Looking To Live The Dream
 

So a bit of information about myself. I'm a 17 year old going into my final year of high school. Shortly after high school I will be getting shipped for my basic training and advanced training for the Army National Guard. With the national guard, if you didn't already know, you only "work" one weekend a month. This is perfect for me to live my dream.

My plan is to travel at least 2 times a year to another country for probably 2 weeks at a time, maybe three. Here's where I need your help if you can provide it!

1. What are the best countries in your opinion that aren't too costly and why?

2. In connection with the first question, what is a good amount to take with me if I go for 2-3 weeks?

3. How long in advance should you buy the plane ticket(s) to get a good deal?

Thanks for any help you can provide and I look forward to staying around on the forum and conversing with you guys! :)

This could be a long thread or could finish very quickly.

NObody knows where you come from, your likes and dislikes, your hobbies, your desires when travelling, your budget limits, your seasons of travel, even your sex, which could make a difference to any recommendations.

Tell people more about yourself and you may get some constructive suggestions.

I'm a guy so that question is answered but honestly, my hobbies, likes and dislikes, etc. don't matter in this case. I want to experience the world. I want to see new cultures, live new experiences, and give back to the countries I visit. The budget thing isn't quite known yet. Apparently after I come back from training (whole year) I will have around $20k+ saved up. My starting budget should be quite nice but I don't want to spend that all. I guess the budget could be $4k tops per trip.

Wow. I've never heard a 17 year old use the word conversing in a sentence.

It's very hard to give you any real advice from what you've written. What are you looking for? Is this bumming around or a cultural trip? Do you want to meet other people or go backpacking? Are you outdoorsy or not?

Basically, what homework have you done yourself and what are your ideas?

Looking To Live The Dream
 

Aren't there restrictions on which countries your allowed to visit if your an active duty military member?

I've never been in the military, just trying to remember what old friends mentioned to me

Looking To Live The Dream
 

I don't think you know what is entailed in being in the National Guard. You only get paid for days you work. Once you are on reserve you're probably going to need another job...

This was my thought exactly. Well, something more along the lines of "what will you be doing for work?"

I am not sure where you are getting your numbers from - this is what I found:

"An E-1 in the Army National Guard is called a Private; in the Air National Guard it is an Airman Basic. An E-1 is paid at the active-duty rate of $1,467.60 per month during basic training. Once basic training is finished, an E-1 in the Army or Air National Guard earns $195.68 for each National Guard drill weekend.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/info_8118151_national-guard-basic-training-pay.html"

Out of that you may or may not need to pay Federal / State taxes (US tax laws confuse me - I believe it varies state to state)

Even if you kept every single penny, no taxes, no other deductions, that is only $17k.

You also need money to spend during that time - deodorant, toothpaste, shaving cream, snacks, sodas, socializing during your downtime, extra kit to make your life more comfortable (my first year with the military was extortionately expensive, as I purchased the 'gucci' kit - lighter weight warmer sleeping bag, extra t shirts for PT / to be worn under uniform, gloves, hats, Maglite torches, chinagraph pencils, boot polish and brushes, brasso, dusters, a decent iron, goretex waterproofs, a warm jacket, etc etc). I would plan on spending a fair amount at the PX to be honest, not saving it all. Yes, room and board may be taken care of, but there are some things that are going to make that year much more bearable.

As others have mentioned, your regular day job once you have completed your training will likely dictate your travel ability (time off, but also things like what they are going to pay you). $195 / weekend is not a lot, and you will be back to the real world paying for rent, food, car, insurance, and all the other things that add up.

Pay for tickets?

As others said, need more info. But I'll answer one question. You're new to this so you'll go to tourist friendly places, at least to start. So how much cash should you take with you? None. Or close to none. Take an ATM card. Yes, you pay to use it but you pay even more if your cash gets lost or stolen.

I was going to say space-a would have been an option, but it appears that NG are only authorized CONUS/Alaska/Hawaii.

On another note, the OP has ~2 years before he begins travel (last year of high school + ~55 weeks BCT/AIT). Plenty of things can change between now and then, though getting a broad sense of what he wants do is a good idea.

Welcome to FT! I like your enthusiasm and hope it's the start of a life-long love of traveling! Here's my two cents based on your questions/comments which I've bolded

1. What are the best countries in your opinion that aren't too costly and why?

Well this depends to some extent on your hobbies, likes, dislikes, etc. For someone staying in hostels or couchsurfing, backpacking around, etc. a lot more countries can be visited cheaply. Whereas someone who only wants a certain level of hotel and amenities could find almost every country to be costly.

While not perfect or 100% up to date, websites like Lonely Planet typically have a rundown of average daily costs in their country and city specific information. I wouldn't take those as ironclad truth, but it will give you a general idea of the magnitude of cost differences.

Many online travel "magazines" and blogs run articles on cheap destinations or how to do country X economically. Again I wouldn't plan a trip on those articles as they tend to be generalized, but it can give you a starting point for further research at least. Just try googling some key phrases and you'll find some stuff.

Exchange rates obviously factor into the equation, which isn't the greatest news for those of us coming from the U.S. in many cases lately. While an unfavorable exchange rate doesn't mean you can't find ways to visit said country affordably, it does raise the bar. (Likewise a favorable exchange rate doesn't always mean that prices won't still be high and partially negate your exchange savings.) Sites like XE.com and others are good for researching that.

2. In connection with the first question, what is a good amount to take with me if I go for 2-3 weeks?

Little to none, as mentioned upthread, in most cases. Use your ATM card to withdraw when you get there.

3. How long in advance should you buy the plane ticket(s) to get a good deal?
I tend to travel more on award flights so I don't have a real good general answer for that. It does depend on the particular routing and time of year, too. I'm sure others with more knowledge can chime in. I do know that the question has come up many times in the context of various destinations, so if you search around a bit on FT, you'll likely find some answers inputs on that area. Try the destination specific forums, maybe.

The budget thing isn't quite known yet. Apparently after I come back from training (whole year) I will have around $20k+ saved up. My starting budget should be quite nice but I don't want to spend that all. I guess the budget could be $4k tops per trip

I assume you'll have a day job besides your reserve duty? Otherwise your $20K won't last very long even for your day-to-day living, not to mention traveling. Plus having vacation time and ability to use it - variable depending on your job. I'm not saying not to travel, but just plan carefully and pace yourself as necessary.

Spend some time all over FT - there's lots to learn about airlines, hotels, destinations, trip reports, even a budget travel forum. And of course other more general travel resources out there, too.

I know you only get paid for days you worked as I mentioned already. You obviously don't see where I said I would have around 20k saved up when I get back from basic + AIT training. Not to mention I got a job that has a 45 week AIT.

Thanks for the advice. I did see when doing research to get a debit card that is cheap to use oversees so I guess that's along the same lines.