Living abroad

[usmccharles]

One thing I am regretting in my life so far is not traveling enough, or for that matter, anywhere.  Now, I don't have the finances to live a 'baller' lifestyle while traveling, but next may I will become debt free and I receive around $700 a month of non taxable income for the rest of my life, I would like to take advantage of that.  I have researched this before, when I was getting out of the Marines I looked at moving to an Asian country because the exchange rate is well in our favor, I gave up on that just to hang out with friends and family.  Here are some places I have looked at and the costs for 1 bedrooms, just to get an idea.  I would like to stay tropical, but obviously most of those places are more expensive. 

1. Belize

2. Vietnam

3. Nepal

4. Thailand

5. Philippines

6. New Zealand

7. Ireland- I really want to go here, but the cost of living isn't in my favor

8. Costa Rica

Now, im not exactly sure how Visas work.  Tourist, work, living...etc...So that's what im reading about at the moment.  As anyone had any experience backpacking? I think I started a thread awhile back but didn't see it.  I was wondering how it works when you want to travel  country to country.  Say I get the appropriate visa to go to New Zealand, but then want to check out Ireland, if I had a tourist visa to being with do I need to keep getting another one?

Also, because I have the GI Bill from my time in the Marines, I can collect a housing allowance of $1,600 to go to school in a foreign country. 

Any suggestions on countries to research, websites, etc would be appreciated

 

Edited June 15, 2016 by usmccharles

[Inqui]

I'm not an expert by any stretch, but I just got back from the UK and didn't have any problem with paperwork (didn't need a visa or anything) so I'd imagine Ireland is the same - I know the Republic of Ireland is different from the north but I wouldn't be surprised if their visitor regulations were similar. I think you'd need to get something for every country you plan to visit (so a relevant NZ visa if needed, and one for Ireland, and so on), but exactly what you need would depend on what you're planning on doing or how long you're staying.

Honestly, I know people make jokes about them but I'd say just go to a travel agent. Someone I know recently had a miserable (and not to mention expensive) time trying to get into the US because (like a noob) she didn't know you needed to get an ESTA (a visa waiver) to enter the country because she did everything online. On the other hand, I went through a travel agent and the worst I had was a security guard at LAX trying to make small talk with me while barking out orders. I'm sure someone will correct me, but as far as I know the US is the only country to require that kind of waiver as a minimum for everyone - but a travel agent generally knows these things. Come to think of it, I remember getting handed a piece of paper before I left for the UK that had a brief list of things you need before heading to certain places. I'll see if I still have it.

Also, in my impartial opinion New Zealand is a great time.  Let me know closer to the time and I'll try to get you a list of places worth visiting.

[darklight1216]

The title of this thread is living abroad, but the contents of the original post suggest that you want to visit a few countries first. If my understanding is correct then I can answer a couple of these questions. Tourist visas work differently depending upon the country. To visit some places you need to obtain a visa before your departure and, if you are approved, the visa may allow you stay in the country for a a period of time that may be a month to multiple years. Russia for instance has a 3 year multiple entry/exit visa that can be obtained. It all depends upon the country and type of visa (tourist, student, work etc).

Some visas require lots of paperwork or perhaps even background checks while others are exceeding easy. Egypt (for the time being) allows US citizens to purchase tourist visas at the (Egyptian) airport for 25 USD. You don't have to do anything state-side except get your passport.

Visit the US Dept of State's website: travel.state.gov for information on international travel for US passport holders.

As far as going from country to country: again it depends upon the laws of each nation. US citizens may visit any country in the Schengen Zone of Western Europe without a visa for 90 days within a 180 day period. If you want to country-hop between France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Estonia and several more countries you don't have to worry about a tourist visa a long as you do it within the allowed time. So, while I don't know anything about entering New Zealand, if you go there you can fly to Ireland without getting a visa for Ireland. But if you want to check out the Pyramids of Giza after you leave Dublin, you're going to have to buy a 30 day visa once you land.

NomadicMatt.com is very useful for travel tips. I highly recommend the website and his book: How to Travel the World for 50 Dollars a Day.

Judging from your list of countries, you might want to google Cambodia's Angor Wat and see if it piques your interest.