Hi Biddlesby,
I had the same thoughts as you are having now when I was 21 (1991).
I saved up from my wages and decided to travel for a bit.
I ended up going down the camp america route as they payed for the flight and all my board and lodgings plus gave you some pocket money.
I had always had a Scouting background so opted to apply for scouting camps.
I got positioned at a girl scout camp in pennsylvania as a maintenance man.
There was 200+ kids and about 40 staff all of which were female except my boss (the caretaker) and another lad from Hungary.
I found this experience to be second to none. I spent 10 weeks there and travelled for another 4 weeks afterwards. I made new friends and learnt new things especially about myself. Although I took a position as a maintenance man there are dozens of positions to go for, each camp does different stuff.
You will need some money before you go as the pay is crap but they pay for flight tickets and acommodation etc. you wont need money to live just for travelling.
I would definatley recommend this kind of experience to anyone young and single.
You just have to get the ball rolling and make some enquiries.
Bodge