If you haven't already heard, Zach, Winry and I are taking a trip in February!
We'll be spending a year overseas, mostly in Europe, traveling around. The header is a beautiful picture of Milan, because that's where we're starting. The unofficial goal is to visit where our ancestors grew up. So it's Villalba, Sicily for Zach, pretty much any part of Germany for me. Winry is from Kentucky so she's just along for the ride.
We've been planning this trip for the last six months, perfecting our packing lists, getting Winry her own pet passport, and practicing walking around with some really huge backpacks. When you initially think of a trip so grand, it's easy to get bogged down in reasons to quit. We've had our share of misgivings about the trip before, but nothing that couldn't be handled with a bit of research.
So here were some of the biggest myths we had about traveling overseas, hopefully they'll answer a few questions about how this whole thing is going to work.
So here were some of the biggest myths we had about traveling overseas, hopefully they'll answer a few questions about how this whole thing is going to work.
Myth #1: Vacations are expensive
Sure they can be, we're not arguing that. But there's a big difference between vacationing and traveling. If you're willing to put a little work into it (literally), there are thousands of opportunities to work locally for housing and food. Technically, you'll be volunteering so you can even skip that nasty work visa business and save thousands on your living expenses.
Helpexchange is easily our top choice. Similar to Wwoofing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), but way cheaper, Helpx has more options for volunteering than simply working on organic farms. While that's definitely an option, there's also opportunities to work at local B&B's, help tutor children, renovate houses, even help build solar panels! Most hosts seem to ask for 15-20 hour work weeks, though i've seen even less. That means that much more time to explore the surrounding area and chat up the locals.
It's free to become a member, but if you want to contact hosts it'll be $30 for the year. For the year. That's wonderful compared to Wwoofing which asks for a premium for each country you go to. There's dozens of countries to choose from, each with hundreds of hosts just needing a little extra help. If you're worried about safety, Helpx has reviews for each host so you can read what other travelers have said about their stay. Accommodations vary, but most offer a nice warm spot to stay plus meals. Some of the hosts are even kid friendly!
It's free to become a member, but if you want to contact hosts it'll be $30 for the year. For the year. That's wonderful compared to Wwoofing which asks for a premium for each country you go to. There's dozens of countries to choose from, each with hundreds of hosts just needing a little extra help. If you're worried about safety, Helpx has reviews for each host so you can read what other travelers have said about their stay. Accommodations vary, but most offer a nice warm spot to stay plus meals. Some of the hosts are even kid friendly!
When you save on housing and food, that means money for other important expenses. Like getting there! Planes tickets are a little tricky to save on, but if you're flexible with your dates and buy them ahead of time you can snag a nice deal. Our tickets to Milan cost $488. It's as easy as this info graphic.
Lets break down what what we could be spending if we didn't Helpx.
Say we spend $10 each per day on food. For 365 days, that's $3650 each. Hostel prices average about $20 per night (though it varies widely on location). Since we're not bringing a tent and will need a roof over our heads, for the whole year we'd each be spending $7300.
(3650 x 2) + (7300 x 2) = $21,900
That's whole lot of savings for a few hours work in the garden.
Lets break down what what we could be spending if we didn't Helpx.
Say we spend $10 each per day on food. For 365 days, that's $3650 each. Hostel prices average about $20 per night (though it varies widely on location). Since we're not bringing a tent and will need a roof over our heads, for the whole year we'd each be spending $7300.
(3650 x 2) + (7300 x 2) = $21,900
That's whole lot of savings for a few hours work in the garden.
Myth #2: Winry will be quarantined
I'll admit, this was my myth. The last I knew, dogs had to be quarantined when they went somewhere foreign, often for a month or so at a time. I'll blame this on a book I read once about a family moving to Hawaii. Yes, it was fiction.
While some countries still require pets to be quarantined, a lot of other foreign countries don't. For years people have been taking their pets overseas and recently the rules have become even more simple.
It all comes down to rabies.
Countries are put into three categories; Countries free of rabies (The UK, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, etc.), countries with few incidences of rabies also called third countries (the US, most of the EU), and countries with high incidences of rabies (a lot of countries in South America and the Middle East). So no rabies, some rabies, all the rabies.
To go all Eurotrip Winry just needs a rabies shot good for three years, an ISO compliant microchip, a vet's note stating that she is in good health maximum 10 days before we fly, and all her certificates stamped and approved by the USDA. Of course this is all packaged into one super adorable Pet Passport. Italy is actually one of the most dog friendly places in the EU, so it'll be a good starting point for Winry.
We'll go into detail more on Winy's deal later, because there's a lot of information to sift through that's taken weeks to compile. Check back for a fancy link.
Can't wait for more info on bringing your dog overseas? We've loved the Luna the Traveling Pooch series by Gigi of The Ramble. Gigi is one amazing lady and has been extremely helpful answering my emails filled with questions about her traveling pup. Her blog is more than worth a good look.
We'll go into detail more on Winy's deal later, because there's a lot of information to sift through that's taken weeks to compile. Check back for a fancy link.
Can't wait for more info on bringing your dog overseas? We've loved the Luna the Traveling Pooch series by Gigi of The Ramble. Gigi is one amazing lady and has been extremely helpful answering my emails filled with questions about her traveling pup. Her blog is more than worth a good look.
Myth #3: It's hard to save money
There's no magic number when it comes to saving for a trip like ours. Sure, the bigger the number the better, but as we explained in Myth #1 even a little bit will take you a long way. All you need to do is start.
Zach and I have different methods when it comes to saving. Zach has a completely different saving account, so he deducts $100-$150 to add to savings each week. Then poof. It's gone. His rule is never to touch it. Anything that goes into savings, doesn't come out until its time for the trip.
Since a single check can't cover all of my bills, I have a slightly different strategy. The first and last paycheck of every month goes towards bills and rent and the leftover money goes towards my credit card bill. Every second week I put $200 into savings and every third week $400 goes in. Both Zach and I save $600 a month. We've been at this for a few months now, and even though our plane tickets swallowed a huge chunk, every dollar saved is strictly for the trip.
Save as much or as little as you want at a time. It's all about your situation and whats going to keep you from touching the money. Put it in a separate bank. Keep it in those shoes you never wear. Put away and forget about it. You'll be surprised how even a little will add up.
Zach and I have different methods when it comes to saving. Zach has a completely different saving account, so he deducts $100-$150 to add to savings each week. Then poof. It's gone. His rule is never to touch it. Anything that goes into savings, doesn't come out until its time for the trip.
Since a single check can't cover all of my bills, I have a slightly different strategy. The first and last paycheck of every month goes towards bills and rent and the leftover money goes towards my credit card bill. Every second week I put $200 into savings and every third week $400 goes in. Both Zach and I save $600 a month. We've been at this for a few months now, and even though our plane tickets swallowed a huge chunk, every dollar saved is strictly for the trip.
Save as much or as little as you want at a time. It's all about your situation and whats going to keep you from touching the money. Put it in a separate bank. Keep it in those shoes you never wear. Put away and forget about it. You'll be surprised how even a little will add up.
Thanks for reading this giant wall of text.
If you have a few questions about how we did it or what we're going to do, go ahead and ask below. We'll talk to you. Because we're nice.
H W Z
If you have a few questions about how we did it or what we're going to do, go ahead and ask below. We'll talk to you. Because we're nice.
H W Z
