Warning: This post may be very confusing. Read on at your own risk.
If you have read one or two of my previous posts, then you will know I had been considering doing Camp America next summer. For those who don't know what this is, The US does summer camps for kids, and when you are 18 you can volunteer to be a "camp counsellor" and work there over summer.
However, after looking into this I decided I think it would be better if I went with BUNAC because it's cheaper... But then I decided I wanted to go travelling afterwards for at least a week. Not sure where to, but I may as well go travelling whilst I am over there.
So last night and this morning I have been pricing it up and really thinking about it, because I would have to apply later on this year and get some money together pretty quick. In total, if I went with BUNAC, their total costs for everything (flights, police check, visa and stay at camp, including food, accomodation, etc) is £665. Then the US says something about needing around £390 to travel with... But then I have been looking at some of the organised "treks" you can go with after camp has finished for a rough idea on how much money I will need to travel afterwards (I am looooving the look of this trek). I was not expecting it to be so much (yes I am away with the fairies the majority of the time and do not live in the real world where everything is expensive). So I figured just to be on the safe side, I would like to take a total of £1500 travelling money and spending money whilst at camp. That sounds like a lot to me, but for all I know someone could be laughing thinking that is not a lot in the slightest and I have seriously underestimated how much I need to take.
I know with BUNAC you do get paid around £585 at the end of camp, but I don't want to go there and rely on what I might not actually get (if I overestimate my "wages").
Overall then, in total, to go and work in a summer camp, have spending and travel money... I need to save a total (ish) of...
£2165
(in USdollars an Euros = $3333 and €2672)
Ouch. Ouch indeed.
Unfortunately I have come to realisation there is no chance in HELL I am going to save this over the next year. I should have thought about this sooner.
2014 it will have to be :(
(My mum seems to like this better - she gets lonely without me ha!)
And this also gives me a lot more time to get together some more skills, get more work experience with kids and decide exactly where I want to travel to!
How bloody exciting.
Jazz
(Oh and I am going to be absent for the next week now I'm afraid because I haven't done a great deal of revision and my first proper exam is next week - oops..)
(Oh and I am going to be absent for the next week now I'm afraid because I haven't done a great deal of revision and my first proper exam is next week - oops..)
I don't think you'd need as much as you think for traveling and expenses over here. Plus the flight prices they are offering you is an amazing deal. I paid two hundred pounds more on the cost they want you to just for a one way ticket. Especially with getting a visa in too! As for expenses for traveling afterwards I don't think you'll need as much as you might think - right now everything in the US is a lot cheaper then it is compared to the UK especially if you're only want to go traveling for a week or too $2250 which the amount you want to travel with is a hell of a lot of money!
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how much you'd need to travel. I'm horrible at finances and I find everything so damned expensive. However, if you come to the US you HAVE to come to DC. Not because it's the nations capital and there's a ton of cool things to see but because we could totally meet up for lunch or something. :) Good luck with saving.
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