chesterridenour's VirtualTourist Home Page

It is my goal and my hopes and dreams that WILL be realized that I will see all that this world has to offer. From the exotic to the simple, adventurous to the relaxed, everything that I can imagine and more. Traveling brings something out inside of me. It awakens my soul, fuels my imagination and motivates me to be the person I am in my mind. I can do anything and be myself, while meeting some amazing people along the way. Strangers once, that I now consider friends for life, for it is the relationships with the people in our lives that make life worthwhile, not the posessions or money or wealth. Moments, experiences, people, adventues, all to be had on the open road. May I live long enough and be healthy enough to fulfill my wildest dreams. Cheers to all my friends, past, present and future.

After graduating from college I set out to research opportunities abroad and literature about travelling around the world. I thought I would share with you all some of the books I came accross that I enjoyed.

1,000 Places to See Before You Die; A Traveler's Life List - Patricia Schultz

A Rough Guide Special; First-Time Around the World; A Trip Planner for the Ultimate Journey

Vagabonding; An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel - Rolf Potts

Work Your Way Around The World - Susan Griffith

Summer Jobs Abroad - David Woodworth & Victoria Pybus

World Stompers; A Global Travel Manifesto - Brad Olsen

The Virgin Travellers' Handbook; The definitive guide for students and career gap travellers planning a gap year - Tom Griffiths

The Rough Guide to Travel Online - Samantha Cook and Greg Ward

The Traveler's Handbook; The Insider's Guide to World Travel -

The Practical Nomad

Global Citizen; An international guide to creating an international career and life

Educational Travel on a Shoestring

You Can Travel Free

I found this book one of the most helpful for finding actual programs, contact info and in-depth descriptions of the perks, commitments, job details etc. I have listed the ones below that I was interested in mostly b/c they were almost all relatively short-term, paying jobs and had were international programs. Below the programs are listed, followed by where they operate, when/how long jobs are for, website, contact email address. Good luck and enjoy!

American Trails West USA/Canada/Europe; Summer www.americantrailswest.com info@americantrailswest.com

Broadreach Worlwide; Summer www.gobroadreach.com staffinquiry@gobroadreach.com

Backroads Worlwide; Seasonal www.backroads.com humanresources@backroads.com

Lindblad Expeditions USA/Candad/Mexico; 6 Months www.expeditions.com crewus@expeditions.com

Longacre Expeditions Worldwide; Summer www.longacreexpeditions.com longacre@longacreexpeditions.com

Putney Student Travel Worldwide; Summer www.goputney.com paul@goputney.com

The Road Less Traveled USA/Aus/BC/Costa Rica/Nepal; Summer www.theroadlesstraveled.com rlt1road@aol.com

Sail Caribbean Caribbean; Summer www.sailcaribbean.com info@sailcaribbean.com

Semester at Sea Worldwide; 3-4 mo.'s www.semesteratsea.com shipboard@sas.ise.pitt.edu

Trek America American Advenutres USA/Canada/Mexico; Summer www.trekamerica.com
www.americanadventures.com personnel@premiereops.com

Visions Service Adventres Worldwide; 6-10 wks www.visionadventure.com visions@pa.net

Academic Study Associates USA/UK/France/Spain; Summer www.asaprograms.com summerstaff@asaprograms.com

CCUSA-Work Experience Down Under Australia/New Zealand; 3 Months www.ccusa.com info@ccusa.com

Club Med USA/Mexico/Bahamas/Caribbean; 6 Months www.clubmedjobs.com resumes@clubmed.com

Atlantis Youth Exchange Norway; 2mo's-2yrs www.atlantis-u.no post@atlantis-u.no

Maho Bay Camps Virgin Islands; 1-6 mo.'s www.maho.org mahobay@maho.org

WWOOF Hawaii Hawaii; year round www.hawaiiorganicfarmers.org hofa@nethawaii.net

Habitat for Humanity International Global Village Program Worldwide; …? www.habitat.org/gv gv@hfhi.org

The American-Scandinavian Foundation Finland; 2-10 mo.'s www.amscan.org/training.html training@amscan.org

BUNAC USA UK/Australia/NZ; 1-12 mo.'s www.bunac.org info@bunacusa.org

AU Pair in Europe Europe; 3-12 mo.'s www.aupairineurope.com aupair@princeent.com

CDS International - Work Authorization Program Worldwide; 3-18 mo.'s www.cdsintl.org info@cdsintl.org

The Experiment in International Living Worldwide; Summer www.usexperiment.org eil@worldlearning.org

Global Routes Worldwide; 1-3 mo.'s www.globalroutes.org mail@globalroutes.org

Global Works, Inc. Worldwide; Summer www.globalworksinc.com staffapp@globalworksinc.com

Japan Exchange and Teaching Program Japan; 1-3 yrs. www.embjapan.org/jet eojjet@erols.com

In December of 2004 I graduated from Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio.

I'm a very open-minded, outgoing and definately a people person.

I invite you all to get to know me better by taking a quick look at my personal Albums. Get to know my family, friends, where i live, and who i am and what i do! Enjoy and don't be a stranger! Holler back! :)

This was one amazing adventure. It was my grandmother's 80th Birthday and instead of being flown out to Nebraska I asked my parents for the money for gas and I would drive, and drive I did.

First stop was my uncle's farm in Westby, Wisconsin. I worked on the farm with him for a couple days. Then I was off to Lincoln, Nebraska for the birthday party. From there I drove to Rapid City, South Dakota to visit my other grandparents. Being half-way to the West Coast and never having been, plus with a lot of gas money remaining, I decided to keep going. First to Yellowstone National Park, then to C'oure D'Alene, Idaho, then to Seattle, to San Francisco, to L.A., to San Diego, to Tijuana, MEXICO, to Las Vegas, to the Grand Canyon, to my cousins' in Arkansas, to Memphis and Elvis' graceland, and pork ribs on Beale street, to Nashville, to Cincinnati and then back home to Columbus, OH.

It was an amazing and very spontaneous adventure. I stayed with friends, family, in hostels, in only 2 hotels over the 3 weeks i was gone. It was incredible the hospitality and generosity of others and the neat people I met along the way.

I will be embarking on a solo-trip from the United States to visit another part of world that I have often been interested in, but have never scene with my own eyes. I will be leaving for New Zealand, then to Australia, then up to SE Asia (including Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia), to the Sub-Continent of India,Nepal & Sri Lanka, before heading to China, S.Korea and Japan - just in time to come home for my sister's wedding in September. I shall be gone 6 months and hope to see and experience much of the world in that time! I also hope to meet many amazing people along the way, even hoping to run into a couple VTers!!

If you are a fun, energetic, active person and wouldn't mind giving this American a little help along the way, I am more than open and would love to catch up along the way, and maybe, just maybe become real friends! I have a thing for keeping touch with people! Please check out my pictures in my album below to learn a little more about me!