This is exactly what I did. I finished university (mid-collapse of economy) and went on a backpacking trip to Latin America, starting in Mexico... Three years later, I'd never made it further south! I spoke fluent Spanish, had a Mexican boyfriend I lived with, a ranch full of horses and a job with the local television station. When I got back to the UK, my British friends were still mostly jobless, mostly living at home.
I got a job within 48 hours of arriving in London - it turned out that there was a huge demand for bilingual tech people in the British film industry. So, yeah - getting lost basically got me my only marketable skills! I'd definitely recommend it :)
How do you survive a backpack trip? I hear about people doing this. What sort of research goes into that trip? I imagine I'd be mugged by the end of the day and dead by the end of the week if I tried something like this without any local knowledge. It's amazing, and I admire you folks who can do things like this. Now I have a family and a good job and the best I can hope for is to load everyone up the Honda Element and drive (spins in a circle) THAT-A-WAY for a week or so--just to go on an unplanned adventure.
Actually I cringe when I look back on some of the dangerous things I did, so safety wasn't really one of my top priorities, I don't think (although, fortunately, nothing too horrible has ever happened to me traveling).
I grew up in London, so I suppose taking certain precautions is second-nature in some ways? Provinces of poor countries actually feel much safer to me that big first-world cities do.
Money-wise, I was lucky enough to have no debts coming out of university, and to actually have some money (not a massive amount, probably 3/4k dollars) saved up from a student job at a call center. I set up a bank account with the lowest international transaction fees available, and set-up £400 (maybe 500 dollars?) to wire into this every month (so I wouldn't have to track my spending too much, or worry too much about bank-card theft/ATM kidnapping etc.). I only carried this card (debit! only carry debit cards!) with me.
I always carried a 100 dollar bill and a 50 euro note, as well, for immediate emergencies.
Where are you planning to go? Have you bought crazy numbers of maps yet?
Clever setup! I'd have to remember that. Ever since the bus tour in Europe in 2011 I've been willing to visit the region in general and Germany and France in particular. I've seen some wonderful cities as well as beautiful nature while on the road, and even though I quite enjoyed the glimpse, I know I want more than that. If I have enough, I will use my time and money to travel the US and Canada - again, both the cities and the nature, and everything in between. Going by foot seems more natural, more relaxing and comfortable, though I won't decline bus or hitchhike travelling if need be or the wish arises. I'm going to university this year, so travelling will not happen soon. I will use my time to both study and to make my own money while my parents support me. Closer to the free summer I will have to decide. What do you mean by saying that growing up in London made you take certain precautions? I'm not familiar with the reality of living in the UK and in London in particular yet am curious about it.
London is a big, sprawling metropolis, with extreme wealth and extreme poverty crowded together, and all the opportunities for crime that goes along with that. I grew up in Hackney, which is one of those now-gentrified-but-f*ing-scary-in-the-90s kinds of an area (parts of Brooklyn would be a good comparison, maybe?), so I got good at doing that inner-city hood-up keep-out-of-everybody's-way thing... The whole of London is not like that by any means - the western parts of the city are generally really safe, as are the tourist spots.
I'm in France now. Come! It's glorious :)
Oddly enough, you've picked another part of another city that I'm not aware of: I've never been to the US. :) I see what you mean. I recall stories of what Russia used to be back in the 90s, after the Union collapsed (people being threatened with a gun right in the street after dark) - sounds rather similar to what your hometown had. It would be great to visit France now! Yet, there are things I'd rather accomplish beforehand, like publish my damn stories already or finally step into the university - all the things that will lead to me being able to support myself while on the journey, in one way or another.
D'oh! I assumed that, because you were on the internet, you were obviously American (and male, and in your early 20s. I make this assumption despite being none of these things myself...)! Where in the world are you?
Thank's for taking the time to respond to so thoroughly to my response. Being raised in the US placed a pretty big divide between myself and my heritage (Central America). I always imagined if I ever decided to do this it would be in either Central or South America so it was definitely awesome to read.
It's really worth going to Central America! You're so lucky to have roots there - you don't have to just be another awkward gringo stomping around Mayan country :) Whereabouts in CAm are your ancestors from?
That's so awesome! My dream is to fly to Buenos Aires and backpack around Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. I know those are different places from Mexico, but I'm curious, how were you received as a backpacker? Were people friendly? How much Spanish did you know before going? And did you go with friends?
I knew no Spanish when I arrived (alone, and female and 20), just a couple of words of Italian, so my first day or so was spent saying grazie and prego to bemused locals.
I enrolled in a Spanish language school for two weeks. That gave me the basics, plus I met some people I'd later travel with.
If I wanted to meet more people/ speak English for a while, I'd just head to a beach on the backpacker trail. Despite having always been painfully shy (only child, bookish), I found it really easy to make friends when traveling (and have done ever since, in fact. I guess it served as a lifelong confidence boost). That said, I'd not recommend Mexico now - it is heartbreakingly violent at the moment. I would recommend Argentina and Uruguay! I actually just got back to Europe after a year in Argentina (for work, not backpacking). It's fascinating - the whole sensual-Latin-fiesta thing and, at the same time, a populace that is more self-analytical than Woody Allen and more literary than the NYRB... :)
I wasn't doing much traveling, but the provinces I did visit seemed very safe and friendly to foreigners.