Best Of Brazil: Fill & Download for Free

Shit, where do I start?Crippling bureaucracyEverything is complicated here. We all have two identification documents (RG and CPF) that serves exactly the same purpose. Our driver's license includes the numbers of these documents, but more often than not it is not enough when either is requested. You need your birth certificate to issue these documents, but, guess what—to open a bank account (just one out of many examples) you need to produce your original birth certificate. I guess three different ID documents are not enough to prove you are real.Pathetic transportation infrastructureInside most big metropolises we don't have nearly enough subways or trams. We prefer crappy buses (most with no A/C in a 40°C summer) to move huge masses of people around. We are a huge country, yes. Trains? No. We prefer to build huge roads and move everything by truck and bus. Of course these roads have terrible maintenance, and with so many heavy trucks on them all the time, it's not exactly a pleasure to take a crosscountry road-trip here.Insufficient health careWe have universal health care, yes. But with such a big country, it is very difficult to keep it fairly distributed. Most "good" healthcare is concentrated on huge cities and more often than not, countless small towns suffer from no healthcare at all, making people needing to travel great distances (at their own expense, of course) to treat even the most basic things.Low quality and insufficient educationWe are proud to have extremely good public universities. But our basic (public) education system is basically crap. Chances are that if you study in public schools you will not get into the best public universities, because you will compete against students from the private schools, which are of course much better and well equipped.Not really close to enough investment in sports/culture/scienceSo you went to this very prestigious public university and graduated with honors. Now what? Want to follow an academic career? Good luck finding a decent scholarship or any real investment in research. Kick ass at some sport? How about a scholarship in a good university? No such thing here. In Brazil we only care about football (soccer, for those in the US); all the rest is, well, "the rest". If you are a good player and are lucky enough to score a contract in your teens, you may forget about college. Just do your thing and remain stupid for the rest of your life, since you are probably not in school anymore. Any other sport? You are on your own.Lack of confidence in the government & corruptionCorruption is endemic here. It is everywhere. We have a political system in which every Municipio (and we have close to 6000 of them) has a mayor and a government body. This opens the way to all sorts of fraud and corruption, specially where the distribution of federal money is concerned. No one really knows how our political system works, vaguely remember who they voted for in the last election, and we don't get a chance to vote on anything important. We only elect people to do it for us.A very heavy tax burden (without its benefits)We have one of the heaviest (if not *the heaviest*) tax burden on the planet. Our income tax is 27.5%. We pay 4%, every year, of the market value on our car. We pay 1% of the market value of our house. There are taxes on everything we buy and we still pay a lot for crappy services and products. This is one of the all-time complaints of our people, regardless of administration (left, right, whatever). Too many taxes, too few services. Not enough schools, roads or hospitals. But the tax money never stops flowing.Extreme income inequalityAll of the above is further complicated by one of the worst income inequality on the planet. We have a lot of millionaires and billionaires, but the vast majority of our people live in poverty. I just came back to a trip to tourist-filled northeast, with its beautiful beaches, and this can't be clearer. Sure, tourism is good and brings in a lot of revenue. But you drive 20km out of the "hotels zone" and you see people living in abject misery in clay homes, with kids playing righ next to the interstate highway. Devastating.Growing religious fundamentalismBrazil has one of the world's largest Catholic populations, but in recent years this has declined steeply, giving rise to protestantism (or more accurately, Neo-Pentecostalism). And their political power is growing to scary levels. Although Brazil's constitution clearly states that we are a secular republic, this is not what really happens in practice. Churches are exempt from taxes, and this of course helps a lot of preachers to become obscenely rich and powerful at the expense of their flock. In every election the number of religious congressmen grows and they now wield serious political power. Our current chairman of congress belongs to this group and the projects and laws he is "helping" to move all go against individual liberties, favoring the religious and conservative agenda.

[Just found this photo album: Brazilian Expeditionary ForceAlso, this is probably the best detailed account to be found on the internet of the Brazilian side during WWII, and its relations with the U.S. and Germany: Estudios Interdisciplinarios de América Latina y el Caribe (“Brazil and World War II: The Forgotten Ally”, by Frank D. McCann). It also sheds fantastic light on the expert role and maneuvering of president Getúlio Vargas, dispelling several myths, such as that he was “fascist” and pro-Nazi (on the contrary…). I cannot recommend it more, if you are at least slightly interested please read it in full.]My mother was of german descent growing up in her early teens in the small southern town of Canela (Rio Grande do Sul) at the time of the war. She told me that they (all the german communities) only spoke in german, until U-boats started sinking brazilian merchant ships, then with the wave of aversion and backlash for the germans, they had to start to speak only in portuguese from then on. They didn’t lose command of their native tongue, just had to hide it (though my mother now says she doesn’t know german anymore…). I guess it was the same with all german, italian and japanese communities in Brazil.My father was a very young medical officer (otorrhinolaryngologist, sp?) in the Air Force from Recife at the time of the war, but didn’t go to Europe. He told me the americans badly needed to establish air bases in Natal and Recife (the “Bridge to the Atlantic”), but the Vargas government refused it for a time, until they offered to help in the set up of the Siderurgical company at Volta Redonda.On a less serious note, my father told me this anecdote (not very funny, but… well, those were other times) from about the time of the war (or was it from the 50s?): american president Truman visits brazilian pres. Dutra, saying:“How do you do, Dutra?”Dutra answered: “I’m fine, thank you. And how tru you tru, Truman?” …Also, it’s useful to remember that Brazil’s population at that time of WWII was smaller than Britain’s (certainly smaller than Germany’s!), so brazilian losses had a higher impact in the brazilian people than probably they would today.In spite of one slightly dismissive and disdainful (and frankly, ignorant) answer by mr. Dan Halliday, it’s always best to read wikipedia:Brazilian Expeditionary Force - Wikipedia[Brazil] “fought in Italy from September 1944 to May 1945, while the Brazilian Navy as well as the Air Force also acted in the Battle of the Atlantic from the middle of 1942 until the end of the war. During almost eight months of its campaign, fighting at Gothic Line and in the 1945 final offensive, the BEF managed to take 20,573 Axis prisoners, consisting of two generals, 892 officers, and 19,679 other ranks.”[…]“As in 1914, Brazil in 1939 maintained a position of neutrality, initially trading with both the Allies and the Axis powers. As the war progressed, trade with the Axis countries became almost impossible and the US began forceful diplomatic and economic efforts to bring Brazil onto the Allied side. These efforts led to the creation of the Joint Brazil-US Defense Commission, which was chaired by James Garesche Ord and worked to strengthen military ties between the two countries during the war. It was designed to reduce the likelihood of Axis attacks on US shipping as soldiers traveled across the Atlantic to Africa and Europe, and minimized the influence of the Axis in South America.”[…]“Although Brazil remained neutral, this increasing cooperation with the Allies led the Brazilian government to announce at the Pan American States Conference in Rio, on 28 January 1942, its decision to sever diplomatic relations with Germany, Japan, and Italy.As a result, from the end of January to July 1942, German U-boats sank 13 Brazilian merchant vessels. In August 1942, U-507 alone sank five Brazilian vessels in two days, causing more than 600 deaths”[…]“In all, 21 German and 2 Italian submarines caused the sinking of 36 Brazilian merchant ships involving 1,691 drownings and 1,079 other casualties. The sinkings were the main reason that led the Brazilian government to declare war against the Axis.Berlin Radio pronouncements led to increasing nervousness among the Brazilian population, so unlike 1917, in 1942 it seemed that the Brazilian government did not want war. In some cities like Rio de Janeiro, the people started to protest against such a situation which included some harassment of German communities.The passive position of the Vargas government proved untenable in the face of public opinion. Ultimately, the government found itself with no alternative but to declare war on Germany and Italy on August 22, 1942.”[…]“The participation of the Brazilian Navy in World War II was not directly connected to the BEF and the Italian Campaign, having been largely engaged in the Atlantic campaign. As a result of the Axis attacks, Brazil suffered nearly 1,600 dead, including almost 500 civilians and more than 1,000 of Brazil's 7,000 sailors involved in the conflict. The naval losses included 470 sailors of the merchant marine and 570 sailors of the Navy, a total of 36 ships sunk by the Germans, and more than 350 dead in three accidental sinkings.The main task of the Brazilian Navy was, together with the Allies, to ensure the safety of ships sailing between the Central and South Atlantic to Gibraltar. Alone or in coordination with Allied forces, it conducted 614 convoys that protected 3,164 merchant and transport troop ships;In the battle against German submarines, Brazilian frigates and submarines used mines and depth charges. According to German documents, the Brazilian Navy attacked German submarines a total of 66 times.Along the Brazilian coast, a total of twelve Axis submarines (one Italian and eleven German) were proven to be destroyed”[…]“Soon after Brazil declared war, it began a popular mobilization for an expeditionary force to fight in Europe.At that time, Brazil was a country with a traditionally isolationist foreign policy, a population which was largely rural and illiterate, an economy focused on the export of commodities, and lacking an infrastructure in industry, health and education systems that could serve as material and human support to the war effort that a conflict of that dimension required.”[…]“In addition to the above-mentioned reasons, political distrust between the Brazilian and American authorities, as well as divergences regarding the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, as about its size (between Brazilian aspirations and the American convenience in manage it abroad), on whether it should be properly trained and armed Before boarding, or Already behind the lines at Mediterranean;caused that almost two years has elapsed between the Official entrance of Brazil in war and the sending of its first troops to the European Theater of Operations (compared with almost one year between the USA's entrance and the Operation Torch). In the end the Brazilian government gathered a force of one Army Division with 25,000 men (replacements included), compared with an initial declared goal of a whole Army Corps of 100,000, to join the Allies in the Italian Campaign.”[…]“The Brazilians joined what was a multinational hodgepodge of forces. The American forces included the segregated African-American 92nd Infantry Division and the Japanese-American 442nd Infantry Regiment. British Empire forces included New Zealanders, Canadians, Indians, Gurkhas, Black Africans, Jews and Arabs from the British Mandate in Palestine, South Africans and Rhodesians, units of exiles—Poles, Greeks, Czechs, Slovakians, as well as anti-fascist Italians, all serving under British command. French forces included Senegalese, Moroccans and Algerians.The Germans made much of the political aspect of the presence of the Brazilian force in Italy. They targeted propaganda specifically at the Brazilians.In addition to leaflets, the Germans provided an hour-long daily radio broadcast (in Portuguese) from Berlin Radio called "Hora AuriVerde" (GoldenGreen Hour).”[…]“Between the end of February and the beginning of March 1945, in preparation for the Spring offensive, the Brazilian Division and the US 10th Mountain Division were able to capture important positions on the Northern Apennines (noteworthy in the Brazilian sector, for Monte Castello and Castelnuovo), which deprived the Germans of key artillery positions in the mountains, whose effective fire had since the fall of 1944 blocked the Allied path to Bologna.”[…]“On 25 April the Italian resistance movement started a general partisan insurrection at the same time as Brazilian troops arrived at Parma and the Americans at Modena and Genoa. The British 8th Army advanced towards Venice and Trieste.At the battle of Collecchio, Brazilian forces were preparing to face fierce resistance at the Taro river region from the retreating German-Italian forces in the region of Genoa/La Spezia that had been set free by troops of the 92nd US Division. These Axis troops were surrounded near Fornovo and after some fighting surrendered. On April 28, the Brazilians captured more than 13,000 men, including the entire 148th Infantry Division, elements of the 90th Panzergrenadier and the Italian 1st 'Italia' Bersaglieri Division.”[…]“Among the 48 pilots of the Brazilian Unit who carried out war missions, there was a total of 22 losses; five of the pilots were killed by anti-aircraft fire, eight had their planes shot down and bailed out over enemy territory, six had to give up flying operations on medical orders, after suffering nervous breakdowns, and three died in flying accidents.”[…]“On 22 April 1945, the three remaining flights took off at 5-minute intervals, starting at 8:30 AM, to destroy bridges, barges, and motorized vehicles in the San Benedetto region. At 10:00 AM, a flight took off for an armed reconnaissance mission south of Mantua. They destroyed more than 80 tanks, trucks, and vehicles. By the end of the day, the Brazilian Squadron had flown 44 individual missions and destroyed hundreds of vehicles and barges. On this day Brazilians flew the most sorties of the war; consequently, Brazil commemorates April 22 as 'Brazilian Fighter Arm' Day. The 1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron accomplished 445 missions, with a total of 2,546 flights and 5,465 hours of flight on active service. It destroyed 1,304 motor-vehicles, 13 railway waggons, 8 armoured cars, 25 railway and highway bridges and 31 fuel tanks and munition depots.In all, the 1oGAVCA flew a total of 445 missions, 2,550 individual sorties, and 5,465 combat flight hours, from November 11, 1944 to May 6, 1945. The XXII Tactical Air Command acknowledged the efficiency of the Brazilian Squadron by noting that although it flew only 5% of the total of missions carried out by all squadrons under its control, it accomplished a much higher percentage of the total destruction wrought:85% of the ammunition depots36% of the fuel depots28% of the bridges (19% damaged)15% of motor vehicles (13% damaged)10% of horse-drawn vehicles (10% damaged)”

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.