IL Magazine: The World’s Most Well-Respected Resource for Overseas Opportunities Save 35% Right Here about subscribing to International Living Magazine "I remember arriving at Porta Nuova station," says Rosemarie. "It was late November and the weather was overcast, but the gray skies did nothing to diminish the beauty of the city's center, which features some fine examples of Baroque, Rococo, Neo-Classical, and Art Nouveau architecture.
For my husband, Bryan, and I, Italy had long been a favorite vacation spot of ours. And with each visit, we imagined what it would be like to live there. We'd return home after our two-week vacation longing for the piazzas (public squares) where folks gathered and enjoyed each other's company...
"Looking from our balcony I see the valley with the green mountains that touch the clouds in spring and summer. Our village below has stood through time and the fields above our house are filled with Alpine wildflowers of every color," says Lisa Chiodo, who, together with her husband Sam and their two children, Carina and Luca, now lives in Piedmont, Italy.
Samantha Wei lives on Costa Rica's northern Pacific coast, just inland from the surfer hotspot of Tamarindo, with her boyfriend, Yeison Kim. But you never know where the couple might be on any given day.
Like many expats living La Pura Vida in Costa Rica, Ania and Tom Dudek—and their two sons—first visited the country on vacation. "For years, we would come for a month and rent a house in a different area each time," says Ania.
When I started blogging, it was a just passion project. I loved to travel. I loved writing. Starting a travel blog was a no-brainer. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I dreamt about the potential perks and benefits of having a travel blog, but I tried not to get my hopes up.
Most folks dream of ditching the boss...enjoying more freedom in life...and not being ruled by the clock. They want the freedom to travel...to take a lazy lunch on a hillside...to savor fine wine and fresh olives in an outdoor café...to spend weeks exploring warm, white-sand beaches.
I couldn't possibly be a regular tourist again after living the travel blogger life. I'm spoiled rotten. I've gotten used to all the complimentary hotel stays...free meals...and gratis attraction admissions...and behind-the-curtain access.
Six years ago, I was a lobbyist. It was a stressful job, and let's face it, politics is like watching sausages being made—you really don't want to know what's inside. So, I came up with an exit plan. I wanted to create a better lifestyle for myself. I wanted more adventure. I wanted to travel more. I wanted to be in control of my own destiny.
Blogging is one of my favorite portable incomes. Done right, a blogger with just a few hours a week can make a tidy side income from their blog. But it's also a business that can be scaled up to earn you as much as $100,000 per year or more.