Two Programs that Offer English-Speaking Volunteers Full Room and Board

By Stephen Bugno

An evening of jamon and vino tinto at Pueblo Ingles

I’m almost as exhausted as they are, but somehow they keep going. This is supposed to be easy for me, right? English is my native language.

They sun is about to set in our small “English Village” but the Spaniards stay positive, excited, and focused despite the long day. We are far from the urban expanse of Madrid, four hours by bus in the sparsely populated region of Extremadura. We are a group of English speakers volunteering at Pueblo Ingles for a week.

Free Room and Board for Speaking English?

That’s right. At either Pueblo Ingles or Vaughan Town, (two different companies that run similar English immersion programs for Spaniards) volunteering as an Anglo-speaker gets you a free week in rural Spain. But it’s much more than that. It’s a great opportunity to meet and form close relationships with Spanish people in a surprisingly short period of time.

It’s also a great way to extend your travels, add something different to your usual holiday, or just save some money on your expensive European vacation. But most of all, it’s an opportunity to do something out of the ordinary in our modern age of fast-paced living and working and just sit down and have a conversation. Well…have lots of conversations, actually.

The Model

in the village of La Alberca

So here’s the concept: pair about 20 Spaniards with 20 native English speakers in a village in rural Spain. Live together, eat together, and speak together about 14 hours a day. It’s exhausting, yes, but universal agreement in the success among the much-improved English of the Spaniards and the satisfaction of happily enriched Anglos.

The core of the program is the one-to-one sessions. During these 50-minute blocks, pairs have the opportunity to stretch past simple and superficial chats. You can sit and drink coffee or go for slow walks. After only five full days, it’s remarkable how open and close everyone becomes, not only with the Spaniards, but even with the other English speakers which come from a diverse range of countries including the U.K., Ireland, Canada, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand just to name a few.

Besides the one-to-ones, pairs sometimes join up to form groups of four to discuss issues or solve mock problems. In addition, an hour a day is devoted to various entertainments. There’s even a special program one of the nights.

Requirements for Volunteers

Spaniards at Pueblo Ingles

Basically, Anglo volunteers need to be native speakers and have enough life experiences to keep them talking for up to 14 hours per day. They must also pledge that not a word of Spanish will be spoken by them the entire week; a promise that is taken seriously. An English-only environment is crucial to the success of the program.

Volunteers are offered a nice, private room and three meals a day in a beautiful rural setting in the Spanish countryside. Volunteers are required to take care of their own travel expenses to and from Spain and for accommodation before and after the program. Pueblo Ingles runs a seven-day course and Vaughan Town a five-day.

For More Information

Further information and applications can be found and filled out on-line at the VaughanTown or Pueblo Ingles websites. Programs run year round but most are available from June to September.

Stephen Bugno attended both Pueblo Ingles and Vaughn Town in the summer of 2008 and remained in Spain for another nine months teaching English. For more than a decade he has worked, volunteered, and traveled his way around the world. He blogs at BohemianTraveler.com

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2. Ask GoMad Nomad: Little money, still want to travel
3. Volunteer in a Himalayan Village in Nepal

By Scott Homan

Traveling abroad for roughly the last decade has often included visiting internet cafes in even the most remote locations. Usually built for locals, they also serve as a connection home for vagabonds. But a new trend has emerged worldwide as people are increasingly traveling with portable wireless devices and computers. The latest are the eight to eleven inch laptops referred to as mini laptops or netbooks. They often weigh less than three pounds (1.5kg) and some boast a six to ten hour battery life and a surprisingly low price tag.

The last night in Munich before we all scattered around Europe. Photo credit: Jenn Vargas

Bringing a netbook is becoming more common. Depending on the hostel, somewhere between 10% and 20% of backpackers are now carrying one. A number of travelers, including myself, even bought one while traveling. What makes toting a netbook such a great idea is the ever increasing availability of free or inexpensive WIFI in public places, hostels, hotels and cafes.

Whether you’re off for a couple of weeks or gone for a full year with an around-the-world ticket, traveling today involves computers of some kind. Having a PC can make traveling an extension of a person’s real life instead of a temporary diversion. A netbook provides entertainment, escapism, and makes you more accessible to family and friends. But more importantly, it allows you the ability to work remotely, keep you on the road longer, and a place to journal. In addition, it is a reliable and virus-free place to backup photos, prepare blog updates offline, do research, change and update your iPod/mp3 player, download applications and videos, watch videos, edit photos, and share photos, music and videos with new friends. You will save money by not paying for use of a public PC, there is no line and no pressure to log off or a closing time and it’s very easy to skype home and talk as long as you would like.

All of the above are what we now consider normal in day-to-day life, however we are traveling to experience something new and interesting. This connected world of ours may distract us from conversations with others or time spent exploring and taking in a new environment and culture. As it does at home, hours can quickly evaporate that could be better spent escaping from our super-connected life. Other possible negatives include the added weight and the additional risk that involves carrying another valuable gadget. Your netbook will also gain in value as you use it to backup photos and videos, and draws attention from those who may be inclined to steal.  It’s a regular business in places to rob backpackers. Your cash and laptop are goldmines. It’s important to try and keep it concealed or at least out of sight when it’s not being used.

After buying my netbook, I attempted to eliminate some of my things in an effort rid my pack of an equivalent amount of weight. It can potentially replace books, but I find that I don’t really enjoy reading from a screen like I do printed pages even though I’ve already downloaded a dozen books in PDF format that I’d love to read. I did however get rid of four of my eight printed books (I’m a little ridiculous) and a few magazines I had accumulated. Now I no longer need the second larger iPod that I brought to back up photos.

It is possible to do a lot of the above with public computers as we’ve all been doing during the last decade. But this can be frustrating. For instance, I love to write while traveling and that can be done electronically without lugging a PC. My blackberry has served me well to type on but I have found no way to get the text files off of the phone without a data plan. A number of backpackers I met used their iPhones to stay connected and to write on. Most companies will send you the un-lock codes for whatever phone you have simply if you ask them before your trip.

I used various PCs for a few hours per week during the first four months of my Latin American trip. Using online services can work well, such as auto-saving blogs at www.blogger.com, writing a draft with your web-based email, or using online word processing systems like Google Docs. I have found that I’m often nowhere near a public PC when I feel like writing. When a PC is free to use in a hostel there is usually a 15 to 30 minute limit and a line which is a strange and unwelcome time pressure. In internet cafes there is also a time pressure from the cost and the business closing time. Needless to say I have a lot of unfinished writing saved in various places.

For most of us, connecting with family and friends is the primary reason for getting online and often takes the most time. An important part of this is connectivity for portable devices like memory cards to upload and back up photos while on the road. PC’s found in internet cafes are often old, slow and lack good connectivity and sometimes ridden with viruses making them a pain to use. I’ve had two different computers blue screen on me while online. It can take minutes to load a web-page and hours to upload a few photos in some places and to protect from viruses they may have the option blocked completely. Most internet cafes are equipped to use Skype and there is usually at least one headset that works OK. Uploading photos and surfing the web is possible but often agonizingly slow.

To protect your new investment I stumbled onto a relatively inexpensive option that works quite well. Travel Insurance often costs $700 or more per year including medical, theft, and transport back to your home country. If you’re like me and willing to hedge your bets on the amazing phenomenon of free (or inexpensive) health care in third world countries, but are still concerned with theft, you’ll find renter’s insurance for just over $100 per year to cover that risk. Most insurance companies have an inexpensive option for renters. It usually covers at a minimum $15,000 worth of goods and it is of no importance to them where on earth your insured things are, even if they’re strapped to your back in a sketchy area somewhere in a country that ends in STAN.

Don’t forget to bring a lock and use the provided lockers in your hostel. Most places where you pay to sleep are more than happy to store some or all of your things in a more secure area when you feel the need. Also you can add at least one person to your renters insurance free of charge which is great for your travel friend or for a couple.

For me, the three pound PC, long battery life and $350 price tag were just the right combination to make the leap and start toting this thing along. But depending on your style, a few hours here and there at a cafe and writing with a pen and journal may be all you need to make your trip a connected and fulfilling one.

Scott Homan has traveled extensively through Latin America and Europe in the last six years with thirty countries under his belt. An avid hiker and snowboarder, he seeks out national parks and mountains wherever they may lie and loves the unique cultural variation of every locale. For the search, the change and the challenge he’s lived in various states east coast and west, as well as in Spain and Ecuador.  Originally from rural Wisconsin, he enjoys the Rockies of Colorado from a base in Boulder when not traveling.

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By Stephen Bugno

Sailing with my couch surfing host in La Rochelle, France

I want to address the fact that, although GoMad Nomad readership is primarily budget, independent travelers, they are NOT all broke twenty-somethings. So I want to talk about the Couch Surfing Project, and how it’s for all ages. It is, however, only applicable for people who are interested in meeting other people.

Am I not too old for this?

No, you aren’t too old. Although only 3% of couch surfers worldwide are between the ages of 50 and 69 (72% are between the ages of 18 and 29) it still adds up to 48,000 participants over 50, as the total number of worldwide couch surfers is almost 1.7 million. And with 75% knowing English, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a host whom you can communicate with.  When you perform a search looking for a host, you are able to narrow your search by age or gender. And if you are reading this post, you are computer savvy enough to register for couch surfing and fill out your profile.

But I don’t like sleeping on couches

The second issue: sleeping on couches. After three years couch surfing around the world, I’ve only slept on actual couches a few times. Sometimes I’ve had my own bed, my own room, and I’ve heard stories of couch surfers having their own house! In Amman, Jordan, our host put a friend and me in a new, furniture-less apartment he hadn’t moved into yet. Every situation is unique. When reading a person’s profile, you’ll be able to see what kind of accommodation they are offering: futon in a private room, sharing a bed in their bedroom, or whatever the case maybe.

What do I owe my host?

couch surfing in the Welsh countryside

You aren’t required to give your host anything. And they are not expecting any remittance. You may want to show up with a bottle of wine, treat them to dinner or a drink, or cook for them. There have been certain times traveling when I was financially inadequate and could only offer my in-kind contribution of making their house/apartment cleaner than I found it.

On the other end of the spectrum, you shouldn’t expect anything of your guests except common courtesies and respect of your living space and lifestyle.

Do I have to host?

You don’t have to host visitors, you can only host, you can do both. It’s up to you. You are able to set your status on your profile. If you can’t host, just change your profile to “no”, “meet for coffee or a drink”, or “traveling at the moment”

I prefer to sleep in hotels

Fine. Stay at a hotel. Couch surfing is still useful for you. You have the option of searching people who can’t host or would just like to meet up. I’ve met a guy in Tomar, Portugal for a coffee, several couch surfers in Stockholm for evening drinks, and spent the entire São João festival in Oporto, Portugal with a couch surfing group meetup.  In Bordeaux, France a young Bordelais lead me around the mostly 18^th century city, for a tour. The possibilities are endless. Maybe you want to do a language exchange or meet people to play music; just include that in your search terms. I know of a blacksmith and a bookbinder who recently left for Europe looking for Europeans who did similar work. I suggested couch surfing to them. Register, fill out your profile including a picture, set your status, and start surfing.

Will I save money by couch surfing?

Couch surfing may save you money. But do not use couch surfing only because you want to save money. Most of the time your host will introduce you to friends and you may go out for the evening and spend more money than you planned. Couch surfing is about meeting people, connecting, sharing similarities, celebrating differences, learning, enjoying life. If you couch surf in a place like Olso, Norway or Tokyo, Japan, you are bound to save money. But use couch surfing with the intention of meeting new people.

Is it safe?

There are some checks in place in order to make couch surfing as safe as it can be, namely an identity check and location verification. Listed on a person’s profile are the references that every couch surfing member can leave after meeting, hosting, or surfing with another member. There is also a vouching system in place. In almost 50 couch surfing experiences, I haven’t had one that I would consider not safe.

Give it a try

Couch surfing has enabled me to meet some amazing people and have experiences I wouldn’t have had otherwise.  I’ve sailed with a host who is a skipper in La Rochelle, France and stayed in a hamlet in the Welsh countryside. And you don’t always end up with a host from the country you’re visiting, which can really add spice to your travels. I’ve stayed with a New Zealander in London, a Brazilian in Portugal, an American in Syria, and a Hungarian in Berlin.

I’m not the type of traveler who can show up in a strange city, pop into a bar and walk out with five friends two hours later. Couch Surfing helps me have a new friend in town the moment I arrive.

CouchSurfing is an international non-profit network that connects travelers with locals in over 230 countries and territories around the world. Since 2004, members have been using the system to come together for cultural exchange, friendship, and learning experiences. Today, over a million people who might otherwise never meet are able to share hospitality and cultural understanding.

Stephen Bugno has couchsurfed his way through Europe and beyond simply to see how people are living. His writing has appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Seattle Times, and Transitions Abroad magazine. He blogs at: Blog of a Modern Nomad

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By Scott Homan

In the San Blas Islands Photo credit: Noam Fein

When planning your trip between Central and South America, whether you’re a backpacker or a luggage puller, Darien National Park must be discussed and crossed. The Darien is an infamous stronghold of the Colombian revolutionary group, FARC, who have inhabited this national park region for more than three decades. Their presence is still a major threat to safety in the forms of extortion, kidnapping and death. It is not recommended to enter the area. Although there are groups and individuals who attempt to cross every year, the vast majority of travelers hedge their bets on boats and airplanes where kidnapping is not common and survival is the status quo–not a question mark.

A few ways to make the crossing

There are a number of ways to cross this region including direct Panama City to Cartagena flights or by a series of Kuna water taxis to the first border town. The option I chose was to sail from Panama to Colombia through the Caribbean Sea. The San Blas region consists of 385 protected tropical islands which are the highlight of this adventurous route. Visiting the San Blas on a tour costs roughly $150 from Panama City. Because sailing includes an intimate tour of the region, it can be an economical way to circumnavigate the Darien. These areas have a long history of Spanish and pirate influence; colonial fortifications with cannons exist as well as stories of Spanish conquest.

If you are traveling through Central America staying in hostels, undoubtedly you’ll run into some backpackers who’ve made this sailing trip. They’ll have a wide range of stories varying from their favorite all-time experience to a week of sea sickness during a storm. Not one person I talked to would have changed that segment of their trip and flown. It’s exciting to plan, makes memories that won’t soon fade and forges friendships in a way that is very different from even the most exceptional week in a hostel.

Sailing the Darien

A Kuna woman in the San Blas Islands Photo credit: Marc Veraart

Highlights for me included: jumping overboard and swimming to tropical sandy beaches; snorkeling and figuring out how to open fresh coconuts for a snack; getting dropped off in a strong current to snorkel and then getting picked up thirty minutes later down current; catching a shark for dinner; visiting local Kuna on their islands and observing their ways of life; cooking from midnight until 4:30 am chopping veggies and boiling noodles for the next three days of open water sailing in rougher seas; enjoying clear, starry nights on deck while everyone else is sleeping; watching flying fish buzzing over wave after wave and dolphins jumping and swimming on all sides of our boat, climbing up the mast ladder to help the captain navigate reefs based on water color changes, experiencing two days at sea feeling very small and then seeing land for the first time.

Organizing the sea voyage

Organizing the voyage south is very difficult to do without being in Panama City. There are three hostels where you can get all the information that you need to arrange your trip including photos of boats, details about the captain and the experience you should have if you sail with that captain: Hostal Mamallena, Luna’s Castle (in Panama City) and Hostal Wunderbar (located in Puerto Lindo on the Caribbean coast). For those of you who like to arrange things ahead of time, it is now possible to book a few weeks in advance online with Hostal Wunderbar. Making a deposit in person is the most secure way to guarantee a ride. At the reception they list the upcoming sailings, captain’s names, and how many spaces are left. Mamallena is the most helpful for organizing your trip.

The regular cost of sailing for five days and four or five nights is $375 to $400 including your deposit. On top of that you must pay for travel from the city to the port or island where the boat leaves: $4 bus ride or a $25 4×4 ride on rough roads into Kuna lands plus entrance to the park and a few dollars for a launch out to your ship.

Another way to find a boat is simply by making it known to people that you’re looking for a ride. I was actually on my way to catch a bus to Puerto Lindo to catch a last minute boat to Sapzuro which at the time seemed to be the only option due to the windy season starting and consequent rough seas. I bumped into a guy that was trying to assemble a crew leaving in two days for Cartagena, where I really wanted to go. His pitch sounded great, including beds for each passenger and three meals each day. He simply slept at Luna’s Castle and spread word about the trip. It seemed more natural and reminiscent of a method I thought had long evaporated decades or even centuries ago: times when a crew member headed out to bars and inns looking to assemble a crew for a voyage. I couldn’t pass it up.

A toucan in the San Blas Islands Photo credit: Marc Veraart

First person stories I’ve heard vary so widely that I have to mention some of the details here. Rave reviews loosely quoted include: gourmet meals twice a day of fresh caught seafood prepared by a French chef, great party and adventure atmosphere, a bed for each passenger, free beer, high quality snorkel gear and an impressive snorkel spot each day. Less rave and more rant which I heard more often: captain was drunk, hid our rum and tried to fight one of the guys, we were scared of him and there was no dingy so we had to swim to islands and other boats when we had the chance, the bathroom consisted of a pail strapped to the wall that was never dumped out, our crew of six defected to another boat with a sympathetic captain anchored nearby and demanded their money back.”

One crew ran out of fuel, and with no wind, no radio, adrift at sea with food supply dwindling, were put on water rations for a total of 11 days until the wind picked up and they made it to land. There are a few gripes that were unanimous with our crew: lack of cooked food and beds. This drew us closer together and we approached the captain with our issues. He, his first mate and others slept on deck to allow everyone a turn with the beds. We were thirteen on board with seven beds and cushions on the floor. Two people were left each night nearly sleepless or spooning a friend, not quite what any of us expected. The captain had our passports stamped for only 30 days. Most passengers get 60 to 90. In Colombia it costs $34 to renew for 30 more days.

These less than great experiences can mostly be avoided by asking the following questions before choosing a captain:

• How many people can the boat sleep comfortably?
• How many people will be aboard during the voyage?
• Is the kitchen self serve only or will there be a chef?
• Will there be sufficient snacks or should we bring our own?
• What types of alcohol will be aboard and what will the cost be?
• Are there sea sickness medications on board that I will be able to use?
• How long will the trip take?
• How many islands will the yacht stop at in San Blas?
• Are there any animals on board?
• What level of participation is expected or allowed by passengers?
• Also learn where the safety equipment is on-board and how to use it.

If traveling north from Colombia

When traveling from Colombia check with hostels in the Getsemani area of Cartagena such as: Hostal Real, La Casona De Getsemani, Media Luna, and Casa Vienna. Also get online and contact Mamallena or Hostal Wunderbar in Panama for help getting in contact with Captains. It is also worth going down to the marina and asking around about captains that sail to Panama. If you or the hostel staff call a captain they will often arrange a time to meet you.

The trade-winds pick up from December to February, making seas rough. Most captains won’t venture beyond Sapzuro at this time. In hindsight, this would likely be a more enjoyable trip, spending more time in the San Blas islands and less time on the open seas. Mid-December is also particularly busy due to the holidays, so try to plan around these times.

Bon Voyage!

Scott Homan has traveled extensively through Latin America and Europe in the last six years with thirty countries under his belt. An avid hiker and snowboarder, he seeks out national parks and mountains wherever they may lie and loves the unique cultural variation of every locale. For the search, the change and the challenge he’s lived in various states east coast and west, as well as in Spain and Ecuador.  Originally from rural Wisconsin, he enjoys the Rockies of Colorado from a base in Boulder when not traveling.

No related posts.

By Avery Sumner

I was never really interested in France or French, preferring to study a less bourgeois language like Spanish in school. Not that my language prejudice mattered, because like most Americans I never mastered a second language at all. Sure, I later got by hitchhiking in Cuba with my rudimentary Spanish, but I didn’t speak the language.

And then I married a guy from France. Not able to muster even a bonjour when we met, I knew almost nothing about his native land. The first thing I learned from the French class of our relationship was that regular people speak French too. It’s not a land full of intellectual, castle dwellers contemplating life under chandeliers as I’d snobbishly expected. Learning French in France turned out to be more interesting than any Spanish speaking situation I’d conjured up in my youth. The trouble is, learning any language is a sweaty, humbling endeavor. Which leads to my first piece of advice regarding learning French: start working on it now.

I thought being married to a native speaker meant I’d have an advantage. I was let down to discover you don’t learn French by speaking English to someone with a French accent. So I signed up for a French class at a community college with a professor who seemed to think learning verb conjugation for more tenses than time can possibly exist was the way to go. And so I decided I’d have to wait to learn French. Total immersion would be better for me. I don’t know why I believed living in France would cure my monolingual status. All I had to do was look around at the immigrant communities in my own country to know that a native language doesn’t just fall upon those residing in the land where it’s spoken.

But still, I thought, I’ll pick it up when I get there. I won’t bore you with the depressing story of my first year in France without a tongue. I’ll just tell you it was a dangerously low point in my life, completely self-inflicted. You simply can’t practice speaking with real, live French people when you don’t know any French to practice.

Becoming acclimated and motivated are the two benefits of immersion learning. I just wish I’d activated the motivation prior to moving to France. Instead of interacting with the people I’d crossed an ocean to talk to, I found myself spending a lot of time with my nose in a book, memorizing  je suis, tu es, il est, vous etes, nous sommes and ils sont. I could have done that anywhere, having a French backdrop didn’t aid at all really.

Village learning

I lived in a small village in Normandie where Anglophones are rare and cause for suspicion. I also had a zero budget for language studies. I planned on learning French from everyday people with self-study at home. My situation made things both harder and easier, almost always painful. I didn’t have the support of a school or class of foreigners nor did I have a community where English was at least a little bit understood. This forced me to practice any pathetic French I could produce. In comes the pain. Sometimes I just had to walk away mid-sentence from someone I otherwise would have liked to get to know. Read on if you’re interested in seeing how my approach turned out.

Keeping in check with my budget, I decided to find a way to trade for language lessons. I posted my request at bulletin boards in grocery stores, at our local library and other places where I thought I might find someone with similar interests. In my case, I left my announcement at our tiny natural food store where the proprietor ended up becoming my pseudo-agent. My notice read something like Je cherche un echange conversational Anglais/Francais. Je suis Americaine. Je suis prof de yoga, puis je propose un echange yoga/Francais aussi. Let it be known that I was not posting this notice next to other similar ads. My request for a conversation exchange was the only of it’s kind.

I also did a google search for petites annonces, the French term for classifieds and stumbled on www.vivastreet.fr. This is where my first conversation exchange was born. (Let me note here that there were only two other responses from this site: another American wondering if I’d had any luck with my ad and a young man who seemed a little too eager to come to my apartment.) The one good reply introduced me to a French woman who had lived in Boston for several years with her American husband and father to their two children. Of course I learned all this when she spoke in English, because my ability to understand or say anything in French beyond “I am American. I have brown hair.” was non-existent.

I quickly realized I needed more than conversation. So my natural food store agent gave my number to a young Latin and French teacher at the public school in town. I paid Armelle 30 euros for an hour-and-a-half of instruction on French grammar in French. But it was contact with someone outside of my apartment and that was worth the 30 euros. I think Armelle felt sorry for me because she invited me jogging with a friend of hers, and she took me to see the historic sites of the nearest big town. I’d already been there on my own but I feigned ignorance just to have the opportunity for company. I practiced more French on these free excursions than I did during our lessons.

Get a job

Armelle was great but she was expensive for an unemployed immigrant. No one else responded to the numerous ads I’d put up so I decided to try finding a job. Perhaps working would get me talking. I worked on my resume every day for a week, then took it to places in town I thought might need an English speaking guide or clerk.

I also took it to places I doubted needed my help but that I wanted an excuse to visit. In essence, I used my resume as a sort of letter of introduction, a way to explain my plight without having to talk. In that way I met the women at a horse stable. I did the math and realized I could pay for an hour of horseback riding with interesting women talking all around me or I could sit and study grammar with Armelle. I started working on ways to let her down easily in French.

At this point in my French sojourn I’d fostered a few acquaintances, but I was still really isolated. My job search proved fruitless in the way of a job. Most of my contact with others was at the market or in shops where exchanges were limited.  My husband was working full time and being French, didn’t really know how to reach out. He nicely hinted that perhaps my requests for conversation and my boldness in inviting near strangers over for a drink made local townspeople uneasy. I remember asking: “If you can’t talk to people you don’t know, how do you get to know people?” He still can’t give me an answer. His joke is that in France (at least the region where he comes from) you have to go to the same cafe every day for six months before the staff will acknowledge that they’ve seen you before. For someone living on the cheap, going out for coffee every day to sit alone with not even the promise of a French greeting just wasn’t an option.

Get creative: Assimil at the library

In the larger library of a neighboring town I found my preferred language program, Assimil, a huge selection of French movies (classic and current), dual language books in English and French, as well as lots of books on tape. If your library is too small, do check out the nearest city library. Be prepared to pay for your l’inscription, as libraries are one of the few things in France that aren’t free.

At my smaller local library I made use of the children’s section. I checked out children’s non-fiction books on subjects that interested me, as well as stories that were recorded. My favorite was called Au Revoir Blaireau and came with a CD of a woman reading the touching tale of an old badger coming to the end of his life. When the librarian noticed my books of choice she invited me to the children’s story hour where I sat amongst elementary school children listening to a rather talented woman tell stories about scary witches. It was humbling to realize that even the littlest amongst us were more advanced than I.

Get a hobby

Studying alone in my apartment with few outside distractions prompted me to find some more active hobbies in the area. The tourist office provided me with maps that showed day hikes or circuits traipsing all over the countryside. This was a perfect way to practice what I’d learned. My ability to get home by sundown depended on my understanding of written directions. My first day out was so satisfying that I’ve thought seriously about leading language tours that employ similar situations.

I had to study and figure, but I never spent time memorizing vocabulary. I learned it naturally and can still easily recall all the different verbs French uses to convey “turn left or right.” And there are many ways, as I learned that day. You can veer, you can follow, you can take, you can direct and you can do all of these things just before or after the little wooded area, field, meadow, pasture, bog, pond, lake, stream, creek, gate, fence, statue, enclosure, you name it.  Sometimes I would make inferences and then be facing a solid stone wall commenting on my glaring error. Me and the wall, no one else around to scorn or laugh at my mistakes. Save the sheep and horses whom I talked with in French. We discussed the trees I identified using my children’s book on les arbres.

Do something you already know

Another active approach I took was enrolling in a weekly yoga class. Being a trained yoga instructor, I could guess what the teacher was asking in French. Though yoga is a natural way to loosen up and pull out of the ego that keeps you nervous and stuttering, studying anything you already know, in French, might provide a similar experience.

In most French towns, big or small, there are numerous ways to participate in a group activity, cheaply if not free. The first place to go is la mairie, or city hall. They’ll tell you about all of les associations sportives. The options are wide-ranging. Our town had soccer, basketball, hiking, karate, swimming and much more. La Maison de la Jeunesse et de la Culture is also a place to look for ongoing activities. Our MJC offered things like painting, music, aerobics, yoga and family-oriented services like after school study hall and something I learned much later…French lessons for citizens who aren’t fluent.

And then there’s the Accueil des Villes Francaises which is a club whose mission is to welcome newcomers and educate them about the town’s services and attributes. I joined our AVF because they did a 15 km hike every other week and I thought it would be a great way to continue my kinesthetic language studies. It was interesting and enlightening but I still wonder if maybe I learned some old-fashioned expressions from my time with these senior citizens.

Six months into my rigorous self-study and community-member-want-to-be-act, I sulked over the fact that I was not yet fluent. I was frustrated and losing confidence more than gaining it. And then I got my first Carte de Sejour (similar to our green card) appointment. Having gone through the process with my husband in the US I wasn’t looking forward to this ordeal. To my surprise I was not given the run down on obligations at this appointment, rather I walked away with a binder full of resources, in it a list of government organizations devoted to seeing all foreigners fluent in French, most of them free.

Government organization for learning French

At first I couldn’t believe it. I mean, why would all of those expensive language schools exist if anyone could take classes for free in every department in France? I still don’t fully know the answer, but I do know one deterrent to these free lessons is the hassle. You do have to deal with the infamous French bureaucracy to sign up. It’s not easy to get clear answers on where and with whom one should talk. You’ll often get transferred to another person or office, or if in person, get a look like what you’re asking for doesn’t and never will exist. Get used to heavy exhaustive sighs. The reward is free French classes in France.

Not every organization is the same and I’m sure they all vary in each department. I tried several groups in my department and found the Groupement d’Etablissements pour la formation continue (GRETA) to suit me best. I’m not sure it was the organization so much as the luck of the particular teacher they had under contract. Her name was Nadia and she came from Russia, having studied French and linguistics. She married a Frenchman and knew all about feeling lost in a different culture. She was loud and animated, all that the French people I’d observed were not. I loved her, though I often came home with a headache after class.

We met Monday through Friday for three hours each morning. I was the only English speaker in the class, others coming from Tunisia, Algeria, Angola and Morocco. Though not the France I’d envisioned, this was France too, a side I felt lucky to witness so intimately. My husband will attest to the fact that my language ability increased by bounds during this course. I didn’t feel I was learning more than I could have with my library books and CD’s, but I did feel like I had somewhere important to be, and I felt surrounded by others with similar needs. I believe it was the support of that group that made the difference.

Immersion…but not total immersion

Immersion is surely the best way to learn a language, but total immersion can be isolating and even crippling. I was determined not to seek out and rely on English speakers in my region, not wanting to give up my sense of adventure. I wanted to be independent, thus have a richer and fuller experience. Instead, I lost my confidence, and began to feel insurmountably stupid. Just one encounter with someone in similar circumstances would have reminded me that I wasn’t stupid, just mal-equipped.  My classes with Nadia showed me that. My confidence returned as did the independence I was trying so hard to maintain.

I was coming up to the one full year in France mark when in one week I received three responses to my ad posted at the natural food store. Martine, the store proprietor, had been talking about me all winter. Turns out people like to cocooner until spring in Normandie. The first sign of a returning sun and my phone began to ring off the hook. It was all good timing because now I actually had something to say in French. My new contacts had similar interests as me and so my network expanded exponentially. I had leads for volunteer posts, jobs and activities that only a month before I’d felt excluded from. And so my last and perhaps most important bit of advice is this: have patience.

More Info:

Organizations to find free classes are:

Groupement d’Etablissements pour la formation continue (GRETA)

Institut Inter Regional d”Education Permanent (INIREP)

Femmes d’Ici et D’ailleurs

Service Informatique recrutement, formation (SEIRF)

Association Nationale pour la Formation Professionnelle des Adultes (AFPA)

If all else fails, go to the prefecture in your region and ask for a list of all organizations that offer formation or cours de langue. Also try your Agence Nationale de l’Accueil des Etrangers et des Migrations (ANAEM) for a list. Or you can register with Agence Nationale pour l’Emploi (ANPE) which is the national employment agency. They’ll help you find job skill classes, language courses included. Also go to the public school in districts with a large immigrant population. Sometimes principals will organize classes for foreign-speaking parents and they’re always happy to have regular attendees as it helps keep the programs funded.

Again, be prepared for confused looks at all of these offices. Be persistent and have patience. In time, you’ll find a course and a prof that meet your needs.

Other possibilities

Though I encourage serious language learners to stay put in one community to develop relationships and continuity rather than constant travel where conversation never goes beyond how much do I owe you and when do I have to check out, extended stay trips are a nice way to practice and learn with others. I stayed for one month on a farm in Brittany as a volunteer through WWOOF and had the opportunity to work in the farm’s cafe as a clerk. Talk about a crash course! I also stayed at a yoga retreat called Centre de Yoga de l’Aube where meals and rooms are cheap in lieu of karma/action yoga. You have daily duties assigned to you during your stay. It’s a beautiful, clean and inspiring place, a safe environment to practice your French. But if you’re not serious or interested in yoga, perhaps this is not the best choice. Other similar situations are the Sivananda centers in Orleans and Viveka Yoga Retreats in the Pyrenees. Viveka accepts WWOOF volunteers during certain months.

My favorite lesson books

Assimil New French with Ease, book and CD’s—an immersion approach that encourages short daily lessons

Usborne Easy French, Fast Track French for Beginners—a small, pack-able book with short easy lessons introducing the basics including helpful internet links where you can practice what you’ve learned

French Made Simple by Eugene Jackson and Antonio Rubio– a good introduction to the basics with written and oral exercises and a superb pronunciation guide in the first two chapters with diagrams showing where certain weird French sounds come from in your mouth

Suggested minimum basics–

·                   Present tense forms of to have and to be

·                   Basic pronunciation, this takes time so practice now

·                   Numbers, hard to purchase without them

·                   Basic polite phrases like hello, goodbye, please, thank you, you’re welcome

·                   Alphabet, makes it easy to spell out your foreign name for bureaucrats

·                   Directional words like left, right, straight…where’s the bathroom

·                   As much vocabulary as possible, start by labeling all the contents of your house in French

Related Material:

The Story of French by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow– An interesting book on French, why it is the way it is, why it has the reputation it does and how it has influenced its speakers and the world

Living France a British magazine devoted to Brits who own property in France. A great resource to help English speakers assimilate in France. Offers advice on buying property, but also settling in France and all that’s involved from learning French to finding the right school for your children. Each month there’s a section on lingo where they give all the words one might need to get a task accomplished like going to the hardware store or perhaps visiting a doctor’s office.

Me Talk Pretty One Day By David Sedaris– A collection of essays that humorously discuss the author’s experiences learning French while living in France. An essential read one should visit regularly, like an English-speaking psychologist.

As a child, Avery Sumner spent many solitary hours in the stillness of nature and credits these early experiences for directing her to the life she currently leads as a writer and yoga instructor. Avery presently lives in the mountains of North Georgia, having moved there from Normandy, France where she lived with her French husband Alain. When she travels she looks for the natural and simple.

Related posts:

1. Bordeaux, France
2. Avery Sumner

By Stephen Bugno

An American nurse volunteer and a Palestinian woman

There is no better way to experience Palestinian culture and get an inside look at life under the Israeli occupation then to go to the West Bank as a volunteer. I was in the midst of a six-month Istanbul to Cairo overland trip when I got an invitation to stay for a month. I couldn’t say no. The warmth and hospitality of the Palestinian people made it an easy choice for me.

It’s important to try to make contact with any of Palestinian NGOs in your home country before leaving. Talk to anyone who has been there. They may be able to guide you into the best program. After you arrive, you may want to change organizations based on your preferences and what skills you bring. But Project Hope is a good place to start.

Project Hope

At Project Hope, volunteers are able to carry out a diverse range of projects. I taught English to university-level students, but there are plenty of opportunities to go into the refugee camps to teach children not only English, but French as well. International volunteers come from Canada, the U.S., the U.K., France, and there were even two Norwegians there with us. About half-way through my month stay, two nurses from New York came to lead CPR and basic health seminars in the outlying villages. Others conducted art, music, or drama projects. Social justice and human rights is another sphere that is welcomed as well as workshops in photography or circus.

Project Hope is an established local NGO in Nablus with connections to almost all other NGOs in town and the rest of the West Bank. This allows you to offer your skills to reach the specific groups that would be most in need. Project Hope is managed by Palestinians who raise their own funds and engage local community members who volunteer to assist the international volunteers. They also offer free Arabic language classes to help your immersion into life in Nablus.

Project Hope is a volunteer driven organization and because of their limited funding, ask volunteers to donate $100 towards materials and equipment.  500 NIS per month (US $135) per month is requested for accommodation costs which include a shared room in a secure house. The time commitment for volunteering is at least one month, preferably three months, unless you have a specific project that lasts a lesser amount of time. Living expenses in the West Bank are low: about $5 per day should be enough to cover food and transportation. Contact: projecthope@projecthope.ps for more information.

Freedom Theatre

The Freedom Theatre is a great place to volunteer for projects in the arts: performance photography and videography. Located in Jenin, in the north of the West Bank, The Freedom Theatre uses the arts as a model for social change. It is currently developing the only professional venue for theater and arts in the north of the occupied Palestinian Territories. The aim of this project is to empower and give voice to the children of Jenin Refugee Camp through a unique program of workshops and activities in theater, supporting arts and multi-media: ranging in their emphasis from largely therapeutic and healing, to the presentation of high-quality artistic products.

The Freedom Theatre welcomes volunteers who can contribute their expertise in theater and other art forms by presenting short, intensive workshops, or by joining them for a longer period, or by providing professional advice within your field. If you are an Arabic speaker, your help is particularly valuable.

They welcome volunteers who have professional skills mainly within the following fields: theater and drama, multi-media, music, fundraising, leadership and management, design, computers and IT. Contact them if you have any other skills you would like to share.

Freedom Theatre offers board and lodging to their volunteers. If you are interested or have any questions, contact: info@thefreedomtheatre.org

Alrowwad

Alrowwad, initiator of the “Beautiful Non-violent Resistance”, is an independent, dynamic, community-based not-for-profit organization which strives to empower children and women by targeting behaviour, knowledge, concepts and practices through beautiful and non-violent means. It is a center for artistic, cultural, and theater training for children in Aida Camp of Bethlehem trying to provide a safe and healthy environment to help creativity and discharge of stress in the war conditions they are forced to live in.

Alrowwad welcomes volunteers with experience in artistic fields such as theater, photography and video, arts, puppetry, set design, costume design, and graphic design.

Other fields of interest are languages, health and environment, public health awareness, and administrative work. Possible projects include English/French teaching and editing, science museum design, sports for girls and women, recycling and environmental awareness, fundraising, grant writing, and organizing artistic tours with new potential partners and funders.

Alrowwad is exclusively organized and run by Palestinians in the West Bank city of Bethlehem for the Aida Refugee Camp. Email: alrowwadtheatre@gmail.com Or contact the director Abdelfattah Abusrour at: aabusrour2@gmail.com

Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel

Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) provides an international presence in places where Israeli Jews and Palestinians live in close proximity by bringing internationals to the West Bank to experience life under occupation. Volunteers called Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) provide protective presence to vulnerable communities, monitor and report human rights abuses and support Palestinians and Israelis working together for peace. When they return home, many EAs campaign for a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through an end to the occupation, respect for international law and implementation of UN resolutions.

Volunteers are organized through church organizations in the volunteer’s home country. Visit Become an Ecumenical Accompanier for your home country’s application and requirements. US EAs are responsible for their own expenses, including roundtrip travel to Jerusalem via Washington, DC. The cost of the EAPPI program is $5,100 for a minimum 3-month term. Contact: eappi@wcc-coe.org for more information.

International Solidarity Movement

The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using nonviolent, direct-action methods and principles. Founded in 2001, ISM aims to support and strengthen the Palestinian popular resistance by providing the Palestinian people with international protection and a voice with which to nonviolently resist an overwhelming military occupation force.

International volunteers provide protection for Palestinians engaged in nonviolent resistance, an accurate message to the mainstream media, and act as personal witnesses for transmitting information back home, while providing hope for Palestinians.

The ISM is not an organization, but rather a movement which all organizations, groups and/or individuals who agree to their principles can join. Volunteers who join the ISM are responsible for paying their own way and covering all their expenses in Palestine. All volunteers attend a two-day training program where they will learn about the history of nonviolence in the Palestinian resistance and the role internationals have played over the last several years.

The Effect of the Occupation on Volunteers

Volunteering in the West Bank gives you the opportunity to get a first-hand view of the occupation and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. You may soon become emotionally engaged and even disheartened when you, as most volunteers, grow more and more pessimistic about the situation moving toward a peaceful solution. While you’re there, it’s important to take opportunities to visit Israel proper and talk to Israeli Jews to give yourself the most balanced perspective of the conflict as a whole.

Educating folks back home on the reality of the situation and the injustices you witnessed may prove to be more beneficial in the long run than anything you could hope to accomplish while in the West Bank.

Is it Safe in the West Bank?

One concern I had before committing to volunteer in Nablus is the safety. As the center of Palestinian resistance, nighttime incursions by the Israeli military in Nablus are not uncommon. I fell asleep to gunfire a few of the nights. But because the missions are targeting militants in the refugee camps or old city, the violence wasn’t a threat to us in the Project Hope house, located in a safe part of town. Each organization can advise you on the safety in their locale.

Entering Israel

Israeli border control is notoriously tough. Since they are occupying the West Bank, they control movement in and out with strict checkpoints. When entering Israel, be it from Ben Gurion Airport or the Allenby Bridge border crossing (from Jordan) you’re likely to get rigorous questioning, searches and perhaps delays of a few hours. It’s important to have travel plans since they will ask you specific questions about your time in Israel. However, you can’t mention anything about volunteering in the West Bank or risk being denied entry. If the authorities allow you in, you’ll most likely be given a free three-month visa.

Stephen Bugno volunteered in the West Bank in November of 2007, stopping for a month on a six-month Middle East journey from Istanbul to Cairo. His writing has appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Seattle Times, and Transitions Abroad magazine. He blogs at: Blog of a Modern Nomad

Related posts:

1. West Bank Slide Show
2. My First Nights in Nablus
3. Volunteer in a Himalayan Village in Nepal

click photo for a Nepal and VEC slide show

By Beau Miller

Volunteering in the Himalayas has never been more accessible, affordable, or important.

“As dew is dried by the morning sun,

So are mankind’s sins at the sight of the Himalayas.”

-         The Puranas

In this world there are mountain people and there are beach people. This one is for the mountain people and for the mountain people who don’t know they’re mountain people. There aren’t a lot of chances to live in an honest-to-God Himalayan village these days. Here’s one: Village Environment Community Gangkharka (VEC), a small NGO with a long name.

Based out of Gangkharka village in Helambu, Nepal, this organization has ten years experience performing healthcare and education projects, as well as sustainable development and heritage preservation. Helambu is a neglected region of Nepal, and VEC is the only NGO working in the area. While much of Nepal’s aid money goes to the Everest region, Helambu twiddles its thumbs. Or at least it has until now.

VEC built a school in Gangkharka last year, in the face of an exodus from Himalayan villages. Its president, Dorjee Netup Sherpa, a former trekking guide, has committed himself to the development of his home region. His commitment shows from the very moment he meets you at the airport in Kathmandu.

photo credit: Anna Tomasdottir

Where is it?

Helambu is located about fifty miles north of Nepal’s capital city, Kathmandu. But it takes about ten hours to get there on the windy mountain roads—four-and-a-half by jeep or bus, and the rest on foot. Perched on a Himalayan mountainside is Gangkharka, a tiny village whose extinction in the near future might have been guaranteed if it weren’t for VEC. Now it’s the site of a boarding school with 108 students, ages 4-15, and a full faculty and staff, including a Buddhist lama who teaches the students Tibetan and meditation.

Distressed by the lack of jobs in Kathmandu and unwilling to go abroad, many families originally from the Helambu area are now returning to Gangkharka and nearby Bangdang village, encouraged by VEC’s progress.

Volunteering

Volunteers with VEC can fill any number of roles in Gangkharka, and they can do so without the costly program fees of volunteering with many other organizations in Nepal. For about three dollars a day, volunteers are set up with a host family close to their volunteer placement. They are given Sherpa or Nepali language lessons to help ease communication, and they have the opportunity to leave a very tangible and positive contribution to the lives of the Helambu Sherpa, Tamang, and Yolmo populations.

Volunteers can choose between teaching at the Pasang Memorial Community Boarding School, Gangkharka’s first and only boarding school, working on the village’s organic farm, or serving as a member of a team of medical volunteers. Opportunities abound. Any number of projects could be going on during a volunteer’s stay. VEC currently has funding proposals being reviewed for a new addition at the school as well as for the micro-hydroelectricity installation.

The organization is also working on creating athletic fields for the students at the school, so coaching may also be a possibility. Another project VEC is working on is the Helambu Histories project. Teams of volunteers and VEC staff, as well as some students from the boarding school will be interviewing elders in several Helambu villages to talk about their life experiences. The goal is to gather folk stories and the unique perspectives of Helambu people on crucial events in the region’s history, such as the Chinese invasion of Tibet and the increased contact with the West.

Upon arrival in Nepal, volunteers are met at the airport by Dorjee or a VEC staff member. Housing is coordinated prior to arrival, and a VEC volunteer has the chance to unload and rest before receiving an in-country briefing with VEC staff. Then, early one morning on an agreed upon date, the volunteer(s) and a guide make the trip to Gangkharka. The trek to Gangkharka is not terribly strenuous, but it is recommended that volunteers be in reasonably good physical shape. Gangkharka’s altitude is lower than that of Denver, Colorado, but it is possible to go as high as 14,000 ft. if one takes advantage of the discounted trekking available to long-term volunteers.

There is currently no internet in Gangkharka, but volunteers schedule guided trips to Kathmandu and relative civilization. There is a landline phone at the school where calls can be received, but otherwise volunteers may find themselves without many of the 21^st century comforts they are used to. There are bathing facilities available, if one considers a small shack with a big pot of heated water a bathing facility.

Why Volunteer Here

In Gangkharka, a volunteer’s time is rewarded with spectacular views of the Himalayas and a unique opportunity to live in a community renowned for its hospitality. What little the host families have, they share. Sitting inside a tidy, if more than a little smoky, Sherpa home, there will be plenty of opportunities to acquire a taste for the butter tea for which Himalayan communities are (in)famous. Few people on earth can make a stranger feel more at home than the people of Gangkharka—though a volunteer may find life more difficult to bear during the summer monsoon season.

The development work conducted by VEC may be a last ditch effort to preserve Helambu communities like Gangkharka. The culture is facing its greatest crisis as many parents pursue job opportunities overseas, leaving their children in the care of boarding schools often much less keen to the idea of cultural preservation than the school run by VEC. Instead of the colorful pullover jumpers, smart little ties, and shiny black loafers that constitute many school uniforms in Nepal these days, the students in Gangkharka where traditional Himalayan dress: chubhas for girls and Tibetan-style tunics for the boys.

The potential for sustainable development gives Gangkharka an advantage to ensure this can happen, and international volunteers have the opportunity to contribute to its revitalization and the preservation of a culture that has long captured the imagination of the West.

If You Go:

Website: www.vec.org.np

Recruiter/FAQs: vecvolunteers@gmail.com

There’s a $75 processing fee for VEC (airport pickup, guide, housing coordination, language lessons, etc.). The $3 a day goes directly to the host family.

Beau Miller is a Master’s candidate at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs. He has worked as a volunteer Project Manager for VEC, and his writing has appeared in The New Brewer and Adbusters.

Related posts:

1. Gangkharka village, Nepal Slide Show
2. Ask GoMad Nomad: Little money, still want to travel
3. Volunteer in the West Bank

By Stephen Bugno

Photo credit: Jay Bergesen

With a multitude of guidebook publishers, choosing the best guidebook for your next trip can be challenging. Which guidebook should you take? Well, it all depends on your personality, how you travel, your budget, and where you’re traveling.

Entering your favorite bookstore or even a quick search on amazon.com reveals more travel guidebooks than you thought existed: Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Foder’s, Frommer’s, Rick Steves’, Let’s Go, Blue Guides, Bradt, the list goes on. Sometimes it’s as simple as letting the most frequently updated version of the particular country win. But it can get more complicated than that. Here I’ll sum up the best guidebooks:

Lonely Planet

The biggest travel guidebook publisher, Lonely Planet has a quarter of the market sales and has been bought out by BBC. Around since 1973, they are tried and true, offering an enormous title selection, from Bolivia to East Timor. But bigger isn’t always better. Tony Wheeler’s once budget-only series has now turned into a guide-for-all. One of the few complaints I hear is that because of the enormous popularity of these books, its users often wind up at the all the same places by night’s end. Ideal user: independent, worldwide traveler.

Rough Guides

The biggest competition to Lonely Planet, Rough Guides came onto the travel scene in 1982. Also a guide for all budgets (but definitely puts an emphasis on the lower-budget end) RG has fewer titles than LP and has less of an emphasis on the logistics of travel, but overall more background information and are a great companion to traveling in all parts of the globe. The RG city titles, from Chicago to Cape Town, are especially good. Ideal user: budget, independent worldwide traveler or adventurous expat.

Moon

A U.S. series, as opposed to the Australian L.P. and the British R.G., Moon are packed in the same way detailed practical travel information and substantial background research. Moon’s authors are more than travel experts—they are politically and culturally minded, informative, adventurous, and inspiring. They write their entire book, as opposed to many authors being contracted to write certain sections. Moon covers North and South America especially well; however, they are expanding into Europe and Asia. Ideal user: an independent traveler or foreigner living abroad in North, Central or South America.

Rick Steves’

America’s European travel guru offers guides to nearly all of Europe, with new titles stretching eastward every year (now including Istanbul). He will be the first to admit his books are not sufficient if you want to explore all parts of France. He recommends carrying an additional guidebook for that. What he does though, is gives you fantastic recommendations for all budgets for the particular destinations he finds most interesting. His books are impeccably accurate, updated every year, focusing on mom and pop establishments with more local color. His overall philosophy is that spending less money will keep you closer to the culture you traveled so far to experience. Ideal user: family or couple traveling to Europe with limited time and a keen interest in the culture.

Let’s Go

Originally tailored towards student backpackers spending the summer on a European whirlwind, Let’s Go has expanded. Although primarily low-budget focused, they do offer some mid-range choices and give good nightlife recommendations. Titles have expanded beyond Europe and now include a few destinations in Southeast Asia and Latin America. Ideal user: young traveler going to Europe ready to party.

Bradt

Bradt guidebooks are fine if you’ve got a substantial budget, a Land Rover, and a local guide. But they lack a lot of the practical information for traveling around by public transportation and finding cheap accommodation. They are reliable guides overall and cover many off-the-beaten track destinations. Bradt guides may be your only choice for many African countries. Ideal user: A well-funded, middle-aged adventurer or aid worker going to a developing country.

Blue Guide

First published in 1918, these are more a cultural guide than a travel guide. They are great reference books that focus on art, history, and architecture; and include great diagrams, maps, and plans. Most titles cover European regions, cities and countries but include some worldwide titles. Ideal user: history buffs looking for detailed background information on art and architecture; not necessarily even a traveler.

The Others

Frommer’s and Fodor’s

Once the king of Budget travel, Arthur Frommer sold his name. Now Frommer’s caters to the middle to upper class traveler. Nevertheless, they are reliable guidebooks updated frequently with practical information and advice similar to Fodor’s.

DK Eyewitness and Insight Discovery

These books might be good for the coffee table. They have nice diagrams, are fun and interesting to look at, but are heavy in weight and lack lots of important transportation and accommodation information that you will need while traveling. Best to leave them at home.

Whatever you do, don’t take an out-of-date guidebook (Or you may choose to deliberately not take a guidebook). Make the $20 investment for a $3000 trip.

Stephen Bugno has been traveling and living abroad for the better part of ten years. He authored the Nomad’s Guide to Uzbekistan and his bookshelf is stocked with mostly Moon and Rough Guides. He edits the Gomad Nomad Travel Mag.

Related posts:

1. Carefree Travel on the Cheap
2. Travel Better, Write Better
3. Staying Connected While Traveling

By Emolyn Liden

an English language summer camp outside Madrid

With job opportunities, decent pay, and a fun atmosphere, Madrid is hard to top for an ESL teacher.

For ESL teachers in Europe, Madrid is an appealing city to base yourself for a year or more and there’s no denying it’s an exciting place to live. Add to this: fantastic weather, friendly locals (known as Madridleños), abundant cultural events, world-class art, and unparalleled nightlife.

But take a moment to think. Take a real moment. The first thing to consider is if Madrid is right for you.

Knowing it is possible

The minute you start speaking about your interest to teach English abroad those hearing you will pipe up, “Oh my friend’s daughter just went to Peru to teach English” or “I know someone who is teaching English in Japan and loves it. She just decided to extend her stay.” The fact is teaching English as a second language is the way to make a living abroad. Once you have chosen your location, like Madrid, you have made the most important decision. Location is key because in essence you can teach virtually anywhere. You may only stay there for a year, a glimpse of time in regard to a lifetime, but this place is going to be your home, a base from which you can travel.

Is a certification necessary?

Language academies will expect teachers to have a TEFL degree or at least a certification. You may have decided to live abroad for the experience and to travel, but academies want to see that you are serious about teaching. They won’t be fooled. Many academies will hire with a few years experience in lieu of a certificate. Keep in mind, organizations may choose someone with a certification first.

EBC International is one of the many programs in Madrid where you can receive proper certification. Like most programs, the EBC course lasts four weeks. Upon completion you will receive a dual certification in TEFL and TESOL, and as an alum will have access to EBC’s lifetime, world-wide career support service. This means that EBC will send your resume to academies and be your primary reference. If later you decide to move to another city, they will provide you with the same service, and get you connected to academies. The dual TEFL and TESOL allows you to teach anywhere worldwide. If you stop teaching and begin again in five years, EBC will connect you with academies wherever you choose.

Another credited program is the Canterbury English TEFL Course which claims to be the most affordable option whereby you work for Canterbury after ending the program as a way to cover some of the cost of the course. They advertise that you are guaranteed a job with Canterbury which is enticing in today’s job market. This arrangement is both liked and disliked by those who have completed the program. Some feel it is a way to begin teaching immediately while paying less to become certified. Others feel it restricts the openness and flexibility of their schedule since the main teaching hours are devoted to the service of the agreement. However, this agreement can be viewed as a trial run for a class. Once the hours have been completed you may be able to keep the class which could lead to other opportunities.

None the less, completing a certification program is a guaranteed way to get experience organizing lesson plans and teaching and is recommended for any one who has no experience teaching.

The interviewing process

Once you acquire a certification, the job hunt begins. EBC and other programs will send out your resume and language schools are quick to call. For this reason it is important to have a cell phone to schedule appointments. Academies rarely schedule through email and you want to avoid just dropping by. English teachers are in high demand and what you may find is that academies are eager to hire. Prepare yourself by doing a number of things prior to the interview.

Think about your rate of pay. Depending on the interviewer, pay may be negotiable. Consider how far you will travel to teach a course. Weigh options of working block-hours as opposed to scattered hours with breaks in between. Do you want to work freelance or sign a contract? The two most important items to bring with you to an interview are: a calendar and a city map. The worst scenario as a new teacher is agreeing to teach a class in the north and another in the south with not enough time allowed for travel in between. You do not want to discover the hard way, by running from the metro to the office door, skidding into the classroom with sweat dripping down your face to greet your new students, that thirty minutes is an unrealistic amount of time to cross the city. Not a good first impression.

If you have numerous academies that call to schedule interviews accept as many as you can fit in. You may feel like you are running around but you will learn so much when able to compare work situations. Observe the atmosphere of the office and imagine yourself working among the rooms, making copies, and preparing lesson plans. Does the academy offer teaching resources? Do they provide a book or curriculum? Pay attention to the mood while the interview ensues. Have them describe a typical class at their academy. Are they large or small? Are the students young business professionals? Children? People learning English out of pure interest? All of these things will influence your work and differ from place to place. It may be the style of the academy to approach you like a bookie, listing class size, location, level, etc. and you may never see your co-workers while other schools create a peaceful work atmosphere where the teachers get to know each other through meetings, outings, and holiday events planned by the academy. Think about what situation works best for you.

Once you agree to teach with an academy

Once you agree on a class with a language school, be sure to get proper information to get you started: size, level, and location. Some hire to teach in their facility and provide block hours. As a new teacher you may not have that luxury. It is very likely you will be traveling to a company or household. Companies offer classes before work or during the lunch hour. Get the address and contact information of your students. Look up the address and if you are at all nervous about finding it, make a trip to the location beforehand to see where you will teach. Some larger companies may require you to have an identification tag and code to enter the building or have you sign in with the receptionist. Keep a time sheet and your own records so you can always double check your time.

The ESL decision

When you decide to become an ESL teacher in Madrid you have two options. Do you want to work for a language academy or teach privately? Working with an academy is the perfect way to learn how you handle the ESL life, manage your schedule, and how to organize your teaching agenda to better fit your life.

After some time you may decide you would rather teach privately. There are a number of ways to advertise your services. You can put up fliers around town, post on websites, or sometimes get the word out by simply telling people what you do. Going to one of the many language exchange nights around the city at pubs and bars is a great way to meet foreigners who may hire you to become their official teacher. Judge these situations carefully. Perhaps the person is acting more optimistic after they’ve had a beer or two. First make sure the prospective student is serious about wanting to learn English. Private students are also more likely to cancel if life gets hectic. If you are working solely for yourself, you do not receive any benefits an academy may offer. Consider this when deciphering your rate. Establish early how you would handle canceling a class or rescheduling. Some teachers make a twenty-four hour cancellation requirement. If the student cancels less than twenty-four hours in advance they must reschedule or pay you for the lost class. This policy goes both ways. If you as the teacher cancel you must hold up your side of the agreement.

ESL calendar in Madrid

Many Madridleños take time off during the summer. Whether they are staying in Madrid or traveling, life slows down during July, August, and the beginning of September. During these months you can find work at day camps in and around Madrid. Organizations based in Madrid will hire and place teachers in camps throughout Spain. Generally these camps last two weeks with the chance for a teacher to work two to four sessions.

Children go back to school in late September and locals return to a regular work schedule. In October, life settles back to the normal pace. Companies and families are usually ready to begin English classes again.

Plan on steady work from January to June and October to the end of December. This provides the ESL teacher ample time to travel during the summer. However, be aware that the numerous holidays and long summer break add up and may put stress on your finances.

Wages and living expenses

Most full time English teachers make between 15 to 25 Euros per hour for private lessons or 1,000 and 1,500 Euros per month with a full-time contract at an academy. Rate depends on how much experience you have, if you work in the heart of the city as opposed to traveling an hour to the outskirts, and if the class is through an academy or a private one-to-one. An average contract at an academy might be 1100 Euros per month for 25 teaching hours per week.

Expect to pay anywhere from 300-500 Euros for a room in a shared flat.

The economic crises

The economic crises of 2008 has had its obvious effect on English teachers. A country-wide increase in unemployment and lower wages means less money for non-essential English lessons. So consequently, the job market has been more competitive since then.

Do I need a work permit?

Most language schools will require you to have work permit. Some schools are willing to do the paperwork for you to get the documents in order. That process usually starts in June, and you must be in your home country. Once the academy or school decides to sponsor you they will fill out their portion of the paperwork which you must present with your portion in your home country. Even without a work permit, it’s still worth arriving to Madrid in early September for the best pick jobs. You might find some academies willing to hire you with plans to help you obtain a work permit in the future.

Volunteer

If you’ve only got a week and still want to check out the English-speaking scene, volunteer at Pueblo Ingles or Vaughan Town. These are unique opportunities to spend a week in the Spanish countryside speaking English with Spaniards. But beware: you might be conversing up to 14 hours per day! Don’t worry; its lots of fun and your room and board is taken care of in exchange for your volunteering.

Resources on the web

Madrid Teacher is the city’s definitive website for the English teacher. Check it out to start the job hunt: read in-depth about Madrid’s countless English Academies and browse job listings.

Once you’ve arrived in Madrid check out the free English monthly, InMadrid. It has more job listings and other helpful social insights.

Emolyn Liden spent 2008 teaching English in Madrid. She has lived abroad in England, Denmark, and Spain. While not traveling she enjoys writing and knitting for emolynknits.blogspot.com.

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1. Volunteering in Spain with Vaughan Town and Pueblo Ingles
2. Basque Country

By Stephen Bugno

First, what exactly do you mean by the “the backpacker’s scene”?

We’ve all been there. The crowded hostels of Europe. The well-beaten path along the Turkish coast. Khao San Road or Jalan Jaksa’s traveler’s ghettos. You’re getting tired of spending so much money to be so far away from home only to fritter away much of your time drinking and talking your next travel move with other western backpackers.

Getting beyond the backpacker’s scene is getting off the well-trodden path. It’s taking the path lesser traveled. It’s losing sleep, taking chances, having more encounters. It’s moving out of your comfort zone.

A sheep herder in rural Kazahkstan

So how do I get beyond the backpacker’s scene?

Choose your destination wisely. Don’t go to the Greek Isles during the summer. Go to Kyrgyzstan instead. You want to lose the tourists and even other travelers as well? You want fewer backpackers? Don’t linger in Bangkok. You want to actually have to use your phrase book? Go to Mongolia or the Republic of Georgia or Syria. If you do end up going to Florence in the high season, you’re going to have to get creative in order to circumvent the hordes of retired American tourists and generate a unique travel experience for yourself.

Ditch your guidebook. I know it sounds like a drastic measure to take, but guidebooks do a good job of keeping all of us tucked snugly in at friendly Mohammed’s hotel in Amman. It points us in the direction of that delectable, authentic, and inexpensive café downtown that all the German’s are eating at. Remember how you met that couple from New Zealand in Damascus and ran into them again in Cairo a month later?

Bring a tent and sleeping bag. When you carry a tent, you have a place to sleep wherever you are at the end of the day. Especially in a place like Norway, which has a law that allows you to camp freely in the wilderness. Even when this law doesn’t exist, many times you can get away with setting up your tent just out of sight. Traveling with a sleeping bag allows you the opportunity to crash at a bus or train station or even in a city park if need be. Often times when locals see your desperation, they’re more likely to invite you home.

Don’t plan so much. Not having a strict plan allows for improvisation in your trip. Allow spontaneous decisions to come to life. Go home with people you just met. Stay an extra day at your new friend’s apartment. The most memorable part of your travels are usually those unplanned.

Cycling around Copenhagen with a Dane

Get online. Sometimes planning is good. Sign up and use a web site that connects travelers with locals. Try Couch Surfing or Hospitality Club to keep you to stay away from hotels and hostels and into the homes of locals. Then you’ll be walking in residential neighborhoods you wouldn’t normally be in and riding bus routes that tourists don’t usually ride. Your hosts know the best places to get coffee, pizza, or kimchi. And these nice people will most likely introduce you to their friends. You all of a sudden know 12 people in Cork and you just arrived.

Get on the bus. Carry a good map. Ride to the outskirts of the city. Get off the bus. Walk. Throw away your map. Don’t worry about getting lost. Someone will help you find your way back.

Don’t always take reliable or quick transportation. Cancel your domestic flights. See the countryside the way it’s meant to be seen. Don’t take the inter-city express bus. Get on the pueblo bus. You might lose some sleep, but you’ll be riding next to Guillermo the farmer and his newly hatched chicks while stopping in every village between Porto and Madrid.

Stick up your thumb. Don’t listen to those naysayers who tell you it’s dangerous. Sure it can be, but so can taking the bus or flying. People like company in their cars. Stand on the on-ramp, put your pack in front of you, and take off your sunglasses. Stay positive. Before you know it, you’ll be in Bordeaux and will have met several French people that you may or may not have understood a single word with.

Camping in Nagorno Karabakh

Get out to the countryside and small towns. Show up in a town that has nothing of touristic interest. You will actually meet a local. The conversation with babushka might start by her asking why in God’s name you have come here. Don’t do a whirlwind tour of the European capitals. Sure, visit Moscow, but ramble through a string of Russian towns that you will never remember the names of.

Stay a while. If this technically moves out of the realm of traveling and into vagabonding, so be it. Linger to absorb the local culture. Organize a few weeks exchange in Switzerland using Help Exchange. Volunteer on an organic farm in New Zealand with WWOOF. Teach English in Madrid or rural China. Take a cooking course in Thailand or study meditation or yoga in India. Do a long-distance walk or pilgrimage. Do a cycle tour of Nova Scotia.

Related articles:

Carefree travel on the Cheap

Stephen Bugno has been traveling and teaching English abroad for the better part of ten years. His articles and essays have appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Seattle Times, and Transitions Abroad magazine. He edits the Gomad Nomad Travel Mag.

Related posts:

1. Carefree Travel on the Cheap
2. The Parisian’s Paris
3. Chilled out in Tobago