Europe is a favorite international travel destination for Americans, and there are a lot of good reasons why. It’s part of the West, making it more similar to our culture than many other regions. English and other dominant world languages are spoken there. It’s the ancestral home to many Americans.
Also, it’s chocked full of history, it’s easy to experience a wide array of cultures from one day to the next, and for most tourist travel, there are few or no visa requirements. Whew!
So if you find yourself dreaming of making the “great escape,” not just to visit, but to experience life in Europe, we can’t blame you. But there several things to consider first:
1 – Funding Your Trip
Paying your way for an extended sojourn abroad is usually accomplished in a combination of three ways: Saving up and reducing your expenses back home, limiting your expenses while travelling, and finding work while travelling.
2 – Earning While You Travel
As for work, there are a number of services that can help you find work in Europe, but be forewarned: it’s much more competitive and usually harder than say, teaching English in a less tourist-y locale. You might really want to pick grapes in France, but for how long? The kinds of things you’re likely to find are not glamorous, probably not very fun, and possibly far removed from happening hot spots.
If you have writing or internet marketing experience, you may very well be able to take your job with you. Sites like oDesk allow you to find one-off jobs and projects that can be conducted anywhere you have a laptop and a fast connection. You could also solicit travel blogs or even your local paper for opportunities to write about your travels for pay, but don’t expect it to be very much.
3 – Keeping Travel Costs Low
Limiting your expenses while traveling is a tried and true topic of countless books and websites, but you have to really follow the advice. It’s just so easy to say “Hey, I’m on vacation, I want to live it up!” forgetting just how long your cash has to last. Often, you can cook for yourself in hostels and rented rooms, saving money not just on dinner that night, but with leftovers the next day. Use your savings to treat yourself to an espresso, a dessert or a drink. Trading off in this way is a smart tactic for sticking to a budget, but enjoying yourself all the same.
Similarly, Europe has countless opportunities for cheap travel by rail and boat, which can also double as sleeping quarters, when you choose to travel at night. Think of it as your hotel room time machine! Some hostels, boarding houses and even host families will also allow you to work off room, board, or both, but do expect to the work to deliver them real value. You’re not going to spend the night for free just because you swept the hallway.
4 – Saving on the Home Front
Reducing your on-going expenses and debt at home are vital to sustainable travel. It’s a must that you reduce your housing costs close to zero, either by renting your home, subletting your apartment, or moving out of your apartment completely. Regardless which option suits you, it’s a good idea to move your valuables to a secure self-storage facility. At $50 or so per month, after a first month free, it’s a fair trade off, as opposed to filling up a friend’s or family member’s basement.
Do you have credit card debt, or student loans? With no income, you can likely get a deferment on your loan, which allows you to stop payments for some specified length of time. Credit cards, however, aren’t so understanding. If you are carrying balances, you’ll make out better financially to pay those down to use again while travelling, than you would to make minimum payments to preserve your cash. You can also call your card issuer with the offer of a large principal payment in exchange for a lower interest rate.
No need to retain cell phone plans, or any other monthly cost that you won’t be using. Comb your monthly bills for any possible cost savings, and to catch one-time billings you might not expect, like membership renewal fees or a credit card’s annual fee.
5 – Getting Your Affairs in Order
Forward your mail to someone you trust to open it and alert you to any possible issues. Set up online banking to cover any recurring payments you couldn’t eliminate, and to be sure you can manage your account, as well as access funds by debit card. Give that trusted contact your online account information, your storage unit keys, and anything they might need to act on your behalf while you’re gone. Make sure your medical insurance covers you while abroad, and purchase a basic travel insurance that can help you get out of a bind, in case there’s an emergency and your plans change significantly, or you need to come home.
6 – Staying Legal in The EU and Shengen Zone
If you are a U.S. citizen, you are permitted to enter the European Union and the near-synonymous Shengen Zone without a visa. However, the Shengen zone (which includes most of Europe, except for the UK, Ireland, Romania, Bulgaria and the Baltic States) requires that you can enter any country in it and stay for up to 90 days, after which you must leave for 90 days before you can return. That means you could travel across the heart of Europe for three months, then you must leave and go to Russia, the UK, or say Turkey, for 3 months, before you can return. The Shengen Zone, for visa purposes is treated like one big country.
It is possible to get extended visas within Europe, and some countries are more difficult than others. For example, you can apply for a temporary residence visa from within Germany, but not France. If you know someone in a country that could provide you residence without too much fuss or expense (which usually includes giving their contact info to vouch for you, showing your bank records to prove you won’t need to work, showing proof of when you’ll leave, paying an application fee, etc.) then you can skirt the Shengen rules.
With a residency visa, you won’t need to leave the Zone in three months. That being said, there will be other travel restrictions imposed by the country issuing your visa, so make sure if you can get residency, that you are then permitted to leave the country and return again if you want to… you may just want to leave and use your residency to travel freely elsewhere.
That’s a lot of stuff to get straight, but once you start planning your destinations, you’ll learn the necessary details to have a long and fulfilling trip. An ounce of planning is worth a lifetime of experiences.
Kenneth McCall builds creative and innovative tools for customers seeking self storage units. Kenneth is the director of operations at Storage.com which provides storage in Denver listings, and storage units in many locations across the country. In his spare time he likes to get outside, ideally with a boat and waterskis.
Credits: Photo courtesy of Philip MacKenzie.