I quit my job before I left with enough to last me about 6 months, in savings, just in case I needed it for expenses, etc. While I was there, I started consult

I quit my job before I left with enough to last me about 6 months, in savings, just in case I needed it for expenses, etc. While I was there, I started consulting and found a remote gig that didn't really care where I was located. The only downside is that you are now 12 hours off from the EST timezone in the US. Morning meetings are now your night-time, which can be inconvenient, and you just won't be able to communicate during part of the day, but I was able to make it work. If you want to stay longer than 3 months, you will either need to study Mandarin (which I did) and get a student visa (you will need to find a university/school that will allow you to do this..which is pretty affordable) or do a visa run where you leave and come back (I think you can do this up to 2 years). I studied Mandarin for about a year and then traveled around Asia every few months for another year. It was a great experience. I wanted to do this since I was 19..but couldn't make it happen until I was 30. The only issue I had was that making friends with other expats was difficult. Most expats are in their early 20s and only interested in partying and drinking every night and teaching English during the day. If that sounds like a disaster, it is. Many of the English schools also aren't really picky about the teachers they hire, so you will get some people that shouldn't be anywhere near a classroom..especially with elementary aged kids.