The trick with SEA is that if you stay long enough, the cost of flying is amortized by the cost of living. That's how, as a student, I managed to spend two sum

The trick with SEA is that if you stay long enough, the cost of flying is amortized by the cost of living. That's how, as a student, I managed to spend two summers in Vietnam, coding remotely for a professor for 15$/h, 20h a week. It didn't cost me anything to go there for 4 months. Also depending on when you fly, and with some little research, you can get fairly cheap tickets. If you know you will be in a precarious or idle situation for X weeks, you can balance the cost of staying here (US/Canada) for those X weeks (food, accommodation and some activities) vs flying there and saving a ton on food/accommodation/activities. It seems odd but it's completely true. It also helps that I don't have a mortgage to pay.