Escape Artist
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Field Notes
    • Trending
  • Your Escape Plan
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Second Citizenship
    • Digital Nomadism
    • Events
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Scandinavia
      • Spain
      • UK
      • Rest of Europe
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • Others
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • North America
      • South America
  • Travel Tips
    • Know Before You Go
    • Packing List
    • Food + Culture
    • Health + Wellness
  • Subscribe
Escape Artist
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Field Notes
    • Trending
  • Your Escape Plan
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Second Citizenship
    • Digital Nomadism
    • Events
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Scandinavia
      • Spain
      • UK
      • Rest of Europe
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • Others
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • North America
      • South America
  • Travel Tips
    • Know Before You Go
    • Packing List
    • Food + Culture
    • Health + Wellness
  • Subscribe
👤

THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE FOR EXPATS, DIGITAL NOMADS, AND DREAMERS.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Your Escape Plan

Working and Traveling in Eastern Europe On a Budget

  • BY EA Editors
  • April 19, 2017
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

I have been living and working outside of the U.S. since 2009, when the Great Recession became very serious and jobs were closing down in my hometown of Miami, FL.

I had two options, really: get a job in Starbucks (which I had left soon after graduating college) or escape to a land very far away. While I didn’t know exactly where I wanted to go, I had a Bachelor’s Degree and an American passport, and I knew I could go teach anywhere.

Of course I chose option 2. Because all the cushy jobs in Bali or Malaysia required teaching experience, my first stop was Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It was as different from Miami as night and day – and while the cost of living was very low, the life, weather, and misadventures were a bit too much for me.

So my next stop was Vilnius, Lithuania, where eventually I met and married my beautiful wife. I have been here for about six years now. While it was difficult to live here in the beginning, the rewards of the relatively low cost of living mixed with the ease of access to the rest of Europe were too good to pass up.

Working as an ESL Teacher in Lithuania

When you, an American hopefully with a college degree, come here, your first (and probably only) option will be to start teaching English.

Although that might sound easy, speaking English fluently is not going to be enough for the more advanced students. And for the mid-level students, you’ll need to have a good grip of grammar.

Luckily for me, I had about 13 months of training in Mongolia, so by the time I came to Lithuania I had some teaching and grammar experience under my belt. Even then, it didn’t prepare me for the high standards and often pedantic learning styles here.

Working Unofficially

Technically, you’re not supposed to teach here (or anywhere in the world) without some sort of permission (or individual activity certificate, as it’s called in Lithuania).

However, if you don’t have that piece of paper yet, there are many groups on Facebook where locals are actively searching for native speakers to help them with their English. This can be one-on-one, small groups, and even babysitting/teaching young children.

In order to get hired officially here, you have to jump through a lot of hoops, and the companies have to do a lot of paperwork, which is why many turn a blind eye to your so-called “pending” legal status. You will sign something like an Authorship Agreement, which means you pay your own taxes and the company washes its hands clean of your unofficial position.

When you start off freelancing, you’ll probably be charging around €10 per academic hour (equal to 45 minutes) and then, over time, you can double that. If you have experience with preparation exams (such as GMAT, SAT, GRE, etc.) you could get around €25/ac. hour, and one class is two academic hours (or 1.5 hours in total).

If you have 2-3 classes per day, five times a week, that’s a good salary here. With low utilities, fair food prices, and a bus card at €30/month, that’s good enough to live a comfortable life and start traveling.

Traveling Inside Lithuania & Eastern Europe

Lithuania is not so big that you’d spend more than a month traveling to its various spots. You definitely should visit the coast, especially Nida and Palanga, and the various lakes and natural parks inside the country.

That’s great, but the best part is that you’re inside the Schengen Zone, and you don’t need any visas to get to the other parts of Europe.

You can travel up to Latvia and Estonia, then take a ferry to Scandinavia, which is great in the summer. One popular ferry goes from Tallinn to Helsinki, Stockholm, and even St. Petersburg in Russia.

Traveling to Western Europe

Or, you can go east through Poland.

I often tell my wife that, while Poland is nice, it is so large that you’d have to drive about 10 hours just to get through it. Sometimes I wish Lithuania was on the other side of Poland.

When you do make it through, however, you have your pick of Western Europe. There’s Prague, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Netherlands, and so many others.

For Americans living in any big state, it’s no problem driving from Czech Republic to Portugal, with so many fantastic and diverse countries in between.

Budget Travel Options

However, the only question now is how you’ll get there. You could rent a car, but in Europe that is a very expensive option. Plus, you’ll need an international driver’s license just to rent the car, or borrow a friend’s car and risk getting fined in every country you’re driving through.

One popular option is to take a bus trip that goes to a few Western European countries. It will take about a week or 10 days, and cost you only about €50-€100.

You could also just go with low-budget airline Ryanair, which often has great deals. We went on a trip to Paris for only €50 per person for the weekend. With Airbnb, it was really cheap and we had a great time.

Your last option is, of course, to make friends and find someone who has a car and is willing to go. Many Lithuanians often drive to Riga, Tallinn, Warsaw, and even Minsk. For the price of gas, you can tag along and have some great times.

Final Thoughts

While the possibilities of work and travel are interesting to discuss, I have found one thing to be true: don’t wait too long.

Don’t wait until all the stars are perfectly aligned or everything is well-planned. That seems to be the antithesis to an adventurous life, a life full of discovery and going down uncertain paths.

If you are a tourist, then living, working, and traveling through cultures and learning about them is probably not for you.

However, if you’re a traveler, then it’s best to throw caution to the wind sometimes (while protecting yourself) and heading off.

I never thought I’d be in Europe, traveling to Sicily, Paris, London, Turkey, Russia, Egypt, Greece, Austria, Spain, and many other places so easily. Especially not when I was in the frozen tundra known as Mongolia.

But with a carefree yet safe attitude, I found myself traveling further and further and never looking back.

Enjoy yourself and travel to your heart’s content!

Author bio: Bernard Meyer is a food lover, food thinker, and aspiring food blogger with his wife over at MeyerFoodBlog.com. He enjoys trying to cook with his wife while their free-spirited daughter runs around and creates an artistic mess. They love to cook different varieties of food, although Indian and Chinese are two of their favorite cuisines. You can follow them on Facebook and Pinterest.

If you’re considering traveling or moving abroad, be sure to explore your healthcare options. Visit International Citizens Insurance to learn more and get a free quote.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Previous Article
  • Your Escape Plan

St. Kitts and Nevis Celebrate Rich History with Month of Celebration

  • BY Jordan Steadman
  • February 25, 2017
View Post
Next Article
  • Real Estate

International Real Estate Listings, Agents, Guides, Investments

  • BY David Pierce CCIM
  • June 13, 2017
View Post
You May Also Like
Tokyo's infamous cherry blossoms.
View Post
  • Japan
How I Built a Life in Tokyo in 3 Months
  • BY Annie Nagel
  • September 8, 2025
Global Diversification Tips from Experts
View Post
  • Plan B
Staying in One Country Could Be Your Biggest Financial Risk
  • BY Isha Sesay
  • September 3, 2025
Low-Tax Countries to Save Money in 2025
View Post
  • Plan B
Where Expats Are Moving to Keep More of Their Money
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • August 27, 2025
The search for a second passport has shifted from luxury to necessity for many Americans
View Post
  • Second Residency
America’s Second Passport Fever
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • August 25, 2025
Belize Offshore Banking
View Post
  • Plan B
Why Belize’s Waters Run Deep in Offshore Banking
  • BY Luigi Wewege
  • August 20, 2025
International Banking Structures
View Post
  • Plan B
Tax-Friendly Banking Solutions for International Investors
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • August 13, 2025
Global Residency Program and Citizenship Programs
View Post
  • Plan B
Your Next Investment Should Be a Residency Program
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • August 6, 2025
Tunisia, North Africa - One of most affordable Countries to live
View Post
  • Plan B
The Most Affordable Countries to Live in 2025
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • July 30, 2025
Trending Posts
  • Global Diversification Tips from Experts 1
    • Plan B
    Staying in One Country Could Be Your Biggest Financial Risk
    • September 3, 2025
  • Bolivia's incredible salt flats. 2
    • Natural Wonders
    The World’s 10 Most Breathtaking Countries
    • August 31, 2025
  • England: where history lingers in the mist. 3
    • England
    Top 10 Things to Know If You’re Moving to England
    • September 5, 2025
  • Tokyo's infamous cherry blossoms. 4
    • Japan
    How I Built a Life in Tokyo in 3 Months
    • September 8, 2025
  • The sweeping desert plains of Western Sahara, where beauty meets political tension 5
    • Africa
    Western Sahara. Africa’s Last Colony
    • September 12, 2025
Subscribe
Know Before You Go
  • England: where history lingers in the mist. 1
    • England
    Top 10 Things to Know If You’re Moving to England
    • September 5, 2025
  • Friendly locals and relaxed daily life in The Gambia 2
    • Africa
    Could The Gambia Become Africa’s Next Digital Nomad Safari?
    • August 29, 2025
  • Croatias Tourism: Aerial view of Croatia’s stunning Adriatic coastline, where historic towns meet turquoise waters 3
    • Croatia
    Croatia’s Journey to Wonder
    • August 22, 2025
  • Moving to Morocco: a palette of Tradition, Texture of Tradition 4
    • Morocco
    Top 10 Things to Know if You’re Moving to Morocco
    • August 18, 2025
  • Albania Travel Guide: City views in Tirana, Albania on a summer afternoon 5
    • Albania
    Albania’s Bold New Beat
    • August 15, 2025
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
Why Subscribe

The newly imagined Escape Artist brings you fresh content with a global focus, and sharp, up-to-the-minute coverage of the joys, challenges, and opportunities of life abroad.

For a limited time, we’re offering a special discount on all subscription deals, so be sure to lock-in these incredible savings and start receiving top-notch travel and expat content today!

Sign up for the EA Newsletter

Get important news delivered directly to your inbox and stay connected!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Escape Artist
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimer

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Newsletter Subscription
Our Spring Sale Has Started

You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/