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Floating peacefully in the warm Caribbean waters, we'd just about given up on our quest to spot a manatee (sea cow). My friend—a freelance photographer like myself—had been raving about the possibility all day...but now it was almost time to head back to dry land.
When I called my boss and quit my dead-end job in the States, I was in The City of Lights, Paris. It was the best decision I ever made, in the best place I could have made it. At the time, I was on an eight-day trip with my best friend. We explored the entire city, walking everywhere we went.
Last night, my partner, Stacey and I sat outside on our back terrace, sipping a glass of wine and admiring the stars as they popped out one by one. Basking in the cool night air, we listened to the low laughter of our Ecuadorian neighbors next door, teasing one of their sons about his new novia (girlfriend).
Just 30 years ago, after emerging from decades of war, Vietnam was one of the five poorest countries in the world. Most of its existing infrastructure was damaged or missing, the population was dramatically decreased, and living conditions were abysmal.
As the sun sets on the coastal town of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, the sky fills with a tangerine- and mango-hued sunset. I breathe a sigh of relief as the day's heat begins to fade and order a mojito in preparation for the evening's beachside party.
For Patrice Wynne, the arts-rich, colonial town of San Miguel de Allende was the only option when she moved overseas. "There's no other place that's even close for me," says Patrice. "The people, both Mexicans and expats, are so kind, so caring, so decent, so noble."
Back in 1996, my family and I were evicted from our home... In 1997, I made so little money that we qualified well below the U.S. poverty line... If you had told me back then that I'd be where I am today, I would have called you crazy. By tapping into the world's booming e-book industry, I've been able to travel the world and enjoy a luxury lifestyle I could have only dreamed of before.
When Tracy Ginger first visited Belize on vacation in 2015, she knew that she’d found her new home. She had grown tired of the seemingly never-ending Canadian winters and the hectic pace of city life. The laidback island vibe of Ambergris Caye—the largest of the islands off the coast of mainland Belize—was the perfect remedy.
One of the simple pleasures of working for yourself is experiencing new things. There's nothing quite like the rush of facing a new challenge and overcoming it, or learning something you would never have if you were cooped up in an office all day.
For years, I dreamt of moving to Ecuador...of living on the warm, tropical shores of the deep blue Pacific. But after years of simply "dreaming" about it, my wife, Heidi and I realized we had to set ourselves a deadline and simply go...or we never would.