FOAK: Interesting places to head for, in the US

If you go, then make sure you're up to scratch regarding the local laws.
When driving from the house of La Americaine's parent (who live about 20
miles west) to Daytona Beach 'international'[1] Airport, you'll find that
just about every second business is bail bonds. An' they sho' makin' good
money, boyo...

The one that catches most Europeans out is the "no open container" law - get
nabbed in public outside a bar with an open beer, get introduced got Big
Bubba, who hasn't had skinny English arse for at least one hour.

The Daytona cops don't have any verifiable sense of humour, at least no
while at work, which may have something to do with the fact that in the
space of three months, they've got to deal with Bike Week (lots of drunk
tatoo'd lawyers), spring break (lots of near-comatose horny students, and
that's before the strippers get their tits out) and Daytona 500 (which is
as close to heaven the rednecks[2] get).

Other than that, quite a nice place and not too warm in winter. Lots of
splendid and pretty cheap seafood places outside the Daytona itself - look
for something that's got lots of Harley and/or lots of pickup trucks
outside and calls itself something-or-other seafood/lobster and similar.

[1] I think they've got a flight or three to the Bahamas...
[2] Definition of a redneck - someone who thinks the last line of the
national anthem is "Gentlemen, start your engines"[3].
[3] 'cos that's the way they hear it at the Nascar races.

 

Don't drink any of that shit - there are plenty of decent (actually, rather
good) microbreweries to be found just about everywhere.

 

And once you're fed up with the Big City, grab a train to Albany, then get a
car and explore the Adirondacks. *Very* nice.

 

Reminds me of Denis Leary's 'Traditional Irish Folk Song'.

 

Well, my suggestion is probably not good until later in the year (about late
May):

Spend a few days in San Francisco, explore the city and Marin County, if
you've got the time drive down Highway 1 to about Big Sur. One of the most
spectacular roads in the world.

Then grab a rental car (preferably a pickup or similar) and get yourself up
to Lake Tahoe. End of May is out of season up there as the last snow melts.
Explore Lake Tahoe (stunning), Reno/Pyramid Lake/Black Rock desert, go
visit a couple of ghost towns on the Nevada/California border and soak up
Yosemite. You may (depending on the weather) be able to get into Lassen
Volcanic Park, but I wasn't.

As an alternative (or addition), drive up to Eureka and go see the Redwoods
up there.

 

You've pretty much described our April trip. Not the best time to do it
but that's out of my control.

 

Just make sure you've got plenty of people with you in case you get stuck at
Donner Lake...

 

Looked earlier, nothing that obvious - will delve a bit deeper in a while.

LOL.

West Coast sounds more my kind of thing.

Cheers.

 

Well, once you get that out the way, that's your extended tour of Europe all
sorted... ;-)

I want to do both... Australia was the ultimate, and I got that one out the
way last year... didn't spend nearly long enough there, but long enough to
know if I can get my shit together over the next few years, shifting out
there for good isn't exactly bottom of my long term wishlist.

The other thing I've been looking into, is these volunteer schemes, whereby
you pay a small amount, and get to work on some conservation or humanitarian
project, somewhere nice and hot, including Australia.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this, and if so, where, and would
they do it again if they had the chance?

TIA

 

That was to be part of the plan. The biggest fear about going abroad was
a) driving on the wrong side b) not speaking the lingo and c) just being
out of a place that has now become comfortably boring.

The times, they are a changin', and I really can't be sitting here on my
arse for much longer, I'm going stir bleedin' crazy.

Good idea! Never thought of that. I suppose you'd get enough to live on
while you were over there as well?

 

You don't get paid, you pay say £400 to them, and you sort your own
flights... but then you're out there for X amount of weeks, accomodation and
food all covered... you have to do some work, but then if it's for something
worthwhile, so what; if I wasn't doing that, I'd have only tracked down the
local pokies (1) den / fruit machine emporium, anyway... ;-)

(1) 'Poker machine' not slut emporium...

 

Right, ok, so what that means is, that in effect you are actually paying
to go on holiday but you have to work while you're out there? Well,
working for me would be a holiday atm!

I suppose if you took enough spending money you could eek it out for
quite a while if all food and accommodation is thrown in. Hell, you
might even be able to do a spot of moonlighting.

I believe you ;o)

Stay away from the video machines!

 

Subject: Re: FOAK: Interesting places to head for, in the US
From: Whinging Courier <>
Newsgroups: uk.rec.motorcycles

Right, ok, so what that means is, that in effect you are actually paying
to go on holiday but you have to work while you're out there? Well,
working for me would be a holiday atm!

I suppose if you took enough spending money you could eek it out for
quite a while if all food and accommodation is thrown in. Hell, you
might even be able to do a spot of moonlighting.

I believe you ;o)

http://www.fuckingmachines.com/meetthemachines/machine_hatchet.php

 

True - blowing like a breeze, or so I'm told.

....whatever the **** that means.

 

JackH emerged from their own little world to say

Last time I went I got the flight, car hire & a hotel for under £500 for
2 weeks in October. From Cardiff too which was a bonus. That was a very
last minute deal with Airtours - booked on a Tuesday & flew on Friday.

It was the first time that I had travelled abroad solo. I quite enjoyed
the freedom to do WTF I wanted.

It would've been half that price except for the car insurance upgrade.

 

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Whinging Courier

Istr, last time I looked at VSO some 20some years ago, they paid for you
to go out and paid you a local salary, on top of grub and bed.



--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19 COSOC#10

 

Yeah, but that was when you could still almost go to Oz for £10, one way,
and not come back, was it not?

It would appear it's now 'fashionable' to go do some good somewhere...
either that, or I'm looking at the wrong, (potentially) shitehawk infested,
websites...

 

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the

Nah, that was long after they'd dropped the passage to Oz. I think the
VSO at the time was probably gagging for volunteers and had to make it a
leetle bit more enticing for some.

I nearly went, but couldn't leave for reasons I thought were compelling
at the time. In retrospect, I wish I'd just went '**** it' and gone for
a bash.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19 COSOC#10

 

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the

http://www.vso.org.uk/volunteering/index_standard.asp

You get a living allowance, accom, insurance, flights.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19 COSOC#10

 

JackH emerged from their own little world to say

It's been the thing to do on a gap year with the Chelsea tractor crowd
ever since TV showed Wills cleaning a bog in Chile. Good CV enhancement.

Once people get to the actual areas the NGOs ensure that good work is
done. As demand exceeds supply the NGOs can reduce costs by making
people pay for their own flights etc.

Unfortunately, there is a hierarchy of placements which are perceived to
be of greater value to the CV. AIDS in Africa is cooler than poverty in
Sao Paolo. Getting onto a project with a high media profile becomes
imperative for the ambitious. Consequently agencies have jumped on the
bandwagon, promising to get young people onto certain projects, for a
fee of course. The whole thing has become commodified.

Also, the fees involved mean that genuinely interested volunteers from
families with modest earnings may not be able to get involved.