Go for it! The freedom you will have will be great. The vaccine thing you might have to worry about a little (I got scolded before for rushing my vaccines) but start investigating and get yr shots and visas taken care of ASAP. Good luck! Lucky you!

its very exciting! do it... planning too far in advance is killer with the wait and all... as most of us can attest to.

Since you've done two week stints successfully with little planning, maybe you can just think of your six months off as a dozen or so back-to-back two week trips.

For me, the planning is a bit like packing a bag - you need about the same amount of stuff for two weeks as you do for a year. Planning is pretty much the same. It takes almost as much work to get away for a short vacation as it does a long break. There are a few extra details, but nothing you can't figure out in five weeks.

Like everyone here says, just do it. If you can make that initial commitment - buy a ticket and get on a flight/bus/whatever - then the rest will take care of itself!

Get outta here, already... Go make us jealous!

Ok. Heres what you need to plan:

MOney in two forms. Emergency and regular, emergency in the form of cash and travellers cheques.

2. A guidebook. They DO help a lot

3. lodging in a place reserved before you arrive the first night. Preferably for 3-5 days so you can get your bearings on how things work in that country. Big cities are good for that, or Antiqua guatemala if you 're going to guatemala. Stay away from Guat City!!

If you go to a good hostel, you'll talk to people and your plans will emerge from there.