I saved up a lot of money. If that's not an option, you can do work trades or work along the way. I've met a lot of people who worked at a hostel in exchange for food and lodging. You can often get work as a waiter or bartender in touristy areas. I've seen people selling jewelry to tourists. I worked as a divemaster leading dives in Honduras for a few months. Dive instructors make more, of course. I lived in the divemaster house in back of the shop and paid $2.50 a night for my room, and used the kitchen and bathroom provided there for hotel guests, and got my water from the dive center office. You can also WOOF it and work on a farm. The farm I worked/stayed at (www.puntamona.org) in Costa Rica had work trades, and some of the staff members staying longer there earned a small salary every month. Good luck!

Re: managing the home while away - there is a similar thread on the ALL ABOUT TRAVEL tribe.

gotravel.tribe.net/thread/9...dc8b0a498

Good luck - sounds fun!

There's a great book by Susan Griffith called "Work Your Way Around the World." It was great advice that got me into the right mindset for stretching my dollars (and rupees, and shekels, and...). I worked and traveled my way across Asia for seven months, and I loved it. Lots of people have gone for much longer by working here and there.

A responsible property manager will be able to email you overseas and tell you if any problems come up with your renters. You'll have internet access most anywhere, so you can log on to your bank account and send the manager any money that he/she needs for repairs.

I'd be happy to share more details of how I did it; message me. Or I'll post it here.

I would suggest that you get a job at one of the military installations overseas. usajobs. You would be amazed at what is available from time to time. The DOD as school teacher/fireman positions etc... If you are a government worker you get a car/truck shipped for free and can buy gas on the installations at US prices. They also provide you a place to live. Maybe not a wonderful solution but your off time is yours. Basing yourself out of Germany would get you access to most of Europe via rail. Out of Sicily or Naples most of Northern Africa/Europe and there are bases in Japan etc... Then I would get a small tent and backpack and get to know where the hostels are. You could also check out couch surfing etc..

As for your house I would go with a real estate company to rent it but do not expect to make any money on it and do expect some damage when you return most renters do not take care of your property when you are not in the local area.

As for seeing the US nothing beats CSX or driving a big rig. My first year I made over $30,000 and saw almost everything I wanted to and a few treasures that I stumbled on and simply didn't know were there. Good Luck!

House-sitting for friends has helped me pay for lots of trips. If you have someone who is available that you trust who can take care of your place - this is to your advantage. Whenever I house-sit, I do not allow guests over and absolutely no parties!!! Be sure to have a secure place to store your car (if you have one) and keep it up on blocks if you can. I just got a card from HI (Hostelling International) - travel insurance is included with the membership and they have an upgrade that you can also purchase. I like to store digital copies of my travel documents and itineraties in my hushmail account. PassportSupport.com is also a good site for storing private documents you may need access to while travelling.

What I've done is simplify big time. I sold a decent car and bought an old Honda so I don't have a car payment and my insurance is quite low. I went back to rooming with people so my rent and utilities are cheap. My car gets decent mileage and I found a living situation close to work so I don't have to fill my tank often.
I eat cheaply (with occasional splurges, just like while traveling) and eat simple, nutritious meals.
I sold a lot of stuff that I just had laying around and just never did anything with.

This way, I can work for a year to pay for 6 months of travel. Of course, that's 6 months in Southeast Asia, not expensive places like Japan or Europe.

It's also worth looking into any kind of telecommuting you can find. If you have a decent laptop and can get your income from online work, then you can work from almost anywhere.

There are two books that share a great deal on how to prepare for and achieve long term travel: <a href="VAgabonding</a." title="www.amazon.com/Vagabondin...pd_bbs_sr_1">www.amazon.com/Vagabondin...pd_bbs_sr_1 and <a href="The" title="www.amazon.com/World-Awai...itle_4">The">www.amazon.com/World-Awai...itle_4">The World Awaits</a>

I've found both of those books to be amazing resources. Hope this helps!

good lookin' guy like you - rich chick!