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A bit about my tripI'm a total Eat Pray Love, Hero with a Thousand Faces knock off, completely unoriginal. I left the corporate and start-up world for a stint to do a bit of cliche soul-searching for 6 months. It has taken me across 4 continents and 6 countries. I traveled alone, as a 30 year-old, single women.It's the best investment I've ever made in anything, and it was in myself and my own happiness. Whether you are a woman, or man; single or taken; old or young, I promise you the return on investment on a trip like this is worth it.A bit about me.Over the past couple years I helped get Little Black Bag, a fashion ecomm site with a social gaming angle off of the ground. Before that I've worked in creative doing everything from interior graphics, product development, book design, illustration and international advertising for clients like BCBG, Skechers, Disney, and even the Oprah Network. I worked an average of 50-80 hours a week.I started getting weary of the grind to work more, consume more and felt an unhealthy balance of workaholism and the American Dream. I realized my motivations were changing and I wasn't interested in the money, status or having any more stuff. Once my priorities changed, I had a hard time finding the same hustle I once had.A few wonderful people in my life including my business partner, my mom and a dear friend all suggested a spirit quest or sabbatical of sorts. It was something I had been deeply considering for years but was too scared to do because I didn't want to or know how to leave my comfy life.Through some big changes, I finally found the resolve to leave a relationship that wasn't right, sell most of my earthly possessions, except for some clothes, and move out of the condo near the beach. What I gained was an enormous amount of freedom.I began a completely unplanned America cross-country road trip and international journey.Off I went without a real plan. It was more of culmination of 4 years of thinking about doing it, wanting to do it, and then finally deciding to just do it. It turns out all you need to do is buy a ticket and then you kick your ass into gear to do the rest.It's been the most important thing I have ever done with my life and I'd love to help with resources regarding how others can do it too.What kind of skills do you need?I would say the big skill is finding the grit to follow through on the desire to do it. Once you really decide to do something, you somehow find the way. I don't know if that's actually a skill, but it is certainly a necessity to do this kind of journey.The ability to do some online research will be helpful as 80% of travel information can be found on the good ole internet.Cultivating openness and building relationships has been a huge part of the success of my trip. I'm open to meeting people in all walks of life and have real conversations. People can be truly incredible. Getting to know people who you might not have otherwise known, was more important than anything I ever saw including the Igazu Falls or the Colca, the deepest canyon in South America which are both profound and awe inspiring.They've guided me through their cities, gave me hugely beneficial advice, introduced me to local food, let me stay with them in their homes and provided me the inspiration or energy to keep going even if I got exhausted on the road. I learned to not be afraid of people of or immediately judge what's new or different culturally.Flexibility to roll with the punches is also important. Things change every day, whether its bus schedules from place to place or bad weather messing up your plans. You will get lost, you will get frustrated, you will get sick. This stuff comes and goes and is usually rewarded shortly after with an amazing discovery, the best meal of your life or a new friend that changes your perspective. So just go with it and let go a little. Trying to control every aspect will make your trip a miserable chore rather than an exciting journey.Language learning isn't necessary but I'd Highly highly encourage it. Your travels will be more rewarding if you know a little of the language or are willing to learn it. You don't have to be a pro, although it helps. Start day one. Have a dictionary, learn the basic alphabet and pronunciation, keep a little journal with new words. You have a lot of time on your hands traveling so you might as well learn a little something. Language reflects thoughts and cultures and learning Spanish, and the basics of Quechua, Portuguese and Korean has given me insights about people and belief systems that observation alone would never given me.Listen to yourself. This one sounds sort of dumb and basic, but I really think getting in touch with instincts helps on the trip. Don't go down that road that feels wrong. I believe this insight to look within has kept me safe from unsavory environments or characters. I think hearing my needs put me where I want to be when I'm supposed to be there. I asked myself daily what I wanted, what I was learning and why I was there. I kept a journal to focus my energy to better recognize my voice.How much money you ask?Where, When, for How long, and How do you travel are the questions you should ask.Budget completely depends on where you go, how you travel, the duration of the trip and if you can work while you are on the road. Costs will will range enormously depending on if you want to do excursions or tour adventures, meander across countries or continents, or just live somewhere new. It will also vary if you research costs and can negotiate.Are your tastes higher end or are you happy living in a 6-person dorm hostel eating street food? Can you work on the road to supplement your living or are you going to be draining savings? These are questions you need to ask yourself to start developing a budget or a plan.Regarding my trip, here are some cost benchmarks.South America is relatively cheap. I opted for Peru, Boliva and a bit of Brazil for my trip. Peru cost me about $25-35 a day to live more than comfortably at $12-15 hostels a night, Bolivia cost about $12-15, where hostels ranged from $8-10 a night, and Brazil which cost substantially more cost about $40-50 a day because I went out more, did more tour activities and the cost of living is higher.If you are brave enough there are a lot of places around the world where things aren't commercialized, and you can do some incredible adventure activities for next to nothing. This can be affected by your language ability because it becomes much easier when you can communicate with locals.Some of the most beautiful hikes I went on cost nothing. I'd take a car through the Andes which cost 33 cents and the hike was free. The cave entrance at Huagapo Peru was 5 soles or less than 2 dollars including the tour guide, and I got to stay in huge, mostly undiscovered the cave named after the tears of the mountain gods, alone to meditate in the darkness and write by the river for hours.Where tourism has become an organized industry, expect to pay more- Ex: Uyuni in Bolivia cost $100-120 bucks to do a 3-4 day all inclusive excursion into the salt flats and the volcanic desert via SUV with 5 other travelers. Machu Picchu Camino Inka trek cost more like $400 for 4 days and 3 nights in tents with 15 internationals.In many places in South America, standard buses can only cost 20 bucks to drive across the country. As I briefly mentioned, if you travel in a localized region you can take collectivos/combis/micros (locals who own a vehicle and do a bus-like service privately, simply arrive at the terminal area, put a sign in their window and wait for their car to fill up) for less than a dollar for a hour ride into the country side. Note that this kind of transportation can leave you smashed in a small conversion van with 20 other locals or in a station wagon filled with 9 people for 15 min - 2 hours. They may or may not have showered in a couple weeks, but luckily there are always windows you can roll down.It is important to note here, that I did specifically avoid some countries like Chile and Argentina for monetary reasons. The US charges huge fees and tariffs for everyone to visit us, so the rest of the world has reciprocated this, which means only Americans have to pay an extra 100-200 dollars to enter a country even if it's just a bus ride through. I totally understand the reasons on both ends (the US fee and the countries reciprocity) but this is such a short-sited policy, its infuriating. If anyone needs a good global education, its us, Americans, the superpower that exports a ton of awful, dumb, misinformed culture. And 200 dollars, which could be the budget for 1-2 weeks of travel just to enter a country is ridiculous, especially when that money could be going to the local economy. My only rant :)Once I got to London, it obviously cost a lot more to live. Same with the developed portion of Asian, namely, S. Korea. (This part of the trip came about because of a lucky chance. I couldn't find a one-way return flight to the States for less than $2000 from Rio at the time, but I got a round trip from Rio > London > Seoul > London > Philly for $1200. Thanks CHEAP FLIGHTS | Find Airline Tickets & Discount Airfares | Fly.com)I decided to give CouchSurfing a whirl. Through Europe and Asia, the short part of my trip (only one month combined) I stayed in 4 places total for no more than 3-4 nights at a time. It was one of the greatest and sometimes most random experience of my life. You learn that people can be good and open. Every experience was completely different, so if you try it once and aren't sold, try it a couple times more to give it a fair shot. Sometimes it can be slightly uncomfortable based on a personality difference or strange living arrangement.Not paying for a $20-30 hostel a night was a great way to save some money. You also get an insider view of the country which was a lovely bonus gift. I got to explore new neighborhoods I wouldn't have otherwise found, was introduced to new cuisine I didn't even know existed or may not have been gutsy enough to try, and got to ask some questions about the culture to someone living locally for an extended period of time.It was a wonderful way to travel, though I wouldn't want to do it the entire sabbatical. Having privacy in nicer hotel rooms from time to time helps you recharge your batteries. Staying in social hostels can be absolutely fun and rewarding and you can find travel buddies to explore when solo wandering gets lonely or boring.Food in Europe and Asia range enormously. You can find street food vendors, shop in grocery stores and markets and cook for yourself which is the frugal way to go 2-3 dollars a meal, or you can go eat a dinner for 50-200 dollars. It's totally up to you. I'd encourage a little bit of both to get a full sense of a place if you can.At the end of the day travel can cost as much or as little as you want it to. You have to know what you are looking for and what is comfortable to you. There were times I wanted to really live at the minimum I could spend (a 5 dollar hostel and bought 3 dollars worth of food at the market.) There were other moments through the trip I realized I have an appreciation for some luxurious comforts and the finer things in life and I'd stay a couple nights at a beach front 5 star place and spend 150 dollars on dinner. It was a balance for me. I didn't have a hard set budget, instead, it was a range I wanted to spend and an idea of what I wanted to have left over at the end of the trip. I'd spend more some days and then pull back others. It all ended up working out just fine.How I Paid for My TripFor me, I used the money from my savings, my retirement, the money from selling my belongings and my tax return. I wrote a full blog post about how I had the money do what I did if you are more interested in exactly what I did to save for the trip by all means pop by the blog and read more. I didn't save specifically for the trip but I also don't have much to go home to financially. It can be a risk you take with this.Volunteer OpportunitiesThe funny thing you realize when you are traveling, is that you really only NEED food, water, transportation and shelter. Those things are all things you can get cheaply or even free. Everything else is just gravy.There are a lot of wonderful volunteer and work options on the road to help fund the trip and cover the basics. Many backpacker hostels allow you to stay for free if you work for a stint. Some friends in Rio and Cuzco lived in a hostel, set up events, worked the bars, answered emails and other administrative jobs.EcoTrulyYoga camps will feed you vegetarian meals, give you 2 yoga classes for a day and give you housing for 30 USD a day. This was a great opportunity to get fit and healthy and meet some very interesting people. These camps are all over the world. I stayed in one in Lima Peru and it was wonderful.I stayed at a the Beopjusa Buddhist Monastery and Temple in central South Korea and ended up helping them with basic marketing. I helped out with SEO, built out a wikitravel page, photographed the grounds, wrote reviews, updated their site, and reached out to vegetarian and volunteer travel databases for them. It was supposed to be cleaning and other odds and ends, but once they found I out I could use a computer and write in English they were happy to use my skills accordingly. The gave me starlit chanting sessions, tea with monks, hikes, 3 vegetarian meals a day, and even paid me at the end. (a normal stay is $50USD a night.) I stayed for a week for free.There are a ton of other options like this. A lot of Americans decide to teach English in China or Korea for a year. The pay is actually reasonable and I've met some folks paying off their entire debt from private university education because the cost of living is low and the job pays for housing.The best thing I can tell you for finding out options is start with a google search like: with "Volunteer in 'Country you'd like to Visit'". Yup, that easy. Read, cross reference, and then reach out by email to find out what your options are.Learn other ways of making extra money.Some people put their homes up on AirBnB or Craigslist to do short term rentals. Just have a trusted friend around that can handle some of the details like welcoming people and providing a key. Also you might not be available because wifi in certain areas can be sparse.Monetize a current blog you keep, sell assets online like stock photography or illustration, or review hostels on the road. If you are willing, there are always ways to make moola. Abroad, what would be seemingly worthless in the western world goes very far. When you talk to other travelers, you learn a lot of ways people have made money while traveling, so while it's a huge risk to some, just go and have the faith in yourself that you can figure it out. Most of this, I learned on the road.Remember that if you are a writer, a lawyer who reviews contracts, designer or have any other such online, projects-based job you can freelance and charge their US rates and live on international costs of living. I did a bit of writing, designing and other creative consulting services while on the road. This takes prep work while you are in country, you can't just magically have a freelance career. If you want one, do it already.When saving for the trip many people take on a second job whether it's freelance or waitressing during the weekends. This hustle can be humbling and the best thing is to not have an ego about how to make it happen, You may think, I'm a Sr. level person, I can't be seen working at a coffee shop or be found moonlighting. Well, then, don't go on a trip then. If you want to make extra money, do it. Or don't spend the money you make. Its that simple.I think many of the professionals on this site would be astounded at how little you need to travel and live. Most kids I met on the road who saved enough to travel worked jobs not much more than minimum wage, but moved in with family or friends and just cut their bills so they could save. I personally liked the reset button of what I think life costs.Summery: paying for your tripDo some research about where you want to go, the cost of travel, save for that amount of time and add 20% to stay on the safe side to give yourself wiggle room, then save. When you get there, stick to your budget :)If you are scrappy like me, just make it happen, freelance, couch surf, make friends, volunteer or whatever you want to do to make it more of an adventureConsideration in your budgetObvious:Accommodations (couch surf, volunteer, hostels or hotels)Food (markets, street food or going out)Activities (planned excursions and general going out),Transportation (from country to country (flights/trains), city to city (flights/ buse/boats or even cars) or within a city (metro/taxis/buses)Less ObviousGifts - small hosts gifts like pens in South America, or coffee in Asia go farGifts for friends and family back homeLaundry (services - usually only 1-3 dollars a load), most times I hand washedLost or stolen replacements (I lost 2 cameras. yes 2- 1 lost battery that was irreplaceable and one camera was stolen on a bus. You Will lose things on the road. Not having a place for your things, missing daily rituals, matched with having to move from hostel to hostel, being jet lagged and or rushed to catch last minute buses makes even the most responsible person lose some basics from time to timeUnexpected activities (like a last minute unplanned trip through the Bogs of Pantanal in Brazil or a Salsa Club entry fees.)Toiletries on the road rather than carry around huge heavy plastic bottles.Emergency money for health or travel problemsI kept a daily budget. I just noted down what I do, where, when and calculate how much it is in American dollars using the XE currency app. It's easy to lose track when you are using play money and exchange rates shift from 1USD :7 Bolivians to 1.5 Pounds to 1 USD. Cost of things become very relative so this practice was grounding and became a nice little chronological diary of my activities.Remember that bills continue existing so look at deferring loans, getting ahead of them and saving. Turn off things like hulu, netflix, smart phone plans. In your savings process, pay off the high interest loans so you don't have to worry about them. Pay off your credit cards.How much planning is really necessary?There are a million things you can do to plan but I don't recommend overdoing it.Pretrip, do research to find the best plane ticket price and get general sense how much it will cost to live. Look at your air mile or hotel points, see if they get you a free ticket or a stay somewhere. This sounds ridiculous, but look at the world map and really see where things are located. Most peoples international geography knowledge isn't quite honed so you should have an idea of what countries are next to each other and how far away things really are.I got also on Pinterest and and did some Google image searches to check out really beautiful places I didn't want to miss and those spots created a general framework for where I wanted to go.Big activities like Machu Picchu require reservations. They only allow a certain amount of people on the trail a day and it fills up fast. It's also closed for a couple months of the year for rainy season and maintenance. I wanted to climb Machu Picchu for my 30th birthday, so I had to book it 2-3 months in advance.Check out immunization needs and visa requirements once you choose countries. You don't want to get to a country to be turned away. Notify banks about your exit. Make copies of important documents. Just try not to miss the basics that will make your life easier.During the trip, to plan my week I hang at a coffee shop for an hour or so the day I get somewhere new just to get a sense of where I what I want to check out, what's available and a note few things I absolutely don't want to miss.Booking a day at a hostel when I travel somewhere new, just to get my bearings, can be helpful. I usually do this only the day before. This will keep you from feeling stranded somewhere without a place to stay or getting in late and trying to wake someone up to give you a room. Otherwise, I don't like to prebook much of anything.I like to explore the area once I'm there to see if I want to move neighborhoods. It's great to stay at hostels off the main path once you get a sense of a new town. The managers of these places are always local small business owners. Not only do I love supporting the local economy rather than the corporate conglomerate as a general rule, but people who's heart (and savings) are behind a place will make the stay really intimate and go over and above to make sure you are comfortable.You could also look into staying with friends or CouchSurfing (which I mentioned earlier) ahead of time which will take some planning and correspondence.Another major thing I do during my trip, is get a local map of the transit system, city and region I'm in as soon as I get there, which can be found at hostels, tourist or information offices. I also preload Google Maps of the area on my smart phone so if I don't have wifi, I can still see where I'm located and use the compass because GPS works without internet. This trick is amazing, I found out about it the first week of my trip from a smart Danish traveler who had been on the road 6 months.I am an example of not planning much. Generally, I just wander or ask questions to locals about where I should go next. A trip like this is about freedom and adventure, not a to do list. I haven't had a guide book, itinerary or travel planner and I don't think you need one. It's been incredibly fruitful leaving things really open.My favorite way to travel to do is jump on a bus and see where I end. I also love riding the metro, popping up and seeing if I want to stay and meander. It's important to remember, that if you got somewhere, you get always come back the same way, so fearless exploration is the way to go. Unplanned venturing becomes easy with some street smarts and openness to going along with things you might not normally do, like hitchhiking on the islands of Korea or going to a tango club with a local girl you met while working at a Buddhist monastery.I will reiterate, the most important part to mention about planning is that the only thing you actually NEED is a ticket there. When you decide that, you just figure out the rest.To make life a little easier, do some research about what to pack will help you be a little more prepared on the road. Your belongings become very important when you have to carry them and they are all you have. You can always buy things on the journey but the basics below have been a huge help to me. This is a general list, so when planning your own adventure take into consideration weather, altitude, cultural norms and activities.Here's my Basic PackList -I'm an LA girl who managed to travel with only a carryon and a very small backpack.FlashlightNotebook & pen2 debit cards (yes two. have a backup, international arms infamously eat cards and banks make it miserable to send a new one)CameraSmartphone/tablet with music and content loaded (you can't stream like you can in major US cities) international wifi-readySunscreenKnife/multiuse toolEarphonesEarplugs - for loud hostels and long loud bus ridesPadlock and Key -for lockersChargersUniversal ChargerTravel Towel- microfiberExfoliating synthetic washcloth (microfiber cloths don't scrub you dry like terry cloth so you'll want something with a little grit. Plus, sometimes you get dirty on the roadReusable water bottle - I like the collapsible kind because it takes up less spaceBug RepellentBasic medkit (simple stuff, bandaids, neosporin, a wrap and some advil)Lighter /Matches - for candles, or starting a fire or in my case lighting incense in stinky hostels.Hat (s) - winter and or baseball capSunglassesLayered clothing - make sure it can mix and match and synthetic so it dries fastthermals, leggings, light jeans, clothes that can go from day to night (button downs for guys, light dresses for girls) something you can wear in a range of settings.Minimal underwear - wash it on the road.Rain jacketWool socksHiking shoes/sandals/ a pair of shoes that can be worn in a range of activities (ballet flats for girls, dark shoes for guys) so you can go out to a nice restaurant or bar or walk around a city without looking like a total tourist.Day packOptional /Activity based/ gender specificBaby wipesCipro (flaxen)- I'm not big into antibiotics, but this has saved me a few times! Its a cure all travelers sickness pill and you only need one.Pashmina scarves - 1 light one heavier can be used in 100 ways.Aluminum mug and sporkMakeup - minimalEye mask - to catch up on sleep. sometimes 18 hour bus rides require some shut eye or when you need a good nap mid day. (the freedom of being able to take a nap is just amazing. Yeah for sabbaticals )Toiletries - minimalBasic food - you can get it on the road but i liked having some nuts, granola bar or drink mix when the water tasted foul from a potable tableWater potable tablets or UV water cleanerKey ResourcesRead up on some travel blogs. These people are professional travelers and they've been most places and faced most obstacles all over the world. They've been a great resource for packing, getting from point A to point B or advice about what to do if you are in a jam.TravelWiki has been a good resource as well. I tend to stay away from Trip Advisor. I think most of the reviews are pretty generic and point you to the same corporate Lonely Planet places.Looking back, small trips also really helped me prepare for a long solo one. Start with small bites- take an unplanned road trip away for a long weekend. Camp, or CouchSurf. Pack as little as you can and see what you don't use. Get a taste of the travel life see what you really need to live on; it's surprisingly less then you'd imagine. See how you travel. Travel with a friend and see what it's like to travel together (a good travel partner can make your break your trip.) See how you handle the stress of jet lag, not knowing the language or being unfamiliar with a culture somewhere. Every person is different so you have to know yourself to plan for something like this.You asked what this was like giving up everything and doing it.It's terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. Leaping into the unknown is scary as hell, but with the biggest risks comes some of the greatest rewards. New business ideas, new skills, new inspiration, new friends, new beliefs in yourself come to you easily and openly. Grand stories happen on the road, that's why there are so many movies, songs, books and poetry about it.Widened perspective, new found appreciation for the small things and being able to be proud of the fact that you did something most people just talk about are all game changers. The best and the brightest have done it. You become the Hero and one of the thousand faces is yours.

i find myself lucky to work as a web dev intern at a startup company in denmark. some of my tasks were kinda testing. testing websites after dev. so maybe this answer might help you as i can try to give you an overview. it was like a few years ago when i was in my third year of btech. i would say it depends upon the situation. there are a lot of factors - your current situation, which company you apply for- startup or established, what do you study, which year you are in, how much time you can spent being absent in college, interview process, hr structure, your limitations- how much you can apply and where do you break down, who is taking your interview, how many rounds are there, are they hiring you just for skills per se, or they are hiring you for your overall personality, which country you come from, are they brave enough to sponsor a visa, have they employed someone before from your country, are you applying for a job/internship, do you know danish or not, would knowing danish be a big deal or not, do they have resources to host you, to pay for your visas, do other team members trust you, do they like how and would they influence the decision who would hire you, do you have resources to survive there, would you able to accomodate in danish culture, would you miss you home …so on there are a lot of other factors.the most important factor for me was to never stop trying and finding the right company. i spent about a few months in beginning of 2014 applying n applying for different countries in europe for internships. one good thing about startup companies and very big companies/corporations is that even if you don’t know danish it’s kinda okay. when i ask my boss today that what led you to select me out of the pool of 15 other candidates you interviewed is the email. it was a letter which was a few pages pages long, showing my skills, knowledge, and feelings about the startup in a balanced way. that letter impressed my boss and he called me for a skype interview. skills wise- i knew a little bit but not like a pro. he was happy and got me in. i applied for my visa in vfs delhi nehru place with the documentation from them and my side. i got the visa stamped. booked my flights. packed the luggage. and yeah this internship was paid so i was able to survive there. also my college supported me during these 4 months. i can also suggest that finding a job directly to denmark right after college might be challenging. as per european union, they have to advertise the job in their locations so as to give preference to their people first. so you might want to step up through easy roles like internship where there is not much competition. then you can move ahead with performance and overall personality.so i mean, if i apply again ever for a position (imagining i am at your place), i would focus on startup companies/small ones in denmark and write them love letters (email) explaining myself, my skills as a conversation that they enjoy. i wish i could help you more. yeah european companies i have found them more transparent as most of them have the list of their employees on their company site. also during my this whole period i put my trust in allah and i consider his help for everything i do/did or will do. (this was a free style write, haha, so ignore any english mistake).below is my detailed experience i mean it can help you motivate and give you more insights.(This is a personal experience with ups and downs. It's mainly for students who are seeking internships and opportunities to give them a boost to never give up and learn everything is possible. It's not a guide but with every section I have tried to write down what you can learn/tips from the things! Have a good read:))The feeling when you are in college and have already failed 4 subjects in your third year, but still you plan to do something challenging. Welcome, that's me, Jamal and this is my story where I made to one of the best countries in the world for an internship. Some college days were missed, waking up late nights and sleeping throughout the days got common. The room becomes your world and you try hard to get the most out of it. It's a living room, it's an eating room, it's a room where you entertain yourself. It was a silent midnight, the table was cleaned, coffee was brewed and laptop was turned on. Now, I could count on my fingertips how much time the laptop would take to load Windows! The noise from the laptop could be hear due to messy heat fan, sometimes the leg got scratched due to an iron piece bulging out of the table. The chair was setup and I got a seat. Often I used to offer night prayers.This continued for a few months after I returned back to India failing an internship interview in the U.K. Interested what happened there. Click here. The passion to travel the world, the passion to know what is abroad, the passion to know what is considered as the 'west', the passion to learn abroad fueled me to follow the procedure eat -> sleep -> rave (work) -> repeat! for consecutive for 74 days. So, clearly my aim was not to score the academics, my aim was not impress people with an honors, my aim was to follow the passion.Days and days passed, sending resumes/CV and application letters to companies abroad became common, somewhat frustrating at a point. Haha, don't think I won't get frustrated just because I am blogging and I am a super human. I am just like a regular human being. I used to use a mixed number to websites to find internships, mostly through Google. Like a usual day, it was 21st April 2014, in the evening, I was on this website www.graduateland.com. (Thanks @Patrick Lund for making such a great website! ;)) I was browsing randomly for internships and saw various internship listings in Europe and applied to all of them. I am not sure how many I applied to, maybe 5 or even 10. Yes, I was applying to a lot of companies and spending most of my time in searching for opportunities online.What you can learn: failure is not anend, it just a bridge between success.When I found my this dream companyThen there was this internship listing with the company name 'Morning Train Technologies ApS' based in Denmark on an island Funen. This was a small web bureau or a web design/development company having less than 5 permanent employees. To my understanding, when I found this listing it was around 5pm on that day. I found this internship just like every other listing at least for the first moment but when I read the description I found it interesting. The description impressed me but when I looked at the skills required, I got a bit sad. It was a web development internship and the skills required seems complicated to me because I just knew the basics. Still, I made my way to apply. I researched the company well, read about their employees, management, history, what they do, their current projects. I started with the cover letter on Microsoft Word but cancelled it because I was in fear that my cover letter might not be read if I would send that as an attachment, so I typed my cover letter in the body of email directly, so, that the reader would have a direct impact. In the email itself I showed my interest, more importantly my passion, my feelings for the company. That's it. I am not sure if I had knew more than 20 percent of the skills they were expecting. After the email cover letter, I had to see the format of resume according to the country's specifications. So, now I got the format of Danish resume which is below: (Danish resume format is a lot simpler than US version :D)RésuméPersonal Data (also include nationality, marital status and work permit)Key CompetenciesExperienceEducationRelevant CourseworkSkill SetLanguagesVolunteer ActivityHobbiesAchievements and ActivitiesWhat you can learn: if you are not a master of skillsets, try to be a master of passion and positive attitude. Now you also know the format of a Danish resume :DI sent the applicationThe great thing is that you don't have to worry about formatting, you just have to list the things in a Danish resume which makes it simple and easy to read. Anyway, now the time is 9:32PM and I was ready to push the email below. (LinkedIn won't allow you view the image in original size, do please don't try read the text in email, I would make separate post regarding it.)So, I had put all my efforts into these lines above. This was the best I could have wrote to impress someone. Just before I hit the button, I could see my heartbeat rising and I was very nervous. I took a deep breath and finally hit the send button.Now, I just had to wait for them to reply me. At this point, I had some expectations but I was not fully confident that I would get a reply. Why? because I didn't had top skills, inviting someone from abroad is a very expensive process which needs time and money both, immigration rules are strict (which now I think is one of the most hyped things today) etc.What you can learn: 1. to decide whether it is a good idea to type a cover letter letter or attach it. If it is not a requirement to attach it, type it. 2. Be honest, say the truth, let your feelings come out, let employers know what you can do for them. Caution: make a balance amongst all these.I got a positive reply ;)But something happened the next day, I got a reply from Karsten Madsen, the CEO of the company. When this email arrived, I was in my college where I was studying Bachelors of Information Technology. My college was United College Of Engineering and Research, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India which was 60 kilometers away from the home. I didn't had the habit to check my emails while being at the college. But throughout the whole day I was there, I was expecting something positive. So I reached home in the evening and checked my email. I noticed an email from the company, my heart started beating faster (due to the reason I had been going through the phase where you receive negative replies and phrases such as "Hi, thank you for applying for this position......This time we have decided to move on with another candidate. .....We would keep your application for x months".) These are the moments where you feel like, it's the end sometimes, you have been failed, you can't do anything. But anyway, not for me, so here is the email I got at 1:25PM on 22nd April 2014:"Hi Anvar,Well I think that is the most time anyone has ever spent on writing about our company haha ;)I like your energy and enthusiasm, so you have granted yourself a skype meeting. It will be in 1-2 weeks from now. I will return with details.Best regards / Med venlig hilsenKarsten MadsenT +45 2781 xxxxEmail: xxwww.morningtrain.dk"I was so happy to read this that for the first time in several months, I felt like I am really so happy from within. I told my mom about this and she gave her blessings to me. I told my family about this and they were so happy for me.What you can learn: a good strategy and an honest approach worked.I replied them but didn't get a replyI replied them at 8:32PM the same day I asked if they needed anything from me like work samples and shown my interest to know more about their company. I didn't receive a reply from them till the next day. There was just one thing revolving in my mind, if you go through failures and failures, admit it or not negative things start coming into your mind. I doubted whether they might have accepted someone else, or no, what is the reason they didn't reply, were they busy? or were they ignoring me? I decided to play my shot again.What you can learn: it's just natural to not to receive a reply within a day or two. So, just be relaxed. Don't be over conscious like me.I impressed them againI observed their website, their SEO and performance with their priorities. I made nice list explaining the problem their website was going through and sent to them. Some of the issues I encountered with from CSS, missing files, meta tag etc. Guess what, I got a reply from the CEO Karsten Madsen in just two hours thanking me for sharing the observations. Then we started getting in touch more often.What you can learn: If you feel there is something wrong, sharing good things (which are economically beneficial) is always a good idea.I super impressed Karsten again by sharing a business planThe fear of losing an opportunity kept me tight and I kept on saying to myself, doesn't matter what happens I have to super impress them. I prayed at nights, sometimes I even cried. I had to see the world, I had to grow, I had to see mountains, meadows, abroad, had to enjoy, had to fly, had to see the skies. I researched around the company services and made a plan how can we offer better services to Danish customers and what we can offer them. I sent my ideas on 25th April 5:41PM and on 5:52PM I got this reply:"I am impressed.Although this is not what we will do - at least not quite like you proposed it. One year ago I would have wanted the same thing, but the strength of our business is our niche, which is web programming, and that is what we want to push further. I am thinking about building a blog or knowledge website that will somehow target customers who needs programming. The SMS idea and some other ideas sounds cool.Thank you for these suggestions, you are wild i like it ;)"I didn't leave any loopholesWhenever I had time, I researched. I came up with an idea of a study app for international students studying in Denmark to give them some tips, an idea of a website for to let the students exchange exam papers. The great thing was I also made prototypes. Thanks to some of the softwares and services I used- subdomains, cPanel, Arvixe hosting, Softaculous etc. I shared these prototypes with Karsten and at last he replied:Hi Anvar, not a bad idea!Here you will find possible schedules for an interview regarding the internship position, please choose on or get back to me if nothing fitsYes, I was waiting for this moment, the moment where I can Skype with Karsten and show my enthusiasm.I replied:Thanks Karsten for the reply very early in the morning. May be this is the reason why the team calls the company as ‘Morning Train’.Second, thank you again for giving me an opportunity to get interviewed at MTT and giving me a chance to get to know each other well.What you can learn: whenever you find time, even 5 minutes, dive into the products, services, history, values, connections to see how you can contribute. Do something practical. This shows you are proactive and you are proving yourself.Finally had the Skype where no skills related questions asked, still no verdict as there were other candidatesBefore starting the interview, I prayed to Allah that everything would be fine. My mother, my family gave me blessings and prayed for me. I had just returned from my college and the Skype was scheduled at 7:30PM. So, I had mere 1-2 hours in between. While returning from college this time, I felt very happy that at last, I can face and talk to the company face to face. Since this was the first Skype interview I was a bit nervous that would I be able to understand their English accent, what if I didn't understand?? Other things, I wore a white formal shirt and used my old HP laptop gifted to me by my elder brother. I still remember the very first lines I said to Karsten, "thanks for giving me a chance to present myself......". During the Skype, I could see the Danish sunny weather and nature. Karsten didn't asked me much, he just gave me a short description what they do, what I have to do, that's all. The company wasn't even bothered about my transcripts and academics, how much subjects did I fail or not. Karsten told that they have other candidates as well for this internship position as well and I have to wait until all interviews are finished to get a final verdict on my selection. I left a thank you email after several hours of the Skype.What you can learn: Why I wasn't tested for my skills? because I had already shown them on a basic level. My average skills + passion to join them was able to counter attack the requirement for top skills. So, only skills are the part of recruitment. Recruiters are also humans and they respect passion!A big hurdle- how I get past through the competitive skills of other candidates?Recruitment is based solely on how can a candidate bring more skills on the desk unless other factors are considered. Naturally, ideas started coming to my mind. There were other international candidates from Europe fighting for this paid internship. There were total 15-20 applications for 3 intern roles. I had 3-4 days to impress Karsten and the company again and put my best possible efforts. I started researching more and more about the prototypes I developed earlier and asked for feedback. I was developing it, improving it and showing it to Karsten. It was just being proactive and never yourself down. I was so nervous on Sunday night that I wrote to Karsten the following:Hi Karsten, just wanted to tell you that as the Monday is approaching, I keep on thinking whether what will be the verdict regarding my selection. I have many expectations bound to your company. Hope everything be good ;)I didn't hear a reply for that day. I again did the same thing, challenged myself, kept on researching, developing, working on the previous projects asking feedback and things.Finally, the company accepted me officially!on 4th May 2014, Karsten emailed me.I know you are excited to know the answer. And since i have made all the interviews i can say that you are onboard the team - congratulations :DNow what was the next step. On 21st May I got my official contact letter. The next step was the visa documents. I was so excited that the same day, I researched out all the information on the process to get a visa or permit. It was really exciting to prepare documents for visa. Now I was happy, I was enjoying.What you can learn: honest hard work paid off. Be honest, work hard from within, It would definitely pay off today or tomorrow!The Visa processOn 27th June, I submitted my visa application to VFS Global New Delhi with contract letter and lot of supporting documents to make sure I get on the first try.I know the girl in pink looks good :D but trust me I didn't intend to cover her. What a postive thinking it was! I had my flight scheduled on 3rd Aug.How I dealt with 4 months of absence at my college?Since I had to be away from my college for 4 months which is more like a semester, I had to talk to the management as I would be missing sessionals, attendance, practicals, classes. There was a HODs (head of departments) meeting going on when I had decided to approach them and see any chance of collaboration. I was a little bit afraid. I had all the documents ready with me- the company contract letter, travel tickets, passport photocopy.The room was full of conversations and moment comes when I asked "May I come in sir?". I didn't get a pleasing reply. This was the moment I felt I might get screwed if anything got wrong. But I kept my confidence and approach one of the HOD at the front, I still remember some of the lines I said at that time. I said "Sir, I have got an internship in Denmark, so I was willing to go for it for 4 months." As I remember I wasn't welcomed and things got wrong or I was unable to speak to them properly. Don't know what was the reason. I left the room and went to my professor Ravi (the one who had supported me always for my passion), he said, "don't worry I talk to them". He went straight forward to them and said "Sir, this student has got an internship abroad and we should send him. It's a big deal." Then the HODs thought for a moment and asked me to come in, they asked me if I have some proof to show I have got an internship, I said that yes I have the contract letter from the company. Then they asked for my travel tickets and visa. I said I have the tickets but not the visa. They asked why? I said "waiting for it to get approved". They asked me to send it once it is confirmed. My professor said "No problem sir, Anvar can send to me". They were like "okay". Everything went okay and then my professor told me "you fool, you should have come with sweets" to impress these guys :DLater or sooner, I was accompanied by my friend, Gautam and we went to a sweet shop to buy some sweets. We brought some good sweets, didn't mind to spent few extra buck if that eases a task :D I had the opportunity to go to the top management of our college through my this friend as he was excited to share this news of mine with them. So, we went there and I introduced myself to her (Mona mam, she professionally is responsible for managing the whole college). She got very impressed with my achievement and the fun fact is that that the HOD whom I tried to negotiate with, was also present there. But this time, he was smiling at me :D We distributed sweets to almost everyone in the college from librarian to reception, from director to principal :)If you have people who understand you and they would definitely back you, things get easier. Our IT department was good and supportive to me, even though I was bad at academics but they knew I am good at something ;) My teacher Ravi sir, Aarti and Archana mam, HODs and college management they were also supportive. Overall everyone including my friends supported me for which I am happy. Just after a week or two, I got my visa confirmed.what you can learn: be nice with everyone in your college, teachers/professors/HODs/management would support you for an absence for your internship or any document work.Finally got my visa approvedOn 23 July within a month as they say, I got my visa approved from the Embassy of Denmark in New Delhi.The problem at Delhi airport(Including so that we students can learn how to handle these situations).I had a flight booked with Aeroflot airlines. I was dropped off at the airport by my brother, mother, sister in law and cute nephew who was sleeping. My mother broke into tears while saying goodbye. Yes, this happens all the time in India. When I approached the airlines counter, a semi-fat Indian lady there at the same asked me for my passport which I shown. She also asked if I had some offer letter, I shown her the contact letter. She asked where I would stay. I said I would stay with my employer since the company arranged that for me. She said "okay, wait!". She calls her manager and I don't know what she tells him regarding me. The manager who was slim, suited, and having a moustache asks if I have college ID card, I said no I didn't have. Then he started explaining things to me that the immigration won't let me go through, I would be stopped and so on. I further told I have a letter from college which states my identity which I can show him if he want. He said "okay", you can go and I made him satisfied with all the information he needed. Then he allowed, and asked the lady at the desk to process my boarding pass. I submitted my two heavy luggages (yes, I got a good deal with Aeroflot) , took my boarding pass, and proceeded towards the immigration. The immigration process was super easy. Nothing asked. The airlines executives earlier seemed a bit worried from me, don't know what was the reason. I didn't want to make myself sad on this great day. So I said to myself, let's go and not to think about that incident again.What you can learn: always carry an official ID card of your college/university while travelling abroad and always carry minor notes of things such as your accommodation address, supervisor contact details so that whenever the airlines staff or immigration asks, You don't have to think about it, but you are like, "here it is, Sir/Mam! and there you go!". Don't be a stupid like me!EXPERIENCE AT A GLANCEThe experience was full of challenges from day 1 like handling the visa documentation, embassy officer, airlines manager regarding small issues, but that was worth to learn and explore something. In Denmark, I lived on an island called Odense which is windy and cold. It was about 12 hours journey via Russia. The route was something like Delhi airport to Sheremetyevo airport to Copenhagen airport to Odense St. I started working the very next day I arrived there. In the company I got an opportunity to work on Web development and team management skills. I worked with other international interns, Paul from Greece and Marius from Romania. Paul taught me a lot of things about Greek culture like fotia me fotia :) (music)They are my very good friends. I also found anew hobby DJing which I used to do on weekends in our house parties sometimes and once in a bar. I got some very good friends like Calle, Georgi, Elena, Ieva, Edgar, Laura, Crille, Annina, Rokas, Peteris, Clemo, Dexter, Aleks, Alexandra, Tony, Daniels, Bjarne, Peter, Ronja, Glory, Liz, Bob, Dimitris, Catharina, Alex, McCullen, Jayi, Dragos, Ulari, Mariah, Irene, Toms, Giota, Tamas, Anturia, Mazvydas, Torben, Marta, Gizem, Mai mi, Rolands.The very first steps in DenmarkIt was a 10-12 hour long flight in total via Moscow (SVO- Sheremetyevo Airport). So from, DEL- SVO- CPH-Odense (by train).My office was located in a small city (Odense) on an Island (Funen) in Denmark. But Odense doesn't have an airport so, I had to travel through Copenhagen which is well know city then to Odense via train. So, having successfully landed at CPH airport, I could see the Danes (the Danish people for the first time). The immigration process was super easy. No questions asked. I wished the office, he offered me a smile and what then, he just stamped the passport. The Copenhagen airport is well connected to the city via metro. I exchanged Indian rupees for the Danish Kroners and I got a very good exchange rate which I was not expecting. Then I proceeded towards the Kastrup Station which is a train station inside the airport to go other cities. I realized I needed a ticket :D, then there were some vending machines but since I had never used one before, so, I was a bit afraid. I tried to use one and it was super easy. Carrying the two big luggage was becoming difficult. With some problems, I happen to reach the train platform where I happen to strike a conversation with two internationals (not sure if they were Danes).They helped me in getting the right train. After a few minutes, the train arrived and I managed to get my luggage inside it. Then I had to find my seat number which I did. People were looking at me surprisingly because they are not used to see a lot of Indians. As I remember there were total less than 100 Indians in Odense city which is also the third largest city of Denmark. During the travel, I captured some photos of nature, farms, wind mills and specially the ØresundBridge which connects the two main lands. So, now I was at the Odense Station and again handling the two big luggages and carrying them via escalator was a bit challenging which I did it anyway. Now I was at the Odense Station and Karsten was waiting for me to pick me up.What you can learn: you can always purchase train tickets ('billet' is a Danish word for ticket) in advance using www.dsb.dk website for your Copenhagen airport to Odense journey. This can also save a lot of money.The first funny dayMy first at the company Morning Train was on 4th Aug, just the next day I arrived here. I dressed formally. As soon as I enter the kitchen/area where the company people used to have breakfasts, I was introduced with my team members, and other people working.I was also told that wearing formals is not a requirement and in fact most of the Danish workers don't do that :D So, that was the first and last time I wore the formal dress. Generally, Indian parents expect their child to wear formals at their office. The first day was easy, but soon we got the opportunity to work on live Danish projects mainly websites.What you can learn: be original, be nice to everyone, take the step to introduce yourself to meet at least your team members yourself and don't wait for them to come and meet you.Denmark at a glance, especially for Indians!Well I got a treat from the company side on my arrival and it was totally Danish food. It was fish cooked in spinach served with rice and sauce. They eat less spicy, simple, fresh food and I liked it. The Danes speak Danish as their first language but they also speak perfect English and governmentoffer free classes for internationals. The houses are mostly hut shaped, detached, low height, wooden with energy efficient technologies. We used to live in a big villa like this. For Indians, the climate there will always be cold because summers for them is like winters for us. Danes loveriding bikes (bi cycles, yes Danes use the word bike to refer to bicycles). The transport timings are accurate by 1 minute so may be a problem for us Indians ;)My team membersI feel like blessed to find such team members Pavlos Isaris from Greece and Marius Vaduva from Romania. Infact, they are my very good friends too. We collaborated on a great level on projects such as website development, SEO etc. I still remember the time we used to play in the kitchen.What you can learn: team members are not just for work, work and work! You need to show your true personality inside your team. Me, Paul and Marius, we had a great bonding because we used to work, play, chat and help each other. So, be great, nice and gentle, be helpful towards them!The new skillsI had the opportunity to learn the demands by Danish customers, the perfection in creating a website, you would be questioned if you even try to add a single grey line after the content ends on a website (Danish culture is highly sophisticated about quality). What they want is a strict requirement. Anyway, I got a whole new exposure to the web world such as WordPress website development, designing website using builder themes, basics of search engine optimization, researching open source solutions, working with e-commerce website, learning Google developer tools.What you can learn: learn skills!!Not just computer, I also happen to learn to cook great noodles which got famous in the office and oftenly I gave treats to people in the office.What you can learn: learn cooking too because you need to be healthy and stay responsible for yourself!!A great momentThe best moment there I receive a call from our CEO in the morning saying "hey Anvar! Our Olufbagersgaard customer wants the project ready before 1 pm today instead of next week. They want to launch it in a reception event today. Can you do it?". My reply "Sure. I will try my best." I relaxed myself andtook a cup of hot black coffee. I did it half an hour before the deadline and rewarded with an appraisal ;)What you can learn: if your supervisor would trust you, you might get challenges like this, but these challenges are just to make you standout!The weekend fun and friendsWithout fun, it's not abroad yet! Yes, I also enjoyed there and happen to make a lot of friends throughout Europe. I also had the opportunity to spent a day with a traditional Danish family where I got so much respect, love, learning about Danish culture! I also went to Flensberg, the top most north area of Germany. Also had the opportunity to get to know the high school, TornBjerg Gymnasium in Denmark. I also represented our Indian food at ESN dinner event with a great team, me from India, two from US, one from Latvia, and last one from Germany.What you can learn: An internship is not just about working and learning on the skills side. It's a complete immersion program of culture, work, ethics, people, places. So, try to balance your work life to enjoy too!The journey back home!That's our team, from right to left: It's me, Marius (team member), Paul (team member), Martin (Project manager), Karsten (CEO), Bjarne (the coding champion). Oops, where is Peter?I felt great to be able to live in such as great country, experience a great culture and its people. It was a complete immersive experience. I returned back to India on 29th November collecting up all the precious memories from back there! What a wonderful experience it was. Thanks to all who made this possible specially Karsten who believed in me, Pavlos & Marius who found a great friend in me, Peter who helped us in understanding marketing, Martin is making us understand planning, Bjare in making us understand coding, my professor Ravi, my college, my family and friends. A lot of my friends ask me, how I actually did it, I say to them, I did nothing, It's Allah who did it all!FINALLY What you can learn: never give up, there is always a way, just try to find it. Don't let your stressed academics come in between your passion!Please feel free to ask or share any views! I like hearing.Denmark- was this my end?- nopes :D, a remote internship from US was awaiting for me!- stay tuned for it!

Travel And Tourism ScopeTravel & tourism industry's main function is nothing but planning the whole journey of any tourist till start to end.we use the term ‘travel and tourism’ to describe the industry as a whole. Since India has been greatly developing in the sector of travel and tourism, the travel and tourism scope in India is at high node . With modes of travel in the form of cruises, flights, cars, and even trains, as well as tourism industriesOpportunities in Travel and TourismWith over 9 percent of the GDP coming from tourism, even the government has started initiatives to expand this industry. As a result, there are career opportunities in the public and private sector as well. A large percentage of the country has started showing interest in pursuing a career in this field thanks to the excellent travel and tourism scope and salary in country.Even though there are several domains in the industry, the following are the most common areas of opportunities -Travel AgencyA travel agency is simply an organization that acts as an intermediary or agent between the service supplier and the tourist. The suppliers can be airlines, hotels, tour providers, etc. It is the first point of contact for a traveller to plan a trip. Travel agencies act as mediator focus on providing a hassle-free experience for their customers. Travel agencies provide customers with various packages and options to choose from. These packages, are usually created by a tour operator.The major services offered by travel agencies include flight ticketing, booking accommodation, itinerary planning, travel insurance, foreign exchange, as well as providing key travel information. Some of the positions in this organization include -Travel agentTravel consultantsTravel insurance consultantSales and reservation agentsVisa executivesTour OperatorsThese are the organizations that combine the tour and travel to provide customers with various tour packages. Usually, tour operators sell directly to customers, or to other travel agencies. Since they are in direct contact with the product suppliers, they acquire the products and services from them, and then create their own unique package and sell it at a mark-up price. The types of tour operators include -The primary functions of a tour operator are to create packages. Along with this, they also provide ticketing and reservation, itinerary planning, and so on. Some of the job positions at a tour operator are as follows -Itinerary PlannerInternational travel consultantTravel package plannerTour managerTourism DepartmentThe tourism department, also known as the Ministry of Tourism is a government organisation that governs over the tourism industry in the country. Every state in India has there own tourism department through which all promotional activities regarding tourism take place. From policies and regulations to planning, publicity and marketing, as well as ticketing, they look after the tourism-related interests of the country. There are state-level ministries, as well as national level ministry. Apart from the higher officials and minister, the other roles in the tourism department includes-Tour guidesPublic relations managerSales and marketing staffReservation and counter staff, etcAviationFlights and other forms of air travel include the aviation industry. Being the largest tourist sector in the world, there are numerous opportunities in the domain. Their functions range from booking the tickets to the passenger reaching his destination. The aviation sector handles all the operations and has both in-flight staff and ground staff. The in-flight staff such as pilots and air hostesses have a different career path. The ground staff are the people who take care of the workings of an airport. You can follow a career in this by studying courses in specific branches of the travel and tourism industry. The profiles can include customer service, reservation and ticketing, cargo handling, terminal operations and management, ground staff, etc.How to pursue a career in travel & tourismTo enter any area or field for career one must have to complete all education related to that field. For doing job in Travel & Tourism also many courses are available Travel & tourism course in India. Some travel & tourism related courses information as follows:Short term travel & tourism courses:To start a career in this field short term courses available which can be done after 12th also irrespective of which stream your are belongs.Diploma in travel & tourism & fast track courses in travel & tourism are some of name of courses ,.which took one year or less than one year.Long term travel & tourism courses :Some degree courses which will consist of three years full time like BSC in travel & tourism ,BBA in hospitality. Management courses like MBA in travel & tourism are also available.These courses duration is more than one year.