I suggest you finish your grad & then think of embarking on an amitious plan like yours.Primarily getting employment in an alien country is virtually next to impossible.You'll have to register with the immigration authorities.You'll have to mention your area of specialization (academic & work ).Depending on the availability, in your area of expertise,quantum of work visas allocated etc.,you will be notified.That means it would take a long time.Most of the European contries are infact cutting back on employing foreign manpower.
The latest case-Qualified Doctors of Indian origin(who have been working in UK for the last few yrs) have lost the case in the British courts,have been asked to leave.
A better way to experience other countries are thru student exchange programs.Rotary International and other voluntary organizations do send students abroad.Ask your local student counsellor for advice.
Trust me.Europe can be hell if you don't have the money.

It is possible - although illegal - to do what you want - if you're adventurous enough, willing to work at almost anything, go hungry at times and are not particular about what you eat or where you stay.

Also - in most counries it will be extremely difficult to get andy job - even illegal ones - without a smattering of the language - so I hope you're good at picking them up.

You first challenge is a one-way ticket. If you land with one and are young with backpack most immiration officials will require to know 1)exactly where you'll be staying, 2)how much money you have to supoort yourself (credit card, bank account info as well as cash), and 3) when and how you will leave their country (ie a rail pass or other proof of intended exit). This is because one of their main goals is to keep people from doing what you want out of their country (and becoming a charge on their scoail service and medical system).

If your answers are unsatisfactory you will likely be returned to the the US on the next plane at your own cost.

Considering how naive you seem to be about this I would think Immigration will spot you in about 30 seconds.

If you really intend to try this:

1)read as much about it as you can and make realistic plans (ie having several thousand in the bank to fall back on if you need it)

2)make sure there is someone at home to send you money when you run out so you don;t starve

Oh - and keep in mind that in europe almost everything costs more than in the US (unless you're living in NYC).

My niece lived and worked in London through BUNAC about five years ago. They get the work permit and visa for you. They have an office and will do an orientation, but finding the job and living arrangements are up to you.

She was with a friend and through postings at BUNAC, they hooked up with a couple of guys from the US and the four of them managed to find a two bedroom flat they could afford. As it turns out, the boys didn't have to work and were off traveling most of the time, paid the rent to have a "base", but the girls had the place to themselves most of the time. Finding an affordable place was not easy.

My nephew went twice around the world. The first time he traveled with a girl from Australia, who was visiting in the US. SHE was able to get the work permit etc. for living in the UK. They ended up living up over a pub and they let my nephew work there under the table. I'm not advocating this, by the way, just stating the facts. He had a sort of "in" because of his travel mate. If he had been on his own, I don't think it would have been possible. I don't really know all the particulars for the rest of their trip. I do know they were in Ireland for quite some time and then from there were in Greece, and then he was in Australia for awhile...I'm thinking he was in each place until his visa ran out.

My neice had to get the "hell out of Dodge" when her visa ran out in London. She went to Greece for a couple of weeks and then had to come home.

1. If you have foreign exchange students in your school, start making friends.
2. Go to a college that focuses on international studies.
I made a friend from Brazil and got connections to teach English (under the table) in Brazil for a summer. I came home for 1 week (to fix a broken nose!) and found out my friend in the Netherland's had found a 5 months internship for me at a resort where her sister worked. I happened to go to a college that was trying to become more international so they paid for my trip and gave me some money to live on plus 18 credit hours at a 4.0 for writing a paper about it when I returned. After college I started working for an American retailer and in about 18 months was able to work for them in Europe for 6 months with tons of time off for traveling. When I came home I was planning on continuing my international work until I met my wife and put some of my own desires on the backburner. I didn't start traveling like this until I was 21 (I did move to Hawaii for college for a year directly out of high school, planned that about 2 months out) and wished I would have started at 18. Keep your dream alive, just do some research and make some friends, get the jobs before you go.
OH! I did have a friend that tried it your way, she ended up as a cook on some scuzzy boat in Greece for a while and then got some other scummy jobs here and there but was miserable and broke most of the time. Ran into another girl in Mallorca who was on vacation and decided not to go home so she had been working in a bar under the table for a couple months, she was getting along fine.

This reminded me of something that happened to an aquaintance.
He was in mid-40's, working for the World Bank, a French citizen with homes in 3 countries including the US.
He was leaving Bali for the US via Hong Kong and forgot to bring his ticket for the US to France leg of the trip.
The officials at the Bali airport allowed him to leave for Hong Kong. He was met at the gate when the plane landed in Hong Kong and needed to provide documentation that he had purchased a ticket to France before he could depart for the US.

I'm a little disappointed that so many people have told you it can't be done. I agree with jeremygil, keep the dream alive. There is a way to do this, I think you just need to plan a little more and not let it be so spontaneous. The only person I've known to do something like this without any planning ended up having ALOT of money wired to him from home while he was over there.

I think that by working with groups like BUNAC or even checking with American companies who do business in Europe (airlines, multinationals) you might be able to at least have something small lined up before you depart. You might end up flipping burgers at a London McDonalds, but hey, that counts!

I think the people who have had the most success doing something like this had something very basic lined up, worked to make a little money over there, and then spent alot of weekends or a month or two at the end of thier job exploring.

At least you're going in the summer when tourist put some demand on temporary labor. If you were going in the offseason, I'd think it would be really hard.

Just have to add something re: the advice to wait until you're older.

Travelling around Europe on a tiny budget when you're in your late teens is fab. There are loads of like-minded people in the hostels you'll stay in, and you're young enough to have the stamina to stay out clubbing every night until 4am and still get up at 9 for sightseeing. Once you finish college and get into stuff like careers, pensions and mortgages, taking long holidays gets more difficult, slumming it in hostels gets far less appealing and you start physically losing the stamina to party like you can at 19.

In summary, GO FOR IT, NOW. Just tweak the financial planning a bit first.

Just heard an interview on NPR with Rick Steves. His son went to europe, had a great time, and stuck to a budget of $50.00 us dollars per day. That might be a good yardstick. This did not include the eurail pass that his Dad threw in. Also he was travelling with a companion which may have cut down on some costs. Goodluck with this. As long as you have good exit strategy, why not go for it!

Hi ash,

As noted, you're about 30 yrs too late.

You mightbe able to swing about a month of hosteling.

Try the thorntree forum at www.lonelyplanet.com.

You'll find people there closer to your own age.

Good luck.

I forgot to mention, my niece and nephew both used their credit cards, and both of them had some partial "bail out" from their parents. I am NOT trying to be a "wet blanket", just telling you the realities. There are many ways to approach this so no need to give up your dream, but you DO need a little planning. Also, I would say to be sure you have a round trip ticket. Frankly, I don't care how young you are, I don't think you would want to be stuck over there with no job, no place to sleep, no money and no ticket. I don't think I'm being pessimistic, just practical.

If you are rounded up as an illegal alien wokring in France sans papiers...they will introduce you to the Guillotine.. or something nearly as bad..

Nuff said..

I am surprised no one has mentioned the sites dedicated to the whol "gap year" concept. Do a Google search and you will find loads if internet resources.

There's this organization if you want to do volunteer work on an organic farm (in Europe or elsewhere) in exchange for room and board.
http://www.wwoof.org/

I have heard of people who managed to get waiter jobs in the UK (leaving from Canada), but these were arranged through legit permits. It's easier for Commonwealth citizens than Americans (which I presume you are).

Another possibility is working on a cruise ship. I know of someone who was a musician and did this.

Just arriving in Europe with no leads is a bad idea. Carefully researching various possibilities and having various options open (and as much of a nest egg as possible) can make this work for you.

Also check http://www.vagabonding.net .

Gap Year's work best when

a) mummy & daddy can bankroll you and/or
b) you can get a Working Holiday Visa for a country - for Americans I believe the only option is New Zealand

Why don't you try working your way across the United States instead? There are plenty of great places to see.

Thank you all so much for your help. Just for the record, i have talked to my parents about this and they support my idea my finances for the trip, i was planning on purchasing a round trip ticket just in case, and also in fact trying to figure out how to apply for a traveller's visa (I'm not a complete idiot !). Your links and such helped me a lot, I've made a lot of progress in the last week and I am even more excited now (I was starting to get discrouraged by some comments). I even thank the people who don't think that this is a good idea, you make me want to do it even more, to prove that it is possible!! wish me luck!

By "travellers visa" do you mean one that will allow you to do some casual work whilst you holiday.

If so then they don't exist for Americans in Europe - with the restricted exception of BUNAC

If not, then for most European countries you don't need a visa or it's issued when you arrive.

Note also that for non-EU/EEA folk working visas are issued per country and don't give you the right to work in (or visit) any other country

Visit Lonely Planet's forum called The Thorn Tree. There are many more posters of your generation and mind-set there.

Are you a US citizen? I ask because part of the ease or difficulty in getting legal working papers depends on your citizenship in the first place.

I agree LP Thorn Tree is a better forum for this sort of question. Somehow, though, I expect you will get the same answers in less polite language.

When my daughter finished school she took a year off before university (gap year). She worked for six months, holding down two jobs, and saved enough to finance a five month trip to India, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, and the USA before returning to England. You can do that too, but don't rely on income from illegal work in Europe that may never even materialize.

As long as the parents are available to bail someone out when they run out of money, etc., then I guess you can try. However, I would say there is no way in the world that a person right out of high school is going to get some job in Europe by contacting multinational companies in the US. It's hard enough for adults with education and skills to do that, but a high school grad with neither isn't going to get far with that.

I think it is legal for a student to get a work permit in Europe, even an American, for a limited time period within a certain time from graduating. I know there used to be not that long ago, so I'd check into that, but this is work to arrange that (and I think you have to get a job within some time period), it isn't for people who want to float around Europe changing jobs all the time.

The only people I know who have done something even remotely related to this arranged an internship ahead of time or knew someone, and they had college degrees.

I think there is info on how to do this on www.transitionsabroad.com It has sections on volunteer work, study, and internships or student work.