I'm about done with college and I want to travel to India

>>1229727
>Or will I be too busy working to enjoy anything
nah, you'll have plenty of time to yourself. you don't get paid much (read: anything besides a small stipend) but you don't really work too much either.

Its a fucking 2 year contract to live in a shitty country. Just save up and take a month long trip to see if you love the place that much.

The Peace Corps isn't a casual commitment.

With few exceptions, contracts last for two years. Before deploying to their site, volunteers have to go through an application, interview, and screening process. Applying in fall or winter could mean that you won't have a destination and flight set until some time in summer.

The two-year contract is preceded by three months of intensive classroom training, which teaches you the basics of the local language as well as cultural adaptation strategies. You'll have to live with a host family, who are compensated by the Peace Corps in exchange for providing you with food and shelter.

Two of my close friends are currently stationed in Eastern Europe and Southeast Africa, respectively. Both of them have had wonderful experiences so far but say they felt like they were clueless for their first several months.

Depending on your work ethic and project, you may or may not have free time to travel. One of my friends is a science and mathematics teacher in a Tanzanian high school, while the other manages a community center and recycling program in Moldova. They know they're not changing the world, but they're still very invested in what they're doing; I think each of my friends is considering an optional three-month extension.

I'm closer with the guy in Tanzania, who I'm going to visit in summer before his contract is up. His stipend is $250 per month; the community provided him with a two- or three-bedroom house. Some of the other volunteers got very modern facilities, although the standard of housing varies wildly from one country to the next. I think my friend in Moldova has to pay rent, although I'm not sure.

If you want to have fun and travel around a bit, then go to India or Nepal (or, better yet, both) for a few months.

You could do the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal in the summertime and then duck down into India as the monsoon washes over and the temperatures fall in winter. That way you'd get the best of South Asia.

What about wwoofing?

Do they work you to death? Also are you generally working on a farm in the middle of nowhere? So you can't even travel during your freetime since your in the middle of nowhere?

>>1229811
>You could do the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal in the summertime and then duck down into India as the monsoon washes over and the temperatures fall in winter. That way you'd get the best of South Asia.

This OP, i've just returned from a 7 months trip in asia that included nepal > india > SEA, and for all the hardships that i've experienced in india i'd say it's worth it and if time goes back i would still do these same places and not change a thing, nepal is great for volunteering but be careful that you can't volunteer on a tourist visa technically you need a volunteer visa
As for southeast asia it was a nice change from the hindu culture of india/nepal, although after 2 months there it got monotonous but that's expected, i really can't recommend Laos enough IMO it's very underrated, the people amongst the nicest in the region, prices are cheap, less touristic than the surrounding countries.

>>1229727
>I'm about done with college and I want to travel to India or Nepal. I discussed this with one of my professors and he said I should join the peace corps

you total cliche

>>1230318
we all gotta start somewhere anon, he'll get backpacking experience after those places then he can do some shit like joining an idi amin cult in uganda or smuggling poppy seeds in the pamir highway