and how it went from studying to traveling with only a backpack
I am nervous. Really nervous. Well, not as nervous as I was when I went to Canada. Back than it was my first time being away from my family and my home. Even the first time flying and visiting a country outside of Europe.
It was 2022. I was 21 and didn’t know about anything. I can remember, I was so scared of taking something with me, like in the airplane, that is illegal in Canada. Hahaha, when I think about it know that was absolutely unfounded. Everything went very well and I’ve had an amazing time in Canada. However, I lost a piece of my heat there. When I was in Canada, I’ve never been happier in my entire life. Canadiens are so nice, welcoming and love to talk. I am not a shy person but I usually don’t start a conversation by myself. For me it was therefore quite convenient and over the time I felt more comfortable starting a conversation. I have changed a lot during the time I lived there and I like these changes very much. I am braver, more spontaneous, like quite, relaxed and peaceful day more, enjoy slow traveling and I am more comfortable and confident in myself.
Now, I am just scared I forget something. I don’t visit just one country with a host family waiting for me and everything is already set up for me by an agency. This time it is all on me. I have to make sure I have the visas I need, the flights booked, the hostels/hotels, volunteer options, jobs, transportation, all the informations about entry requirements and political relationships between the different countries. I started planning in February 2024 but I couldn’t do much except booking a flight. So I booked one to Busan.
Back than, I was sure I will study for one year in Busan. I would have liked that but it is so expensive. I would have had to pay everything in advance and one year with accommodation is about 8.935.275,48 ₩ (6000€). I would have not been allowed to work until the second term and the 2 level of my Korean. After I finished, there is nothing I can do with that, like no profession at all. I only have a certificate, well and the ability of speaking Korean. 6000€ is a lot of money and spending that for literally just a certificate is too much. Therefore, I decided to use the money I saved for that study and travel instead. I don’t know if it was a smart move or not but that’s gonna be a problem for the future me.
My next thought was, I would be already in Asia and Asia is like Europe. All the countries are so close and it is very easy to get around. The flight to Busan was expensive and I don’t have a flight back yet. So why not just continue to travel. I looked into other countries and places I wanted to see. There was China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal,… . I just continued planning and researching. I found out I don’t need a visa for so many countries. Until the end of 2024, German citizens can stay in South Korea for tourist purposes for up to 90 days visa free (no K-eta needed), 90 days visa free entry for Taiwan, 15 days visa free entry for China and I got the work and travel visa for Japan. Btw it is completely free and takes only a couple of weeks until approval. At first I was planning to stay in Asia for only one year in total and now, I plan to travel for almost 2 years.
Then there is the problem with money. I am not rich by any means and I also don’t have a job I can do everywhere but traveling is expensive. People who say something else lie. It is expensive but trying to find places to stay for free and budgeting is always a good start. I did the first and signed up for two different apps. Worldpacker and Workaway.
Worldpacker is amazing for finding volunteer jobs. So basically you work and can stay there for free. Most of the organizations offer at least one meal a day. Volunteering can be anything like farming, house sitting, babysitting, housekeeping, in hospitality, teaching,… Some of them are only a couple of weeks others you can do for a couple of months.
Workaway is better if you are looking for paid jobs. Both apps are very similar in terms of use but also very different in what you will find there. When I was looking for something in South Korea, I’ve had better options on Worldpacker but I couldn’t find anything good for Japan. For Japan I found a very nice paid job on Workaway. It really depends on what you are looking for.
Every time I sit down on my computer and start researching a bit more and planning a bit more, I get so excited for what is to come. I know that not everything will work out and I can’t see everything I want to but that is okay. I will be here for quite some time and I always can come back.