Working Holiday Abroad?

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I tried a search and I couldn't find anything here on it, in case anyone says "Not again!"

Over the last few weeks, and especially this month, I have been strongly considering going on a working holiday to Australia, and I just want to know if anyone here has done the same or has had a similar experience e.g. in another country?

Right now I get some money from web design and I still have a part-time job as a adult-learning co-ordinator. However the latter is under jeopardy because of funding issues and I'm in the job longer than I already expected. I don't know how much longer it'll last though in the short term (next couple of months) I should be OK.

In my own life I just feel there's an emptiness right now at home and that by staying here in a rut I have nothing to look forward to. My social life in general is fragile and my anxiety problems are stopping me from trying to better myself. And where I live, there's gossip about what you do and get up to that is hard to shake off (think small town America).

A cousin of mine and several other people I know have either returned from Oz or are out there right now and all of them said it was the best time of their lives. Another cousin is planning to go out there with several of his friends in the second quarter of 2008 and had a brief talk with him about it, he said that I'm more than welcome to come along if I want. I know he and the guys are sound lads. It certainly sounds a lot better than going halfway around the world on your own.

At least if nothing else it gives me a long term aim to look for and maybe try and better my own life, so that if I went out there and when I come home I could hopefully take a different path on Earth.

So have you been on a similar experience or could tell of a tale? I'd like to hear it!

Well, I didn't go to another country, but when I was about nineteen, I traveled cross country USA with other college students to do activist work under Cesar Chavez. It was really fun and educational, and we basically raised donations, bought three used cars, and drove from New York to Los Angeles, California in five days. We started out with three cars, but arrived in two, because one broke down. We lived in various places while there, slept in an Alcohol Rehab place, a school gymnasium, and learned about politics, campaign work, and met the great Chavez and his two German Shepherd guard dogs. I got to picket, raise hell, raise funds, volunteer to be a Bodyguard to Chavez, had three marriage proposals, met celebrities, got their autographs, and became so suntanned that my mother didn't recognize me when I returned. It was a life changing experience for me, and I cherish the memories even now!