Try to find a ham club near you. The people are great and they really want new people, so they're really helpful. They may have a class you can take and they'll be able to point you towards good equipment for what you want to do in your price range.

HF (the frequencies you talk around the world on) aren't completely out of bounds with technician license, you can operate in some bands on low power and you need to know Morse code. But the option is availible. Otherwise, what people have said about emergency responce and SAR is correct, you can do all of that with a Technician class license.
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A gentleman should always be able to break his fast in the manner of a gentleman where so ever he may find himself.--Good Omens