Hey! I'm looking to, at some point in the future, to travel out of the country and live abroad for at least a month. No destination set yet, but possibly Seoul, South Korea or somewhere in the Netherlands. Does anyone have any suggestions/advice about what I need to consider or look out for when it comes to living abroad (other than save money for it)? I am also completely open to new suggestions on where I could live for a month. Thanks!!

I heard about this program when I was in college. I think there’s an age limit but it’s worth looking into.
http://swap.ca
SWAP.CA
Working holidays for Canadians, volunteer, teaching, cultural and language learning opportunities | SWAP

Oh! I seem to be well within the age range! Amazing, thank you!!

Yeah... limit age of 30 years old

I'm in the same process but travelling abroad to see where I really want to go.
Teach English. Companies will typically pay for your working visa, flights, and some accommodation. Be weary of scammers though.
This is a good one. They are afliliated with UofT. Try https://www.teachaway.com/
Research also NGO.
Hope this helps.
Great destinations is Vietnam (I'm here now), Japan, South Korea, Cambodia (my Favourite)
TEACHAWAY.COM
Teach Abroad - Teach English Abroad - Teaching Overseas

Amazing! Thank you!

You can search workaway.com, they exchange stay for work, so you can do that if you wanna travel in a budget and be involved with locals, but you may have less freedom to move around/free time.
I've heard good things about this exchange though
WORKAWAY.COM
Home - Workaway International

Lovely, thank you!

My brother taught in Seoul for 2 years. They pay for your flight and your apartment. Minimum requirement was a bachelor's degree. He teaches in Malaysia now. It's a great way to see the world.

If you go this route, make sure to read the contract. Not all companies in Korea pay for flight and/or apartments anymore. Also you'd be tied into a salary for a year. I've lived in Korea for more than 10 years. The atmosphere is changing a little (not as easy to find jobs, living expenses are getting pretty high especially in Seoul), but it's still nice to be here.

Great, thanks for the information!

There are many that do pay, but you must sign a one year contract.

Joyce good to keep in mind, thanks

I am leaving for 7 weeks for SE-Asia soon. I simply planned 4 legs of 10 days.
If you stay in a city for 1 months, you can rent a condo for cheaper than a hotel room

I have thought of doing that but not sure what websites to use. I'm guessing it differs from place to place. Any suggestions of sites /services you've used before?

It will be very different from city to city... More student, more tourist, small cities, big cities... And from country to country! Can't help much here!

That's alright! Thank you!

As many people have already said, one month is roughly the time of a normal vacation to start exploring a country/area. In the past 10 year, I went 9 times to SE-Asia/Asia for trips, duration varying between 5 weeks and 4 months. I think that the best tips is to allow you some flexibility in your travel planning. The plan for my upcoming trip in Thailand is roughly 1 week in Bangkok, 1 week to visit Ubon (600km North-East) and come back to Bangkok, 2 weeks in Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai, participate in a 3 day festival in Central Thailand, and 2 weeks to come back. Those days, what I like is to have segments of vacations that are usually between a week and 10 days... Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Chiang Mai, Ho Chi Minh City, Penang, Hong Kong.... How can someone say that they visited a 10 million people city in 3-4 days? First time I went to Phnom Penh, I was there for 3-4 days and I liked the city (people, vibe, venues) so much that I stayed there for 4 weeks! I have never really though about the ''Teaching Abroad' trip, simply because what I think are the serious project usually require a minimum commitment of 8-12 weeks and I am not ready to commit for that long on a 'vacation'. I have 2 friends who went to Taiwan for teaching english, one stayed there for 6 months, the other one was leaving for 6 months-1 year and only came back 4-5 years later with a wife and 2 kids. Another friend left for a few month to Thailand to work as a dive master, the friend is still there hopping from Island to Island, 3-6 months contracts for the past 5-6 years.... As someone said in another answer, before deciding to stay in a city for a longer period, plan a trip to visit the country for a month or so (4-5 cities/area), see the cost of living and what you like about those cities/area and what you want to do there. It will allow you to estimate your budget vs what you want to do and the cost of living in those cities/area. For me, as an example, roughly same type of cost of living in each cities, the daily budget in Hong Kong would be around 125$ a day, Bangkok 100$, Kuala Lumpur 100$, Chiang Mai 50$, Phnom Penh 30$-40$, Penang 60$ a day, etc.(I am not including the flight cost, I stay in a private room in an hotel/guesthouse).

Eric a lot of great points. I will take that into consideration, especially the hopping about parts. Thanks!!

Visit where you wanna live first

To be honest I have travelled all over the world many times, the longest trip being a year. Going away for 1 month isnt very long, it's the length of a decent vacation. In my opinion (based on your choices) I think you could leave in Feb- March buy a ticket to Thailand, work your way through Asia and visit the places you want from there, Then go to Netherlands for spring Then fly home. Trust me, your time will be over very quickly, so just enjoy it.

Great! Thanks!

Couldn't agree more! One month is nothing but a long vacation.
You need to check to see what your budget is, what interests you, when you want to go etc and go from there.
I lived in Seoul and it is a beast of a city. I loved it! But finding work for a month there simply won't happen as the visa process to get a work visa takes a few weeks once you arrive.

Andrea exactly what I was thinking. What would even be the point.

For Korea, consider EPIK, it's affiliated with the government, so you won't need to worry about scammers. The process may seem intense, but it is rather assuring that they are looking at your application thoroughly. Living in Korea has gotten so much better for foreigners in the past 20years. There are even government sponsored Korean classes for a small cost these days.
As for the Netherlands, I almost went there on an internship, but there were a lot of restrictions on hiring foreigners that were not student-status. I think it will be fine if it's a service industry job with working holiday visa. Good luck!!

Great, thank you!

Vaccines and travel insurance !! You can tell I’m a Mom eh?! Lol! But seriously!!!!

Also, climate , monsoons can be tricky etc

Lori haha, good point. Luckily i have good coverage but i never get my vaccines done for travelling. I think I did that once, but if I'm going for long periods of time, I really should

Check out Trusted Housesitters if you like animals. Free accommodation while looking after pets.

I ived and taught in ilsan, sk for 2 years. Just outside Seoul, all the perks of a big city but much cheaper. It was the best time of my life and an amazing expat community. I even met my husband there! Definitely read the contracts and join a group or two of expats based on where you want to love to ask questions about the work or lifestyle

1 month will fly by...have been doing 3-4 months for the past 5 years to get away from the cold winter months...places I loved and where there is lots to see we’re, Thailand with side trip to Vietnam, South Africa - Cape Town, Safari & wineries, Spain in Costa del Sol area, Portugal in the Algarve...