Erasing borders

Think you can’t afford a round the world trip? Think again!

Often times people think about an around the word trip or at least taking a year off to travel. The thing that stops them most is the actual fear of going and not having a job or income. One of the next things people think about is will they have enough money while they are traveling. The truth is that even if you don’t have a ton of money now, you can still do your around the world trip. Here are a few things that you can do to make your round the world trip possible.

1. Learn to live off the basics.

Instead of buying those new shoes or eating out at a fancy restaurant, learn to cut back and only buy food that you need or replace shoes when your current shoes are ruined. Learning to reduce your spend on clothes you don’t need and meals you could have spent less on will help you reduce your travel costs greatly.

2. Get a teaching certificate.

There are tons of jobs teaching English abroad. Some countries do require you to have an English Teaching Certificate like an TESOL/TEFL certificate. By having a job in each country you are going to, you can not only help to make up for a lack of funds, but you can also further get to learn and enjoy the culture of the countries you are visiting.

3. Set up a blog and social media accounts.

It is extremely easy to set up a Wordpress blog now. You can also get extremely affordable hosting for it if you don’t use free hosting. Then reach out to other travel bloggers when you have started blogging and ask for cross promotions and partnerships. You can also ask them to guest blog on your site. Not only will they normally tweet out the post giving you exposure to their readers, but you’ll also build a following. Once you have that following you can monetize the blog as well as ask for sponsorships and free airline tickets or hotel rooms from Marketing and PR Departments at different travel companies in exchange for reviews. You can even add in the VisaHQ affiliate program and help your readers apply for US passports and visas online, not to mention earn commissions off of each sale.

There are a ton of ways that you can make extra money while you are traveling so that you don’t have to starve. You just have to set up your plan ahead of time and make sure that you can cut out expenses that you do not need. Please feel free to share your own ideas and comments below if you have any other ways to make money abroad or cut down your costs of living so you can travel.

Do you have any success stories? Share it here.

A first-time traveler’s guide: Preparing for travel to India

Imagine visiting beautiful palaces, fragrant temples, listening to peaceful chanting, running your hands over thousand year old sculptures and eating authentically delicious food. And then there’s the reality of the crowded airports, smelly restrooms, loud traffic, dusty streets and if you’re not careful, the water that can make you sick. A trip to India is a paradox a wonderful experience juxtaposed with reality - either way an onslaught on all your five senses.

Home to approximately one sixth of the world’s population, India is the seventh largest country in the world. This could mean many months of travel within India and not scratching the surface of what the country has to offer.

The most frequently visited part of India is undoubtedly the “Golden Triangle”. This comprises of Delhi (the nation’s capital), Jaipur and Agra. The city like other major metropolitan cities around the world is polluted, crowded and noisy. Delhi is rich in history and comprises of several impressive monuments including the Mughal Red Fort, the solid stone tower of Qutub Minar and the India gate (built to honor the 90,000 Indian soldiers who died during World War 1). There are numerous temples and mosques including the Birla Mandir, the Bahai Temple and the Jama Masjid Mosque. It is important to remember when visiting holy places to respect local customs, particularly that of removing footwear when entering a temple. Delhi prides itself in the beautiful gardens in the city such as famous Lodi Gardens and the Mughal Gardens located in the Presidential Residence. Delhi is centrally located for travel to Agra and Jaipur.

A first-time traveler’s guide to Russia

Traveling to a different country for the first time, can indeed be a memorable experience. Researching the country a little, and having ample knowledge of the customs, currency, climate, traditions, language, visa regulations, and so forth, will have you breathing easy, rather than stressed out and nervous. Thus your stay will definitely be worth remembering.

Prior to embarking on your journey, ensure that you are fit to travel, have had all immunization that you need, and indeed have a clean bill of health. Russian visas, passports and travel permits need to be up to date and carried at all times. Ensure that you arrive at the airport or ship dock, at least two hours prior to departure. This will assist in having bags weighed; passports cleared and so forth, in ample time.

You will need accommodation documentation, as well as consent from the Ministry of foreign affairs to even get into this country. But oh how worth it all it shall be, once your eyes settle on the many picturesque scenes that will indeed delight the eyes. Rows and rows of glorious stately birch trees, with sunlight filtering through, shall herald spring, while the soft powder fine snow shall delicately decorate the hills and mountains within the winter, making for such a glorious view indeed.

Traveling to Brazil: Safety Tips

Brazil is such an amazing place to visit, yet be cautious, alert, and advised, that Brazil has one of the highest crime rates in the world. I urge you to exercise caution as serious crime runs rampant there, as does sea piracy, as well as high levels of violent attacks upon tourists who travel alone.

Thus you will need to pay close attention to your personal safety and security, as well as your personal belongings. Take note that identity theft is a big issue in Brazil. Therefore be cautious when attending celebrations, protests and demonstrations. Thieves simply love these as they can mingle, snatch purses etc and then mingle with the dense crowd. Most demonstrations unfortunately turn violent so don’t place yourself at risk.

Ensure that you have a high level of travel insurance, I advise you to invest in the comprehensive one, as these will usually cover everything. Be sure to read the fine print, as many policies do not cover credit card theft. Be a smart traveler and cover every aspect of traveling prior to the onset of your journey.

I strongly urge you to make sure that your insurance covers overseas medical costs. The insurance needs to cover you from the onset of your journey until your return home. Some activities may not be covered with your policy. Take into account also, that many incidents that can occur, are often deemed as “Acts of God” and are not covered by some policies. The old saying that “if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel” is so true. Don’t forget that you must carry identification with you at all times. This is a legal requirement.

Within large cities such as Campinas, Rio as well as Sao Paulo, the medical facilities are actually comparable to Australian standards. But outside of these large cities medical facilities can be appalling as well as extremely limited. Ensure that you’re immunization needs are up to date. The medical treatment costs in Brazil are sky high, so insurance is a must. In many cases cash payment is forced prior to medical services are issued. (This even applies to emergencies.) In the case of an accident or serious illness, this can involve thousands of dollars.