Bored with Your Life? Spend a Year Working Abroad

When I was in my late 30s, it suddenly dawned on me I was bored with my life. I lived in Santa Monica, California, a few blocks from the beach, I lived in a fabulous apartment, drove a nice car, had a great job and loved my boss. But, even with all these things, something was missing. Adventure. So, after a short holiday to Thailand, I came back to the US, gave my boss 6 months notice, started taking Thai lessons at a local Thai temple and began to plan my move abroad. I intended to work abroad for a year, but almost 5 years later, I'm still in Thailand. For those of you who just want to do something different, however, I recommend a year working abroad as one of the best things you will ever do for yourself. Scared? Don't be. Here's how I did it and 10 quick steps so you can do it too.

1. Decide What Country You Want To Live In and Look For a Job. First of all, decide which country interests you, do some research to see if it's possible to live there for at least a year, check on cost of living, average cost of an apartment, what a typical job would pay etc. and then figure out what kind of job you can do. I chose Thailand and teaching English, which is a great profession for many countries. You can however, depending on the country and work visas required, work in a restaurant or a bar, work for a corporation overseas, do travel writing, work in a ski resort, or any number of other interesting jobs. Make sure, though, that you double check on work visas and the ease or difficulty of acquiring them before you make your final decision.

Also, don't forget, if you don't really need the money, there are tons of volunteer jobs or internships available, some of which even pay small stipends for living costs. Volunteer jobs and internships overseas are amazingly cool things to do because you really get to see something your average traveler or tourist would not normally see. Many volunteer jobs are also easier to get working visas for than for paid working positions.