Im 19 too, and ive been through a lot in life. For a long time, only until very recently, I felt i had absolutely no friends, no one who really cared, no purpose, i didnt know who or what i was or where i was meant to be headed. I wanted to just move somewhere far away and reinvent myself. It's not a BAD idea as such. If there is nothing holding you back, why not? The only thing keeping me here in Scotland is my family and my boyfriend. I would love to move to Spain or America or something. Maybe not USA actually, because medical care is expensive and here it is free, so that's be kinda crap. But you're 19, that's an adult in the eyes of the law. No one can really tell you what not to do anymore. Youre at college! People can advise you, but at the end of the day you have to do what makes YOU happy. It can take years to meet people who are truly your friends. You could meet someone tomorrow who has better intentions for you than someone you've known for ten years! Its not until you get out into the world and discover what makes you tick and what you like that you meet people with these similar interests that you just seem to reflect off of and connect with. It can take a long time to find friends, but start with the most important thing... you.
Hello. 19. I hear you say you need a change in your life and that you want to travel. All my life people told me this was wrong. It sounds like it right for you. DO it. It's so much easier to travel while you are young. I speak from experience. I've seen 30 countries. I'm 66. When I die I'm sure my feeling will be that I wished I'd traveled more. Believe me you will make friends and they'll be like minded. I'm about to go again. I got Cancer last year. Life is short. Live like you want! I can't stress that enough. I just sold my home. I was depressed before. Now I feel joy. I hope I meet you. I'll probably go back to Nepal. It's fabulously beautiful and cheap. I want to volunteer there, helping the women and children.
You don't say where you live? That may matter. Try a different part of the country. College is a good idea you don't want to be working at lower wages the rest of your life. I do plenty of traveling. Just pedaled my bike across country, USA. It'd be nice to have more money to do it better. Maybe become a travel writer. Don't know what your career choice or major is.
My partner left the US nearly 45 years ago after 2nd year in uni to travel Europe, where we met and married and now have grandchildren. So embrace the future you never know what will happen.
You can't just pick up and move to another country; not having a degree makes it even harder. What education & job skills/experience do you have? What languages do you speak?
If you are not European, you will have to arrange a visa in order to move there legally. European regulations require employers to advertise jobs and demonstrate that there are no viable European candidates for a job before they can offer a position to a non European. In the best of times non-Europeans have to have specialized skills, education and/or experience that cannot be easily duplicated by European job seekers. You're more likely to get a job that takes advantage of your education and skills than an entry level job; however, it's very difficult. Expecting a job when you don't already speak the local language or expecting employers to go to the time and expense to get you a work permit when that wouldn't be necessary for European candidates is unrealistic.
Right now, the overall unemployment rate in Italy is around 12.7% and it's around 42.7% for young people. In Greece, the unemployment rate is 26.5% overall and 56.9% for young people. In Spain, the unemployment rate is 25.3% overall and 53.9% for young people. In Portugal, the unemployment rate is 15.2% and 35.4%. In France, the unemployment rate is 10.4% overall and 23.4% for young people..
My direct experience is with Italy where I lived for the past 13+ years (working for a Swedish company); other countries here in Europe will have similar rules. It's not all that different anywhere else. The site for visas in Italy is: http://www.esteri.it/visti/index_eng.asp . The site has links to the application, the additional information you need to supply in order to get the visa and where to apply. It also includes education visas which are somewhat easier to get than work visas. You can find similar information for other countries on their consulate websites. Visa information on the website of the French Consulate in New York is here: http://www.consulfrance-newyork.org/-Vis... . You can find other consulate websites with a fairly simple search. Note that you'll need to apply to the consulate that has jurisdiction over the state where you live, but you can find the necessary information on any of the consulate websites.
A work permit is separate - you cannot apply for that yourself in many countries. The company has to apply and they have to be able to demonstrate that there is not a viable EU candidate for the job. As a result, jobs for foreigners including Canadian or US citizens are pretty much restricted to people with special education, knowledge, or experience ... and you would have to be able to speak the local language. However, the level of English is high in Scandinavia and most adults speak it very well. You would be able to manage well while learning the language. Right now, as noted above, the best bet would probably be something in the healthcare field which is a fit for you. When I moved here, it was through a transfer of the job I was already doing in the US to the Italian office. Even so, it took 8 months to put all the paperwork in place to apply for a visa. If you already have a job offer, the company will provide you the information you need for your visa application and take care of things like work permits.
It's useful to check the expat sites for information about living and working in the places you might be interested in:
http://www.expatsinitaly.com/
http://www.escapeartist.com/
http://www.expatica.com/
You can find other sites by searching for "expat" and the name of your target country. These sites will tell you how to register your address, provide information about healthcare, banks, and so forth to ease you into daily life.
It can also be very expensive. If you are a US citizen you still have to file income tax returns in the US as well as your host country. You can compare the cost of living in potential host companies using sites like http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/
