Hey Erin,

a few answers, such as I can...

Yes, teaching experience in the States will help you here...especially if you have a current teaching credential, which it sounds like you do. However, be prepared for educational methods, philosophies, infrastructure, etc. to be VASTLY different from what you've known before.

As for a TEFL cert, I might suggest testing the waters without one first. Your degree and experience should be more than enough to qualify you in many countries, and a recognized TEFL cert such as the CELTA can be very expensive. Getting one implies a reasonably long-term commitment to this field. If you like your initial exposure, a good-quality cert will help you get jobs in Western Europe and other places with more stringent standards.

I've never worked Latin America but the ads I've seen there seemed to offer awfully small salaries. It may be pretty hard to save much there. Salaries seem better in Western Europe, but competition is a lot higher. Also, schools in many of these countries can/will only hire you if you already have documents allowing you to work in the EU...which you can usually only get if you're a citizen of an EU country or can document strong recent family connections to an EU country.

Good luck,
Raoul