That's what a friend of a friend at a party said to me Saturday night, refering to the 4 out of 5 people we were chatting with having been laid off, not had their contract renewed, or already starting training for a whole new career.
When I speculated last summer than longer-term travel might continue its long-running upswing in spite of or because of the oil and airfare price spikes of last summer and/or the then bad but relatively normal recession that was getting going, I hadn't really considred what impact the ind of long term, deep, and economy-reshaping recession we turn out to be having might have.
If you've decided, or even considered, spending your involuntary year off, or even just the summer before your career changing graduate school or training program starts, your involuntary move back to your parents house or move across the country to look for work elsewhere... in a place other than the USA, what are some practicalities to consider? What are some pros and cons.
Here's a pro you might not have thought of. While most of us are aware that there are lots of places, including many we might have dreamed of visiting for various reasons, where it is possible to live for a lot less than in the US, or at least wherever or however we live now, how many people realize that you could actually live, or even travel, in much of this world AND pay for health insurance that is only available if you are outside the US, for less than most people have to pay for COBRA when their job ends?
Now obviously you are not renting a whole house in Tuscany or spending the year on a train in Europe or in a five star hotel, and these insurance rates do vary by age, don't all cover pre-existing conditions, and may not cover US based care for as long as 6 months from when they start, and I haven't done the analysis to tell you if they are as good as many employer provided plans. I would doubt they're as good as the best. But they are certainly better than nothing.
Another practicality that has gone way down in cost each time I've travled or lived abroad is communication. The first time I live in London, as a study abroad, I spend a pound a minute to use Internet cafes and close to that to call home with a calling card. I kid you not! It amounted to a lot, even though I also had my first mobile phone ever issued by my employer on which I could recieve calls for free.
Anyway, the New York Times Frugal Traveler blog comes through with great up to the minute advice on this one:
http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/staying-in-touch-internationally-on-the-cheap/?em
And if you're voluntarilily leaving your job for a year or summer away in the midst of this crazy economy, then you probably want to save as much as you can on accomodations as well. For the absolute cheapest option, check out Couchsurfing.com . This web-based social experiment created by students has turned into a full fledged movement, and thousands of people are full time traveling and others making their hospitality available all over the world. The older-school movement, so well founded everyone forgot it ever was one, hosteling is going strong as well. Hostelworld.com is not only a great place to book hostels, but has all the advice you need, ratings, and articles on low cost travel as well.
I'll come back to the topic of practicalities as well as why not take this time to travel in the near future, so please visit again soon!
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