community colege. I live in Southern Pines, NC currently and work at an upscale seafood restaurant as a server.

I received a little chunk of money to play with and my father suggested that I backpack/live/work/experience Europe for a period of about 6 months to ?. When I come back I will be working for him. He is retired after 20 years in the Special Forces. I have a lot of his contacts from prior friendships/trainees...ect who currently live in different parts of Europe.

What I will need and would greatly appreciate is:

1.Advise on various issues and questions I will have.
2.An overall open mind is where i'm coming from, so I would appreciate any suggestions or info on backpacking groups, places to stay for cheap, other people looking to travel. I will be alone so company would be appreciated.

So I hope to hear from you guys soon, I'm sure you'll be hearing my questions. Thank you so far for the concern and information.

artstuff

Hey newtravlinguy...

<i>&quot;so I would appreciate any suggestions or info on backpacking groups, places to stay for cheap, other people looking to travel. I will be alone so company would be appreciated.&quot;</i>

Check out the travel forum at the following link -

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/

While everyone here at Fodor's (for the most part) is willing to help with your future travel plans, I really do think you would cull more information from the folks at thorntree. They tend to be a younger crowd, who backpacks and likes to stay on the cheap - more in your line of travel. (For the most part, Fodorites usually require a bathroom en suite, and don't mind paying extra NOT to have to walk down the hallway in the middle of the night.)

But please, don't think that I am trying to chase you away. You should ask your questions on both forums, just to get two different points of view.

You have a very special opportunity to get out into the &quot;big wide world&quot; and explore other countries and cultures - experiences that you will be able to share the rest of your life. Have a fun time planning your journey. Peace.

Robyn &gt;-

rex

This is a huge exception to the advice I usually offer, because I believe almost religiously in the concept of public answers to publicly asked questions here - - but I am tempted to offer you a half hour's advice/Q&amp;A over the phone. I think that Robyn is right on several accounts: 1) 98% of the questions (and questioners) here fall into a &quot;mold&quot; that you do not fit and 2) you are contemplating one or more decisions that can and will shape your life for decades to come - - you have both an opportunity &quot;now&quot; and from my perspective, a chance to create many more opportunities far into the future.

Even without asking you more questions, I'll offer you these observations - - and this reflects, considerably... making your question(s) the subject of breakfast table conversation with our two daughters, ages 20 and 22... and I specifically asked them to think about other friends they know who did anything similar (successful or not).

We agree on these things:

1. To plan something that will last 6 or 12 months or more, don't be in a big hurry to depart. Use a similar period of time to think about and prepare for going away that long.

2. Think about the issue of language. Others will tell you that you can &quot;get by&quot; all over Europe with &quot;nothing but English&quot;. And you can. But why not come back knowledgeable and/or nearly fluent in one language or more? It will add an enormous dimension to your outlook on travel, other people of the world, and even culture, language and the arts in your own Carolina world.

3. In particular, our daughters wonder how much your dad's friends will be your safety net and/or &quot;chauffeurs&quot;. On a positive side, it could result in huge monetary savings and seeing (sides of) &quot;real&quot; Europe you might never otherwise see (and/or maybe help you on the employment issue). On the other hand, your dad gained a certain life experience in ways you won't get if you bounce from one &quot;pseudo-uncle&quot; to another... &quot;showing you around&quot;. Of course, he had the armed forces as an infrastructure. That's very different from the &quot;find your own way&quot; approach he thinks you should follow.

I do have many more questions - - and I'm not saying that this can't all be communicated here... like &quot;working for him&quot; in what capacity? Is he, in essence, starting a new career in his retirement from the armed forces? This could substantially affect the &quot;dynamic&quot; in your family - - it sounds quite different from following in the footsteps of a lifelong &quot;family business&quot;.

Very often, I am quite negative on this idea of a &quot;once-in-a-lifetime&quot; summer-long &quot;see Europe&quot;. I'd rather see someone lay a foundation for becoming a lifelong traveler... setting aside the funds for trips two and three and more... than taking &quot;that one big trip&quot;... and assuming that you can never do it again.

Perhaps, you have the chance to do both.

You can continue this dialogue here, or write to me.