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London Zoo: Travelers! How do you do it?

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    • CommentAuthorBankara
    • CommentTimeSep 22nd 2011
     (10229.21)
    Also, if you are gonna crash in your car church parking lots are a good place to do it. They are far less likely to call the cops on you.
  2.  (10229.22)
    I have many regrets in life. But nearly all of them are about things I didn't do, not things I did.
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      CommentAuthortaphead
    • CommentTimeSep 22nd 2011
     (10229.23)
    ^THAT
    • CommentAuthorallana
    • CommentTimeSep 22nd 2011
     (10229.24)
    Man, I am tantalized by the idea of being able to carry a pocket bike around on my back. I met two ladies in Cuba who said it was 50 bucks to bring their bikes on the plane, which I guess isn't so bad.
  5.  (10229.25)
    Going to teach in Japan would put that on hold and would make it more difficult to find a job if I decided to go back to the US later


    If you want to do a year of whoring and drinking to get over your relationship, go to Korea. It's a shithole of a place to work, but it is a wonderful vacation from life.

    If teaching is just a way for you to stay in Japan for an extended period... Well it's hard to get in. Most places want you to have a work visa already so you'll be competing with people like me. And you'll probably be teaching all over the region you live in so a car is needed. Also your boss may help you get a place to live, but you're pretty much on your own in that regard.

    Japan isn't much of a short term option.
    • CommentAuthortcatsninfan
    • CommentTimeSep 23rd 2011 edited
     (10229.26)
    Japan isn't much of a short term option.

    I probably should have elaborated on my "coming back to the US later" statement. I was referring more to a couple years down the road, not 6 months or something like that.

    I know it's unrealistic to go teach in Japan and expect to stay there the rest of your life. Some people do that, of course, but the vast majority teach for a couple of years and then go back home. I'm under the assumption I'd do the same, but if I stayed there a few years I'd then be in my 30's and would be competing for jobs with people who have established careers once I came back to the US.

    I don't really feel the urge to do much whoring...drinking yes, but I drank even before my wife and I split. 98% of me doesn't have any hard feelings about her leaving...it is what it is and I hope she's happy.

    No, teaching in Japan is something I've been contemplating for years. It's just that I was with her and, like I said, I got the distinct impression she'd fall to pieces if she was away from her family for a year or more at a time. I can't put any kind of expectation on it though--I may get there and realize I hate living there within a few months, or I may get there and feel the way I felt during my honeymoon and never want to leave. I won't know until I'm there...
  7.  (10229.27)
    @tcatninfan: You said, "I can't put any kind of expectation on it though--I may get there and realize I hate living there within a few months, or I may get there and feel the way I felt during my honeymoon and never want to leave. I won't know until I'm there..." And as the person who is usually warning people about expectations and experiences from short term travel not being completely real, I am thrilled to congratulate you on being smart enough to figure it out before you get there. And to tell you to go for it. And I am also of the opinion that established careers are a bit overrated.

    Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that your career is in teaching, and if you do any of the K-12 stuff, chances are you can live overseas and live very very well. The key is to teach at an international school, preferably in a country that isn't in the top 20 most popular countries to live in (and where the dollar is strong). You'll be teaching the kids of ambassadors, business people, sometimes missionaries, and always the really wealthy locals. And chances are you'll never have to clean your house, cook, or any of that sort of stuff again. Oh and did I mention the tailored clothes? Granted, that won't work in Japan (more popular country etc), but if there's anywhere else you'd like to live, or are considering options for later... seriously, if I was into teaching, that's how I'd do it.
    • CommentAuthorBankara
    • CommentTimeSep 23rd 2011
     (10229.28)
    I know it's unrealistic to go teach in Japan and expect to stay there the rest of your life. Some people do that, of course, but the vast majority teach for a couple of years and then go back home. I'm under the assumption I'd do the same, but if I stayed there a few years I'd then be in my 30's and would be competing for jobs with people who have established careers once I came back to the US.


    But who will you be competing with who has lived and worked in Japan? Experience FTW. Just sayin'...
  9.  (10229.29)
    @trini_naenae @Bankara

    Thanks so much for the feedback and support. I've got a lot of thinking to do but the idea is at least in the realm of possibility for me, which is great.

    To get back onto the topic of the thread, I'd say to pack an e-reader so that you'll have plenty of books to keep you busy. Also, depending on the fees it might be a good investment to rent an air card so that you'll always have the internets with your laptop. It's amazing how convenient that can be.
  10.  (10229.30)
    "Depending on the fees" is the key phrase there. Unless you get an air card in the country where you'll be travelling, international roaming charges will kill you.
  11.  (10229.31)
    I didn't even know what an air card was! How odd.

    Gosh, I'm loving this thread! Thank you everyone!
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      CommentAuthortaphead
    • CommentTimeSep 26th 2011
     (10229.32)
    So, I'm going to be touring North America next spring, and have no driver's license. My current plan, itinerary-wise, is NYC-Boston-Montreal-Toronto-Detroit-Chicago-???-Minneapolis-???-West Coast.

    1) In which cities should I play (improvised semi-ambient music) at those question marks?
    1.1) Head up north from Minneapolis and go through southern Canada to Vancouver?
    1.2) South, and then through Denver and Salt Lake City?

    2) How does one travel in Canada? (In the US I'll probably get one of those Greyhound cards that lets me travel as much as I like.)

    Any and all suggestions welcome. (Also, if someone is feeling particularly insane and feels like doing some driving...)
  13.  (10229.33)
    Between Minneapolis and Vancouver (either side of the border) you're not going to find many cities of the type you list for the first part of the trip. Calgary, Winnipeg... that's all that comes to mind. You visit that part of North America for the scenery, not the social life. :) I'm pretty sure there's still bus service, but the rides would be long. If you can afford it, going by rail for that leg would be a lot more comfortable. I don't do a lot of travelling these days, but a good resource (that I try to contribute to when I can) is Wikitravel: http://wikitravel.org
    • CommentAuthorallana
    • CommentTimeSep 26th 2011
     (10229.34)
    Risto, do you have my email address? I'll message you on Flickr. I can hook you up with a show/booker in Toronto, if you're not already on track for that. I can query for other Canadian cities as well.
    The go-anywhere Greyhound ticket has an international option for, as far as I know, the same price. I did it and it was good.
    Cross-Canada from Toronto to Vancouver is just over three days of bussing. Montreal would be another, uh, eight hours? Six? The schedules aren't frequent, so if you plan on sleeping on the bus and touring during the day, you'll have to plan it just so. But I've done the Tor-Van stretch at least five times now and the small towns are the BEST. I went by car across northern Montana/Washington and it was equally pretty/desolate/striking/funny.
  15.  (10229.35)
    Come visit me! Tourists invade my area every summer for a reason, and if you're curious about the Finns in the area, I can show you around those places too. I live north of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) and you can take a bus to Duluth/Superior and get picked up there. If you're interested in that, send me a message via twitter or flickr or something.

    Though if you can get a driver's licence and a car, you'll have much much more freedom. Though Greyhound and Amtrack do cover quite a bit. I think for California, you go down the coast or the valleys down the center of it, but there tends to be mountains in between, so you might find yourself backtracking at some points. And you'll need a car or a friend with a car to get you to a lot of the National Parks. Which if you don't visit I might feel very very sad for you because you'll be missing out in a serious way. I can also tell you about cool stuff to check out in Central California (which I consider Bakersfield to be the south end and the Bay Area to be the north end).
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      CommentAuthortaphead
    • CommentTimeSep 26th 2011 edited
     (10229.36)
    @allana - Excellent, thankee! My email (should) be visible on my account page here, too, but Flickr is good, too.

    And a big damn YES for meetups. I'll have to see where my route takes me; this will also probably limit my sightseeing quite a bit, but we'll see. I do know that I will definitely be playing in the Twin Cities.

    The preliminary plan is to take buses in the daytime if the distance between cities is less than 6 hours or so, and then crash on someone's couch or somesuch. If the distance is longer, I'll have a day off and then take a night bus to the next city.

    EDIT: Oh! And for me the venues really don't have to be anything spectacular. I'm happy to play libraries/cafes/galleries/livingrooms, as long as the audience is suitably receptive.
  17.  (10229.37)
    @taphead - my life is crazy, so I can't promise to actually be available when you're there but feel free give me a shout when you're in Boston. In an ideal world I'd be able to ply you with beer if nothing else. That or a heartfelt apology for blowing you off.
  18.  (10229.38)
    @taphead I can get you connected with some people in the Fresno/Central Valley music scene, if you're going through there, and I can give you info for a couple venues where I live as well, and etc. I'll send you a message via flickr or something if you're interested.
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      CommentAuthortaphead
    • CommentTimeSep 29th 2011
     (10229.39)
    @trini - That'd be rather awesome, as the west coast is another huge question mark outside the obvious strongholds (Seattle, Portland, the Bay Area).

    Also! If anyone here has experience in acquiring a performer visa for the US, let me know. I wasn't expecting this hassle, especially since my audiences are likely to be very small... 300 bucks and I'd have to know the dates at leasy 120 days in advance? Yikes.

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