please critique these travel plans

dethgrind · #1 10-19-2007, 01:56 PM

I'm 24 and quitting my job in a few months to travel for a while. Europe and Asia. I applied for a German passport, so hopefully I won't have to worry about that schengen agreement stuff. I already have a U.S. passport so I should be able to get the appropriate visa to teach in Korea.

budget: $11,000

2-24 to 2-29 vaughan town
http://www.vaughantown.com/english/indexenglish.asp
Basically get put up in a hotel in Spain and talk to Spanish people for like a week.

3-3 to 4-5 barcelona
http://www.oxfordtefl.com/
Learn how to teach english.

4-6 to 4-16 no plans

4-17 to 4-24 amsterdam
Meeting up with a bunch of friends from high school.

4-25 to 6-20 no plans

6-20 to 6-30 vienna
http://www.uefa.com/competitions/eur...ent/index.html
Have a sweet apartment booked already; might try to score tickets to one of the games if possible.

7-1 to 7-15 hike to prague
I honestly don't know much about this, but a couple friends I'm staying with in Vienna are doing it and invited me to tag along.

~8-15 teach english in korea for a year
The plan is to get a job with a ton of vacation time so I can travel around Asia. The jobs look pretty damn sweet: http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea/

Is there anything I'm overlooking that could screw this up or make it more awesome?

Ganjasaurus Rex · #2 10-19-2007, 02:22 PM

I have known literally hundreds of ESL teachers in my time in Asia, and while i haven't done it myself, i feel confident in warning you --based on their stories-- that you often don't get what you think you're getting. Make sure ALL their promises are in writing, and even if they are, you'll probably have to fight for your "rights" on more than one occasion.

Also, budget for emergencies. This kind of travel is complicated and things happen. Make sure you have monies to cover those situations.

Mason Hellmuth · #3 10-19-2007, 02:39 PM

[ QUOTE ]
4-25 to 6-20 no plans

[/ QUOTE ]
Spend at least a week hiking in Iceland. Preferably toward the end of this period, when it'll be warmer.

http://www.fi.is/en/hiking-trails/

dethgrind · #4 10-19-2007, 02:50 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I have known literally hundreds of ESL teachers in my time in Asia, and while i haven't done it myself, i feel confident in warning you --based on their stories-- that you often don't get what you think you're getting. Make sure ALL their promises are in writing, and even if they are, you'll probably have to fight for your "rights" on more than one occasion.

[/ QUOTE ]
Can you give some examples of how people got screwed over?

petp_the_greek · #5 10-19-2007, 02:50 PM

you forgot about IBIZA!!!!! (june/july/august)

Bedreviter · #6 10-19-2007, 03:38 PM

How do you expect to get a German passport? Are you originally from Germany? And what sort of Schengen-agreement is it that you are worried about?

Getting a ticket to a game in Vienna should be doable, but unless its a really crappy game I would guess 300$ is the minimum you would have to expect to pay for a ticket from a scalper. Be aware that there isusually a significant number of fake tickets in circulation.

dethgrind · #7 10-19-2007, 04:36 PM

I am from Germany, but it's somewhat complicated. The gist of the Schengen agreement is that foreigners can stay for a maximum of 90 days in a 180 day period within the Schengen countries, which is pretty much all the good ones. My plans are for five months, so I'm counting on that German passport.

I recall hearing that there was going to be a second lottery for additional Euro 2008 tickets in December, but I can't find anything about that on the internet.

Bedreviter · #8 10-19-2007, 05:22 PM

Pretty sure there will not be another lottery, if more tickets become available (which I doubt) I think they will sell them on a first come first serve basis, which means that those lucky enough to be on uefa.com those 5 minutes will get the available tickets.

Ganjasaurus Rex · #9 10-19-2007, 07:56 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I have known literally hundreds of ESL teachers in my time in Asia, and while i haven't done it myself, i feel confident in warning you --based on their stories-- that you often don't get what you think you're getting. Make sure ALL their promises are in writing, and even if they are, you'll probably have to fight for your "rights" on more than one occasion.

[/ QUOTE ]
Can you give some examples of how people got screwed over?

[/ QUOTE ]
Wow, let me list the ways:

1) Housing is not what they promised. You could wind up living in a dive with a bunch of degenerates. If you want to move out, you have to pay your own rent.

2) Car not what they promised. You might be sharing a car with 10 people instead of having your own car and driver.

3) Facilities could be total [censored] and you'd never know until you got there. I've heard stories of rats sitting in the corner watching as you teach.

4) The plane ticket home may not come. Once you've done your tour of duty, they have no incentive to keep their end of the agreement.

5) Students could be total asswipes. You have no say over who you teach.

6) You could be forced to drive 2-3 hours through traffic each day to teach people at their businesses.

7) You might suddenly stop getting paid with no legal recourse since you're not Korean. If you threaten to leave, they laugh and ask how you expect to pay for your ticket home.

There are a lot more problems. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. It may be all pink and rosy, but you should go in with your eyes open and get it all in writing at the bare minimum.

dethgrind · #10 10-20-2007, 06:11 PM

Sounds scary. I've heard that Korea in particular has a lot of shady schools. I'm considering showing up and finding a job while I'm there so I can scope it out, but I hear it can then be tricky to get your flight reimbursed. I've been checking out the eslcafe.com forums, do you know if there is a better site?