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I've grown to love packing for travel. Which is odd, because I really don't like the act of traveling itself, at least not on airplanes. For normal folks like me, who most often travel in coach, airplanes are simply cramped, overcrowded, flying buses.
I remember when the “self-help” trend really took off, and bookstores (remember those?) featured entire "Self-Help" sections. Suddenly you could find your true mission in life, become more confident, promote your business, be a better parent, improve your eyesight, get a better job...you name it, you could help yourself do it with the right book.
I spent the morning texting with a friend in the States recently. I have the kind of phone plan that provides unlimited text and data between Mexico and the U.S. and Canada, so I'm able to indulge this modern addiction from my current home in Central Mexico at no additional cost.
Passing through the U.S. for a State-side International Living conference recently, I made a stop at a tailor shop to get some emergency repairs done. The tailor turned out to be from Mexico…she’d moved with her mother and daughter to the U.S. some years ago to, as she put it, “get ahead.”
It’s great to have step-by-step guides, especially for big and potentially complicated tasks. Moving yourself out of your home country to a completely new and different culture…and language…certainly qualifies as a big and complicated task.
I've often said that Ecuador offers expats and retirees some of the best bang-for-buck affordability in the Americas. But it's not simply low prices that earn it that title in my book. "Bang for your buck" means getting top value, and Ecuador is simply an unparalleled value in so many ways.
Back in the day, my wife, Suzan, and I enjoyed scuba diving. It’s one of those sports that can take you to some extraordinary places, and we spent some idyllic days and nights under water in quite a few of them. We were mainly recreational divers.
You hear a lot from International Living about the high-quality, low-cost healthcare enjoyed by people who have moved abroad. I’ve been taking advantage of that money saving aspect of expat life for 15 years now. But something happened recently that drove that point home to me again.
My wife and I live in one of the most beautiful and temperate spots on the planet right now. As I write, birds whistle and warble back and forth to each other in the lush woods surrounding our tidy little rental in the lakeside town of Ajijic, on the Central Mexican Plateau.
If you’re thinking of attending your first International Living conference, it may be the first step on a journey that can take you anywhere in the world. You might join us once and, armed with the knowledge and insights you glean, hit out for your dream retirement destination almost immediately.