Some people enjoy a holiday every now and again, some people like to go somewhere hot and live by the pool for a few weeks in the summer, and there are the adventure addicts…These individuals can never get enough, are constantly researching their next trip, and will travel at any cost. Traveling is probably not a release from the humdrum office job, it is life. They only feel alive when they are on the road, down a dusty track, or trying to barter in a language they know they don’t speak.
For these people, a simple holiday once a year is never enough, and never quenches their appetite to discover new places, they need to rest their eyes upon landscapes that few people have ever seen. Long term travelling can be difficult, but there are lots of schemes, programs, and activities to get involved with that can enable you to travel long term. If you have the travel bug then some of these ideas would be great for you, so you can get to the far corners of the earth, and start going on them kinds of adventures you always dreamed about.
TEFL
This stands for “teaching English as a foreign language”. If you are reading this then you can probably speak English to high enough standard to participate in a TEFL course. The course takes a few months to complete, and is done from the comfort of your own home. It also involves one training weekend as well. These weekends happen in most big cities and all over the country so there should be one you can attend near you. The training is fairly basic as you only need to be educated to university level to start the course. For most students these days, this is a very accessible option.
The most popular destination to teach English is China, Japan, and other countries in the East. There is a high demand for teachers there and a want to have native speakers too, so is a great place to go teach. The work ethic is usually of a pretty high standard, so don’t expect to be sitting around too much! Other destinations all over the world are opening up now too, including South America. Keep your eyes peeled, and see if you can teach English wherever you want to travel to in the world. Although you have to pay to take the TEFL qualification, being able to teach abroad and having a wage will mean your adventure won’t just be a holiday. Being in a place for a long time means you really get to absorb the culture, and get to know the area that you live. If you want to thoroughly explore a country, without constantly having to fly out there each time, this could be a great adventure for you.
WWOOFing
This company stands for “worldwide organisation of organic farming” and is pretty much what is says on the in. They operate all over the world, and many people use it to travel to places, and get to know the area and people in a different way than the usual tourist way. When you volunteer with this organisation you work at a farm or small hold, and they give you accommodation in exchange for your work. Often food too comes along with you work, but this can vary depending on who you stay with. For each project, you look at profiles of hosts, and then contact them individually and arrange something that works for both of you. Trips can last for a couple days, a few weeks, or you could even arrange to help out longer than that.
The ethos of this organisation is to spread knowledge about organic farming methods, about growing maintaining, the land that these people work on. If you are interested in environmental issues, or horticulture, this would be a great experience for you. If on the other hand you fancy getting some fresh air, exploring the countryside and rural areas all over the world, then this would work really well for you too.
Living with and working alongside people who are locals, is a great way to get a real taste of what life is like there. Experiences such as this are a great way to give back, and are great to see some destinations that are off the beaten track. You could incorporate this into a longer trip or even bounce from farm to farm, and create a really rich experience out of exploring one particular region.
Volunteering
There are loads of different volunteering schemes out there that enable you to travel long term. You should check out governmental organisations, as they often have links with other countries, and their aim is to have a positive effect on youth culture, and have an exchange of cultures across the globe.
There are schemes that are presented as volunteering opportunities, but are more like a holiday with an itinerary. If you are looking for volunteering specifically, then be wary about spending a lot of money on something that sounds far too good to be true. A way of spotting this can be if they say they have fantastic connections, all over the world. It is difficult to establish and maintain good relations with other countries, and so often organisations have an exchange with a certain region. If they are boasting you can go anywhere with them, this is probably too good to be true. Research the organisation if you’ve never heard of it, and see what people are saying about them. While governmental schemes probably will have multiple connections all over the world, independent organisations are less likely to.
Make it Permanent
If these ideas just aren’t as long term as you would like them to be, then why not take the plunge and move out somewhere? If you have never been to the destination, then at least visiting a few times would be advisable, to get a taste for culture and the place. Considering things like, the extremity of the seasons, the customs, and what jobs are available for you, is a great place to start.
For many people, moving abroad is a lifelong aspiration, and an amazing opportunity. Get researching places you could live, google Properties for rent in Singapore, or look at house prices in Finland. There are so many places around the world that have so much to offer you. Many people say until you’ve lived abroad, you don’t really know your own country. If you have some skills or qualifications, this is a great way you can migrate somewhere, by showing you have something to offer. If you are going to make the move, get language lessons now, and start thinking about where you could live. This is a great way to satisfy your travel appetite, and you never know, you might just find a home away from home.
Travelling is an amazing opportunity to open up your eyes to the world, and see yourself in a different light too. There are so many different ways to travel around the world these days, and here are just a few of them. All of these experiences are really rewarding ones as well, whether that’s teaching children, or learning about sustainable practises that can help benefit the planet and everyone in it. Travelling in this way, enables you to see each place you visit in a different way than if you were taking a holiday there, and you can see these places in much more truthful way.
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