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'Round The World Travel Feel like conquering the world? Give us the run down, your game plan, the strategy...

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Raileurope.com: See Europe by train
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Old 04-07-2006, 07:28 PM   #1
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Hi,
I'm sure most of you remember what it was like... Getting back all your college acceptance (or rejection) letters and trying to decide what you were going to do with your life. Well, I' ve gotten my responses and got into the colleges I wanted to, but I really don't want to go yet. So much money just to take general education classes and party. More than anything I want to see the world. I feel college can wait a year... or two. I'm 18 and live in California and have a plane ticket for Paris on June 6 and have 3 grand ( I will have about $5000 after two more months of balancing multiple jobs, high school and my classes at the communtiy college.) I am hoping to:

Backpack through France, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Czech and Germany for 2.5 months (that is what the 5 grand is for)

Then work in Ireland for 4 months

And then work U.K. for 5 or 6 months

(i am able to get work permits for Ireland/U.K. through Bunac even though I'm a high school student because i"m taking a fulll load of classes at the communtiy college also)

Then (if I can save enough money in my ten months of working) in the summer of 2007 I will see Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Moscow then Irkutsk/Lake Baikal Ulan Bataar (Mongolia) the Gobi and Bejing via the trans-siberian rail road. If I was able to make any serious money in my 10 working months (doubtful) I could continue south: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, and then Singapore (all by rail expect crossing Cambodia where I would be forced to bus due to the fact that they don't have a railway from Vietnam to Thailand). From there (even more doubtful) I could fly to Perth and work australia (via bunac permits also) for a couple months because I would hit it near November 2007 when farm work begins. Then I suppose I could go home and go to college....

I know it is crazy and I know that the visas for the countries outside of Europe can be ridiculously frustrating and a million other legitimate reasons for me to not do it but:
This is my LIFE. and I want this so much.

So what do you think?

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Old 04-07-2006, 09:15 PM   #2
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Go for it.

You'll learn just as much/even more travelling than you will in uni or college.

You might decide you want to stay abroad and study or maybe you'll find somewhere you love [or someone] and just stay there.

Sometimes i think 'getting an education' is a bit over rated when theres a whole world out there to see.

But as you say its your life so do whatever makes you happy.
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Old 04-09-2006, 07:35 AM   #3
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Absolutely. Go for it, as the esteemed Scotsman said!

After high school and before college is the BEST time to travel. You'll be much more ready for college after you take your time traveling...more disciplined, more independent.

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Old 04-09-2006, 08:15 AM   #4
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I agree, and as so many people (at least around where I live) take a year off before college anyways you won't really feel behind at all. You'll just be the cool one that everybody envies for all their crazy wild stories. Good luck with whatever you decide!
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Old 04-09-2006, 11:28 AM   #5
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Colleges want you to take time off, anyway.
Old BBC News
Harvard Encourages a "gap year"

I took a year off to work and travel the US. Totally worth it.
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Old 04-09-2006, 10:18 PM   #6
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Thanks everyone,
Sometimes you just need a little encouragement to get you out the door.
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