Hey, all ~

I found this forum and I really like all the info from experienced expats and travelers. I am seeking advice for a trip next year, where I plan to check out some places on my "maybe" list of places to live eventually.

I'm an American and looking to see if there might be a better place to live. I'm single, no kids, and open to ideas of fun, interesting places to live or just hang out.

I haven't done much international traveling, but I now have an income that I can earn through the internet, so I no longer need to be fixed in one location -- but I absolutely must have dependable, high-speed internet service/connections wherever I happen to be.

I am thinking about taking an around-the-world trip in 2008 and I'm wondering if people on the forum might have advice to offer on how to plan it, what to do or not do, etc.

I will have a budget of about US$3,000 per month, possibly more as the year goes on, so I am not a super low-budget traveler, but I will also only be in any one place for a few weeks or months, so my cost of living will be higher than someone living there permanently.

My plans are just in the beginning stages, so nothing is set for sure, but here is the basic plan:

JAN-MAR - Argentina (Buenos Aires)
APR - Panama, possibly Aruba
MAY-JUN - "Vacation travel" to parts of Western Europe I've always wanted to see (Amsterdam, Rome, Florence, Venice, Zurich, Viena) -- this will likely be hotel stays.
JUL-AUG - Bulgaria (probably Varna)
AUG-SEP - China (a few days in Beijing for the Olympics), then Japan
OCT-DEC - Australia (Sydney), New Zealand (Auckland), and back to the states.

Obviously, I like large cities with lots of nightlife (and sexy women that are easy to meet), nice weather (at least during the time of year I'm there), and an opportunity to do sight-seeing, as well as checking out local apartments and get a general feel of what it would be like to live there. It's partly a vacation, partly an investigation to see where I might like to live, and also business I want to investigate in many of these areas.

So ...

What kind of advice might you offer me for (1) keeping my housing/lodging costs reasonable (within my monthly budget), as well as not spending a lot of my time searching for places, (2) being confident I always have access to high-speed internet service, (3) luggage, clothing, etc. -- what to take or not?, and (4) what to do about my cell phone (use USA phone with SIM cards, get a different phone somewhere else, Skype or Vonage for international calls, a Blackberry? -- I will want access to local calls with a cell phone (for friends/girls I meet along the way who are all going to have cell phones, but some business calls back to the states could be on Skype or Vonage -- would a Blackberry be best, overall)?

Thanks!

~ zyn

Hi Zyn,

Your trip sounds wonderful - you are starting off in my favourite country Argentina, a country very close to my heart and the country I now live in. Jan-Mar is high season here and the weather is great. Buenos Aires is extremely hot and humid at this time of year, so you wil need air-conditioning. Saying that, most Argentines ran away from BA at this time of year and Mar del Plata, 250 miles south of BA on the Atlantic ocean is where most of them run to and this is where I now live with my family. We are originally from London.

At this time of year, Mar del Plata buzzes and is full of nightlife, which starts around 2 am and finishes around breakfast time. My son normally gets home about 6.30 am and this is considered early. The beaches are very friendly and family orientated and you have the choice of public, semi-public and private beaches. This city is also great for water sports as everything is availabe. There is also a port, a private marina and an airport connecting Mar del Plata to BA.

With US$3000 a month (9000 pesos approx.) you can live like a king in Argentina. A doctor earns about 6000 pesos a month and a teacher about 1000 pesos a month.

You will find everything extremely cheap, especially in Mar del Plata, as it is much cheaper than BA.

Please check out other threads regarding Argentina on this forum as I have been posting lots of information regarding Mar del Plata.

Please feel free to ask more questions.

Welcome to the forum!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome, zyn! What a great plan you have for 2008! One way to keep your budget down is to go to less expensive countries, but they don't seem to be your target choices.

If you are looking for a place to move to permanently, you have to consider whether you will be able to get residency. Unfortunately, you can't just decide, for instance, that you want to move to Australia and go. They have to let you in.

Many less expensive countries such as Thailand and Malaysia have very good and reliable internet services. If you are traveling with a laptop, and needing to work on web sites, you want not just good internet service, but free internet service, usually wi-fi. In some countries internet cafes are very expensive, and even if they aren't, you can burn through a lot of money just putting in a good solid day's work.

Hi

I am Suzie from Malaysia. If you need any help when you are in this part of the WORLD let me know. You can contact me on my Skype ID: andrew.kn.lee

Cheerio

Suzie Deb