Sarah: I think what Lauren meant was that 15000 was lower middle class when comparing to a western standard of living.

However I still disagree on that part. It comes out to 26000 USD / year, but 26000 USD in China can buy you about 2x what it buys you in the US. 15000 is solid middle class by US standards.

Hey Lauren, I'm sure this article will be very useful to people out there.

Where are you living right now? I'm in Beijing. I'm not able to open your information. Could you PM me your email?

Upfront fees are what really kill you when moving here. In some places you have to pay 2 months rent up front as deposit, and then an additional 2-3 months rent up front. Getting settled down can be expensive, especially if you are renting your own apartment. On the other hand, you can find a cheaper apartment. I'm renting one for 3500 RMB / month, but I've found some 2 bedroom apartments that are very nice for 3000.

China is as cheap as you want it to be, or as expensive as you want it to be. You can spend most of your money on partying, then eat Chinese food everyday to make up for it. I actually love Chinese food and don't mind eating cheap variations everyday, so I spend about 15RMB per meal (that's what my lunch just cost). In General Lauren is right - 15000 is a pretty good income, although I'm not sure if that is "lower middle class."

Wow the rules are really less strict up here in and around Beijing. I've been to many hot springs, but have never heard of anything that strict. Maybe it's just the traditional ones in Taiwan? Some hot springs up here don't segregate men and women + allow you to wear clothes.

“There is an egotistical assumption here, that an elite group is privileged in its appreciation and understanding of travel and therefore should be uniquely allowed to experience it and decide its reach and limits.”

This has a profound meaning for me, as I have experienced these feelings myself. This is a very well written article, thank you. I just caught myself thinking this way about new travelers / students in China.

I wrote a blog post a little while ago about money and culture experience, although from a different perspective. http://beyondbounds.org/2009/02/separating-cultur...

Hong Kong is amazing! These are some great comments, and i totally agree that otherwise it's just too expensive to live there. I'd like to add a couple of things.

1) Experience fusion culture: A mix of Asian and Western culture that you can't see anywhere else.
2) Never a dull moment: Not only the students know how to have fun, but also the city never sleeps. There are always a million things to do throughout the city.

I don't think you'll be learning much Mandarin though while in Hong Kong. I lived there myself before and I have many friends who studied abroad there - the only mandarin you'll be learning is in class out of a text book.

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Check out my blog @ www.beyondbounds.org

Wow the bahamian authorities are that connected on facebook? I'm really curious to how they happened to find out. That is really impressive investigation.

I'm always amazed when I see teachers going all over the country from small city to small city. It's something I would like to do but never had the guts - too attached to my big city life. Your tips are really good and actually work well in many situations outside of teaching too.

I absolutely love this idea! I'm not a usual traveler, in that if I go to a place I usually like to spend at least two weeks and I avoid tourist things. I never thought about "traveling slow" before - maybe this will invigorate me to try seeing more places and focusing on a journey rather than a destination the next time I travel. Thank you!

Pretty awesome! I really like the out-of-the box traveling tips

Phew, got intensedebate comments working.

Nice article - it's a pretty good outline for what someone who is young without much work experience can do to move abroad without knowing anyone. Find a place to stay - Fly there - Find under-the-table work - Get a real job - get a visa (fly home, fly back)

I'm not quite sure why you say that this is for "no money" though. It's not even a cheap endeaver, unless you think that you can get under-the-table work in less than a week? Can you in Paris? In Beijing (where I am now) you should have a months expenses saved up, not to mention that you have to pay 4 months up front for an apartment. Sure you can couchsurf for a while, but for a month while you get on your feet? Do people do this? I'm not super familiar with couchsurfing, but I don't know about someone taking you in for a month or more while you start to make money and can finally pay for your own apartment.

What kind of under-the-table work do most people get? I don't know many people that would be willing to be a nanny/babysitter/day laborer (i'm assuming construction or something?) just for a chance to live in Paris unless they had no other option (someone who lives in France already I'm guessing).

For minimizing expenses: What about cooking at home? Instant noodles? I would definitly suggest instant noodles + an egg and some vegatables in it for the poor (that's what I did while moving to Hong Kong and later Beijing on very little money and no previous contacts).