Work Your Way Around the World [Paperback]

This book changed my life.

It showed me one doesn't have to follow the route of college, then graduation, then job for life. I bought this book, then worked for three years in London, Spain, and Cairo in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I supported myself and even managed to save money.

While personally enriching, my experiences have impressed -- bar none -- every employer with whom I have interviewed over the past seven years.

Had I not taken time off, I'd be like many other adults who regret not taking advantage of their youth and lack of committments to explore the world and themselves.

If you have any desire to explore, do yourself a favor -- buy the book, then buy your plane ticket.

While this book is written from a British perspective, it is an excellent guide for anyone who wants to travel around the world on limited funds. The author relies on "been there done that" travelers to supply information and anecdotes from the road and I can vouch from experience that those nuggets show up in revised editions.

I bought this book before my first trip around the world and it led to my first English teaching job--in Istanbul, Turkey. (Griffith's Teaching English Abroad title is a good guide for the teaching path specifically). This is also a good book to read when deciding what you're NOT willing to do. Comparing some of these jobs to working another few months at home instead to save more money puts things in perspective.

Understand that this is a guide to short-term work opportunities, so it does focus on ways to make enough to get to the next destination. It's not an international career guide, but rather an inside scoop on where to get paid while you travel. It's an entertaining read and a good investment for shoestring travelers.

Tim Leffel
author, The World's Cheapest Destinations

Well, I'm one of those Americans who has been there, done that and still doing it...and it wasn't because of this book.

More than years ago when I first went to Europe with the intention of finding work, short-term or long-term, my brother's girlfriend gave me this book as a gift because she found it useful. Let me say right off that I had no clue about traveling abroad or what was possible, even in a pre-9/11 world. But it seemed to me that the book concentrated heavily on Brits and Europeans and gave mostly common sense advice I could glean from my head (or a friend or successful expat, if I was clueless) and come up with the same or better info if I searched the Internet; plus, the author is an EU citizen, so what first hand experience does she really have in regards to non-EU citizens? The updated version hasn't changed much, and I'm puzzled by the fact it's in its 13th edition, when most people can find better and more current information online without spending a dime.

I'd also like to add that my brother's girlfriend (now ex) who loved this book, never found work abroad in her 5 years and told me I would never make it either. I told her I wasn't her, left the book behind and never saw it again. I first found a series of short-term jobs that I can only describe as experiences I can laugh about now. Then I built a life from literally nothing that has led to living and working in Europe for more than 10 years (and counting).

It is true that Americans have a more difficult time finding work in Europe simply because of EU citizenship requirements AND the world has changed significantly in that there are an abundance of Eastern European workers willing to work for cheaper than Americans/Canadians/Australians would and they're legal EU citizens. Still, showing up at the right time (and there ARE right times) and looking a certain way will more likely get you a summer job than sending a CV/resume, making calls or wasting time on placing ads or trolling forums. I don't know any employer who has hired anyone on paper or over the phone, even if you're already here in the country.

My best friend was placed in Poland, well-paid and provided housing for 2 years teaching English without any experience, certification or previous interview. He had a great time. The next year, he took a stint in Turkey during his vacation under the same circumstances. There are also plenty of opportunities, different and sometimes better, in very beautiful places outside of Europe. Another friend landed in South America with no intentions of staying and worked there happily for 3 years, learned to speak Spanish, gained experience that gave him an advantage in his flourishing career now located in Washington DC.

Aside from Europe, there are very strict requirements in place in Asia and Africa as well. Even those seeking to skirt permit and work authorization for those continents via dual citizenship may find the requirements quite difficult. In short, you cannot simply work your way around the world even illegally, never mind legally, because of upped security measures and economic recession.

Buying and reading this book, however helpful it is in small ways, is not enough. Sometimes, an adventurous attitude, thirst for experience and willingness isn't enough...sometimes it's just lady luck smiling on you. In some countries, it's strictly about connections.

I'm sorry I can't be more positive because I know it's tough to write a book and there are people out there searching for some assistance. But I think it's equally important to be honest.

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