Ask HN: Advice for the travelling developer

I am a software engineer based in Australia. For the last few years I have been working in embedded systems, however prior to that I did work in a web-related support role, and explored some computer graphics and computer vision for my Bachelor and consequent Honours. I feel that I've always followed 'the template' in many regards, trying to establish a career while following opportunities and interests as they present themselves. More recently I feel that I've constrained myself a little however, and am considering the potential for a year of travel and personal growth after a trip to the US and eastern Europe later this year.

If I were younger, this may be a little easier. Unfortunately, it seems I may have just missed the boat on working holiday visas. While there are many options for younger people, and some countries have friendlier systems than others, I am coming up on 32 years on the planet and some of my options for visas have recently evaporated. Though I have a great deal more research to do, this leads me to the belief that my skills as a developer are my greatest asset in finding work overseas, however I suspect that short term work for the skilled traveller may be a difficult prospect.

So, I am curious, what have the readers of HN done to make this work? Is it just a matter of finding the right visa, or the right company and finding some contract work, or are there other options out there that I have not considered?