Traveling to Europe, first time, excited, have questions!!

Google "Schengen".

Are you a US or Canadian citizen? If so, step 1... make sure you have the appropriate visas for the countries you want to visit. You may not have a time limit but Schengen does ... 90 days without a visa. I believe the UK will let you stay longer but working is a different story altogether.

This is not an easy thing for US citizens to do. Be sure you have this completely sorted out before making any plans.

Unfortunately some of us are going to rain on your parade. First issue is you can only stay in most of Europe for 90 out of 180 days -- England is 6 months. You can apply for a visa to stay longer BUT one of the big qualifying factors for a visa is sufficient funds to support yourself during that time period.

To work you need a work permit which for nearly all practical purposes is impossible to obtain without a local sponsor. Working under the table, which some people do, is dangerous and risky. Think illegal alien. That is what you would be.

You need to carefully rethink you plans.

I think that when Malli talks about working it's like helping her host family on their farm, taking care of their children, teaching their kids English, etc.

Like the others have said you need to check into the visa's for the different countries very carefully and make sure you are doing every thing the legal way. You would need a long stay visa...which would allow you to stay beyond the 90 days.

A Schengen visa allows the holder to travel freely within the Schengen countries for a maximum stay of up to 90 days in a 6 month period. So this visa would not help you.

Thank you everyone so much for all your responses. I really appreciate it! I will definitely look into the visa situation. Thank you again!

Malli:

Are you an under 26 year old student? If so, you may be able to get a working visa for a year without too much difficulty.

Malli

To take from where Ken left off... if you say you are here to work you'll need the correct visa and all the underlying paperwork. If you say you are not here to work you will need to display a return ticket, where you will be staying, and be able to satisfy the officer that you have sufficient funds to support yourself for the duration of your stay. If you can't do so, you will find yourself on a plane back home, no refunds.

Did you go to Evergreen perchance?

I am under 26 but graduated last year with my B.A. so no longer a student : (

Malli,

As the others have pointed out, you'll need to take the matter of the Schengen Visa VERY seriously. As a tourist you're allowed to stay for a maximum of 90-days in a 180-day period. The authorities know how long visitors remain in the E.U. as Passports are stamped entering and leaving.

Exceeding that limit can result in severe penalties or deportation from the E.U. for an extended period. I seem to recall a post from one person on a travel board (might have been the HelpLine?), whose daughter overstayed the limit by five days and she was fined €500! Not exactly the best way to end a much awaited holiday in Europe.

Planning to work in Europe adds more complications. Especially in the U.K., you'll likely be asked when you arrive if you're planning to work or just visiting as a tourist. If you indicate that you are planning to work, you'd better have the paperwork readily at hand!

A WHV will allow some work, but keep in mind that employers in some parts of Europe will favour people that can speak the language in the country, and also E.U. residents will likely get priority in hiring. There may be severe penalties for employers that hire people illegally "under the table", so many will be reluctant to do that.

It's difficult to provide an estimate on how much money you'll need. The "usual ballpark figure" is about US$ 100 per day. However, if you're going to be staying with host families, you won't have face the same lodging or food costs as most travellers who have to pay for Hotels or Hostels.

If you haven't yet read Europe Through The Back Door, it would be a really good pre-read before your trip.

Given your location you might also consider taking a drive up to Edmonds and having a chat with the experts at ETBD.

Good luck and happy travels!

"also E.U. residents will likely get priority in hiring"

To elaborate on this point, by law according to the Schengen Treaty, EU citizens must get hiring priority for any job vacancy, unless the employer goes to the trouble to provide specific, documented reasons why a non-EU citizen should get the job. There are, of course, exceptions for health care workers and other highly skilled professions, but for most Americans, the door is effectively shut for finding legal work.

To Anna- I did go to Evergreen! How did you know? Thank you all for the responses, it is much appreciated. I was under the impression that people take off to Europe for months on end and just wing it backpacking, staying with host families and so on like I want to do. I am kind of bummed about my awesome plans now : ( I have a friend that has a place in France that I could possibly use as a residency-type address... would that help the visa situation? I also could ask a few of the horse ranches I will be staying at if they could vouch for me working there... I will keep everyone updated as to what I find out! Thanks again!

Malli - Sorry we have rained on your parade. What you describe was at one time common and you could flit from country to country using each country's maximum tourist stay. The Schengen arrangements, meant to simplify things, have made it difficult for people with aspirations like yours. Politicians always get things wrong!

Unless the ranches (what do you mean by ranch? - ranches like in US & Canada do not exist as such in Europe - they have "farms") you mention can show they have unsuccessfully tried to fill the position with an EU resident, it is unlikely they will be of much help. Your friend's offer of accommodation makes no difference from what I understand.

Something you might consider. Were either of your parents or any of your grandparents born in Europe? Especially in the UK, you might be able to claim citizenship of that country and entitle you to an EU passport. I am not sure how that stands in the USA -it might require you to give up your US citizenship, which you probably do not want to do. Here in Canada there is no problem in having dual citizenship - in fact, our daughter has triple citizenship! UK by descent, Jamaican by place of birth and Canadian by naturalization. Might be worth an enquiry.

Best of luck!

One can get a permanent residency permit all kinds of ways in the EU, having a child who is a citizen is usually not a criteria, no matter what Steve thinks. I know lots of ex-pats over here in various countries who have no children, but who have permanent residency. This does not mean they are a citizen.

Getting a residency or job permit is also not that difficult, but you do need to find someone who will hire you. Teaching English is the most common job that will get you a permit in Germany or some of the other EU countries, though obviously, this wouldn't be common in the UK. People usually find international companies that want their special skills. Once the door is open, the first permit in hand, it gets a whole lot easier to extend.

Dual citizenship is usually only possible through birth - one parent is American, one is from some other country, or parents are foreign, child is born in the US. One cannot take on a 2nd citizenship as an American later in life just because one wants to, it always has to be connected with a parent or possibly grandparent. The exception being of course Israeli citizenship. Thus, one sometimes finds triple or even quadruple passports, but these are rare.

Studying a language in an intensive course will also get you a 1 year visa in many countries. Being an au-pair is another popular way to spend a year in Europe. Place is packed with Aussie and New Zealand girls, who then travel around on weekends, visiting near-by countries. Ryan Air is popular with them! Being an au-pair might be your best bet Malli.

"Brazil didn't grant citizenship just because he was born there, that's something that makes the USA unique in immigration law."
Where did you ever get the idea that the US is unique in granting citizenship to people born on its soil???

Article 12 of the Brazilian constitution:
"The following are Brazilians:
I. by birth:
•those born in the Federative Republic of Brazil, even if of foreign parents, provided that they are not in the service of their country;"

Brazil is one of dozens of countries which have Jus Soli (i.e. birthright citizenship).

When making blanket statements about one country, using words like "unique", "only", "best", and so on, it is generally useful to have at least passing knowledge about the topic in question in all other 193 countries on this planet.
Otherwise less absolute phrases like "one of those countries" or "among the countries" may be more honest.