Next year, around September, I plan on traveling. I'm not sure where, which is why I need some people with experience to help me decide. There are sites like bravenewtraveller that I've gleaned lots of information from, but many of those people seem like self-obsessed idealists. My reason for travel is to learn other languages and cultures. I want to widen my worldview first-hand, and get away from the very inward culture that has influenced my every thought for the past 20 years.

I have a bit over 2000USD in the bank. I plan on perhaps traveling by plane, but I'll also be investigating free transport by working on a boat, which I've heard actually happens and can be arranged, and I'm no stranger to hard work. I do tons of volunteer work in my own community.

Most "volunteering abroad" programs are actually scams for affluent, self-important white people, so I have to really look around- and I learned most places that need help aren't represented online. I know that most people wishing to volunteer abroad don't possess any skills to differentiate themselves from locals who could do the same job, but I am not entirely unskilled, as I can cook, perform first-aid, have experience teaching English as an ESL assistant, strong leadership, some meager form of cultural sensitivity from all my reading in anthropology, etc.

I plan on WWOOFing wherever I go, since that seems reasonable, with some couch-surfing here and there. I want to be gone for at least six months, I'm not sure what sort of visa or insurance I will need until I'm totally decided.

I am a native English speaker. If I continue my rate of study with Japanese, I could easily have 2nd JLPT level proficiency by next summer. I have knowledge of basic French grammar but my speaking and listening are awful.

continued in next post