Europe

[Kosherhamm]

So the kings finally did it.. they drove me out of America....

Seriously.. I graduate college in December and I want to go on an adventure so I have decided to move to another continent... Either Europe - Asia or South America.. (i watched blood diamond one to many times and now Africa scares me and my love for penguins was not enough to get me to want to move to Antarctica)

So i am now in the gathering information process.. Has anyone else made a move like this? I am looking to got for at least 4-6 months and stay as long as i can. In a perfect world I would find a job in a place like Prague and then travel on the weekends all over Europe seeing some really cool ****.

Has anyone looked for a job in Europe/Asia/S. America while still in the US and been successful?

I don't want to risk going out their with $9.72 cents and being a European homeless guy singing all the Saturday Morning cartoon songs i know (Ohh-e-O Tailspin) to try and make ends meat.

Im not picky when it comes to work... I'll do the hotel deal, tour guide, mountian climber, bartender.... whatever accept for teaching English because you have to sign a 1 year contract at a school.. (which is all i have heard)

Any information will help and stories are greatly encouraged from all (except Derek Armstrong, I really don't like that guy)

THanks!

- May your Day be filled with jelly like a donuts.

[Joe Hoya]

I just got back from a month-long trek throughout Europe and North Africa.

Apparently in a lot of spots it is very easy to find work even as a foreigner. For example, a friend of mine was in Ios (one of the Greek islands) for a couple weeks and said it would be easy to find work for even a few months--she almost extended her stay to do just that.

Do you speak any languages besides English?

[Bandit]

If you want to work legally in Germany, you have to have a business owner/company sponsor you as a foreigner. I'm not sure if it's the same in other countries in the EU, but I wouldn't be surprised. Of course, this was for a "proper" job (graphic designer). Not sure of the same applies to bartender/waiter/ fluffer in a porno. The trouble with service oriented jobs is that you really can't do it without speaking the language.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, but I will say this: don't let this opportunity pass you by. You may not get another chance in life to do something like this, and you are pretty much guaranteed to have a great time.

[A-FROGIRL]

Better plan on saving before you go. The dollar isn't worth squat over there right now.

[dmpaquet]

You can pick fruits and vegetables... I was in northern Norway and was talking with an English guy and someone from France, I think, who were backpacking around and doing that. I'm sure you could probably have an easier time if you just wore your Kings jersey - even in Europe they'd recognize it and have pity on you and throw a few Euros your way.

[emfn]

have you thought about australia at all?

[VegasHockey]

So this thread isn't about ................

YouTube - Europe - The Final Countdown

YouTube - Europe - The Final Countdown

[borinka99]

Originally Posted by Joe Hoya

I just got back from a month-long trek throughout Europe and North Africa.

Apparently in a lot of spots it is very easy to find work even as a foreigner. For example, a friend of mine was in Ios (one of the Greek islands) for a couple weeks and said it would be easy to find work for even a few months--she almost extended her stay to do just that.

Do you speak any languages besides English?

I'm thinking about going to Europe for about a month. Can you give me an estimate on how much everything ran you? Were you staying in hostels the whole time?

[Joe Hoya]

Originally Posted by borinka99

I'm thinking about going to Europe for about a month. Can you give me an estimate on how much everything ran you? Were you staying in hostels the whole time?

I probably dropped about 7k-8k USD (the weak dollar certainly doesn't help, but it was a post-work/pre-grad school present to myself) on my whole trip, including like six flights and my 5-day Eurail pass. I backpacked through ~10 countries and stayed in hostels (around 25-40 Euro a night, so like 40-60 USD). It really depends on how much traveling between countries you're doing as well as which countries you choose, as you could probably save a lot of money by avoiding the more touristy spots.

If you want more specifics, PM.

[borinka99]

Originally Posted by Joe Hoya

I probably dropped about 7k-8k USD (the weak dollar certainly doesn't help, but it was a post-work/pre-grad school present to myself) on my whole trip, including like six flights and my 5-day Eurail pass. I backpacked through ~10 countries and stayed in hostels (around 25-40 Euro a night, so like 40-60 USD). It really depends on how much traveling between countries you're doing as well as which countries you choose, as you could probably save a lot of money by avoiding the more touristy spots.

If you want more specifics, PM.

Awesome, thanks for the info. I'm going to do a little bit of research and then I'll shoot you a PM.

[Vargsmal]

I just got back to LA after living in Sweden for a year. I was studying abroad and interning at a toxicology lab in Uppsala. DO NOT PASS THIS UP, it's an amazing experience, but make sure to bring lots and lots of money. Europe (Scandinavia especially) is very expensive for us Americans. The dollar is pure **** over there, so keep that in mind.

[Kosherhamm]

Originally Posted by Joe Hoya

I just got back from a month-long trek throughout Europe and North Africa.

Apparently in a lot of spots it is very easy to find work even as a foreigner. For example, a friend of mine was in Ios (one of the Greek islands) for a couple weeks and said it would be easy to find work for even a few months--she almost extended her stay to do just that.

Do you speak any languages besides English?

Do you just walk into a random place asking for work, and hopefully someone will eventually say yes?

and no, unless you count Pig Latin and then its still no but i understand a few words here and their...

[Joe Hoya]

Originally Posted by Kosherhamm

Do you just walk into a random place asking for work, and hopefully someone will eventually say yes?

and no, unless you count Pig Latin and then its still no but i understand a few words here and their...

I'm not sure about your English either.

But seriously, if you don't speak any other languages, I'd confine yourself to places where English is a prevalent language. That gives you the UK, Ireland (Dublin is awesome!), the Netherlands (their official language may be Dutch, but everyone speaks English in Amsterdam); I only threw out Greece additionally because a friend of mine had mentioned how easy it would be to get hired in Ios as an English speaker, but I personally haven't made it to Greece yet. Mykonos and Santorini are supposed to be amazing as well.

Your best bet is probably a restaurant/bar/hostel in a place with a heavy tourist population. The vast majority of people I stayed with in hotels/hostels were American, Canadian, Aussie, and Kiwi, so there are always tons of English speakers all over in the summertime.

Also, something to keep in mind--tipping is very minimal in Europe. Granted, so is the service...

[ketel&tonic]

Holland. But I'm biased, I'm half Dutch. Spent 15 days in England, Holland, Germany and Prague in the fall of last year, starting with the 2 games in London. Thinking about going back to Holland in the spring. Anywho, we got a good deal on our flight - about $800 RT-NS out of LAX into Heathrow. (make sure you ask for the emergency exit aisle! LEG ROOM GALORE!!!) Flew out of Gatwick to Amsterdam. Flew from Amsterdam to Berlin. Took the train from Berlin to Prague - 6 hours of GORGEOUS scenery. Buy a couple bottles of wine and some snacks before you get on the train and you'll be set for an amazing train ride. Flew from Prague back to London and then home to LAX the next day. 5-day Eurail pass is worth it. Stayed in hostels every night except our last night in London. We were on the cheap so we took a bunch of snacks (trail mix, granola bars, etc) to eat during the day and then splurged on dinner every night. All in all, the trip cost about $3k, including the game tickets. Internal European flights were all on an airline that's pretty much the European Southwest.

If anyone going plans on staying in hostels, DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST!!! Our Amsterdam hostel was...an experience. Nothing like having to shower IN the room, with a nothing but a flimsy curtain protecting your goodies from being seen by the others in the room! Our other hostels were great though. Free breakfast at all of them and the lobby of our Berlin hostel was a bar.

A lot of people in Europe DO speak English, so don't worry too much about that. Good luck with any trips and/or moves! I'm still in a great personal debate about whether or not I want to move to Holland. I have family there and my old boss has business there so landing a job would be pretty easy. What to do...

[Joe Hoya]

To follow up on k&t's post...

If you want a good hostel in Amsterdam, try the Flying Pig (more lively, lots of stoners--good or bad, depending on your taste) or St. Christopher's (cleaner, hot front desk girl). They're both only a couple short blocks from the Red Light District and will run you around 25-35 euros depending on your room size.

Oh, and drink lots of Hoegaarden. Delicious. HUP HOLLAND.

Amsterdam Hostels ? Book on-line with the Flying Pig youth hostels Amsterdam
Amsterdam Hostels - St Christopher's Amsterdam

We flew round trip into Dublin (ran us about $1000, both ****ty dollar and peak travel season), stayed in Ireland for a few days, then flew to Amsterdam Schiphol. From there you can take trains almost anywhere of interest on the main continent.

[lunchbox]

Originally Posted by Joe Hoya