Places to Retire Abroad!

As you know I love to travel! So when I found this article by Kathleen Peddicord on the 18 best places to retire I knew I would be posting about it. Her first 10 were in the America's...I'm not too into Central America so I'll skim over those and go straight to what she says about Europe and Asia :)

The Americas
1. Panama
2. Belize
3. Colombia
4. Uruguay
5. Ecuador
6. Nicaragua
7. Roatan, Honduras
8. Argentina
9. Mexico
10. Chile

Europe

11. France. France is a land of superlatives. Its capital has been called the most beautiful, most romantic, and most touristic city on earth. It also boasts some of the world's best wines, cheeses, restaurants, shopping, castles, gardens, parks, beaches, museums, cafes, galleries, vineyards, and architecture. The typical concern for anyone who has ever dreamed of a new life in France is that it's too expensive for the average retiree to consider seriously. Not so. Paris isn't cheap. But elsewhere in France you can find realistic options, even if your retirement budget is modest. Perhaps the most retirement friendly region in this country is in the southwest, north of Spain, where small country towns offer a way of life that is quintessentially French and also very affordable. 

12. Italy. The cost of living in Rome, Florence, Venice, and Tuscany might be beyond the limits of your retirement budget. But that doesn't mean you should take Italy off your list entirely if this is the country that stirs your imagination and speaks to your soul. A retiree on a budget interested in Italy could look at Abruzzo. From this beautiful Old World base, within a half-day's drive of both the coast and the mountains, you could plan excursions to Italy's better-known and more expensive outposts as often as you liked.

13. Ireland. Americans have long dreamed of retirement on the Emerald Isle and with good reason. Ireland is safe, peaceful, relaxed, welcoming, friendly, hospitable, and English-speaking, making it an ideal retirement choice for many. Ireland today is also more affordable than it has been in more than a decade, and its property market has fallen off a cliff. Real estate prices are down 50 percent or more in many markets and are still falling. If you, like so many others, have dreamed of wiling away your retirement years on your own little piece of the Auld Sod, this could be the best time in your lifetime to think about making that purchase.

14. Spain. Spain is known among expats for its Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines, especially its infamous (and unfortunately over-developed) Costa del Sol. But there's more to this country than its costas. Barcelona, for example, is a world-class city on the ocean, perfect if you're looking for a cosmopolitan life near the water. Real estate prices in this country have fallen tremendously since the highs of four or five years ago. If retirement in Spain appeals to you, this could be the time to search for a great deal on Spanish retirement digs.

15. Croatia. Croatia, a country with an extraordinarily complicated history and an extremely open-minded, forward-looking population, is at another turning point in its long history. Countries at turning points are interesting places to be. I recommend the country's Istrian Peninsula, which serves up some of the most delightful scenery on the planet. The land seems to rise up to embrace you, and everywhere you look, something nice is growing like olives, grapes, figs, tomatoes, pumpkins, blackberries, and wildflowers. Even the buildings seem to be part of the earth, built of its white stone and red clay. This sun-soaked region offers one of the most appealing lifestyle options in Europe today. (I would LOVE to live here!!!)

Asia

16. Thailand. Thailand boasts both really cheap and developed and comfortable lifestyle choices. It is also noteworthy as being one of the few countries in this part of the world that offers formal options for long-term and retirement visas. Hua Hin is one of the few classic retirement havens in Southeast Asia, complete with golf courses, factory outlets, and gated communities. Foreigners make up approximately 15 percent of that population, and most of them are retired. With 12 golf courses in operation and another 3 under construction, this is definitely the place to go if you're a golfing enthusiast. Hua Hin is a place where, if you were so inclined, you could live a North American lifestyle and never have to involve yourself more than superficially with the local Thai culture. This could be a plus or a minus for you, but it is worth noting when discussing options in this typically exotic part of the world. (Another place I am interested in!)

17. Vietnam. While Thailand is well-established as an interesting option for expats and foreign retirees, Vietnam is an emerging choice, which could get a lot more attention in the coming few years. Nha Trang offers an interesting coastal retirement option for adventuresome retirees. Nha Trang's total population of more than 200,000 includes an expat population of about 1,000 people, meaning foreigners here are still pioneers. You'll find no organized activities for foreigners, such as expat clubs or softball leagues. The lack of a big foreign population makes it easier to have meaningful interactions with the locals. The major attraction in Nha Trang is its cost of living, which can amount to much less than $1,000 per month for a retired couple. If you're a budget-minded retiree with an interest in Asia, this town should be on top on your list.

18. Malaysia. After Thailand, Malaysia is the easiest country to navigate in this part of the world. The country's capital, Kuala Lumpur, is a city of contrasts. The shining stainless steel Petronas Towers, two of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, anchor a startlingly beautiful skyline that is truly unique to this city. Modern, air-conditioned malls flourish, selling everything from beautifully handcrafted batik clothing to genuine Rolex watches and Tiffany jewelry. In the shadows of these ultra-modern buildings, the ancient Malay village of Kampung Baru still thrives, with free-roaming roosters and a slow pace of life generally found in rural villages. Less than a 20-minute walk from the city center, you can find yourself conversing with monkeys in the city-jungle surrounding one of the highest telecommunications towers in the world. A walk of less than 30 minutes leads you to Chinatown and Little India, where merchants offer their wares, foods, and culture in happy neighborhoods that showcase the amazing diversity of the city.

Unlike some places in Asia, foreigners are genuinely welcomed in Kuala Lumpur. Language isn't a problem, as almost everyone speaks adequate English. Immigration is easy, and it is possible to stay for an extended period with a simple tourist visa. Although Kuala Lumpur is more expensive than rural Malaysia, it can be marvelously inexpensive by Western standards. You can realistically expect to cut your living expenses by a third and still enjoy a lifestyle comparable to what you are accustomed to now.

Here is the original article.

How to Pack Light

Packing light can really help you when it comes to traveling and getting trough security quickly. And now that airlines charge you for the bags you check it makes you think, "do I really need to take that?" If I am traveling for a week or more I am definitely taking a large bag and checking it. But I make sure to carry everything I really need in my carry-on (one of my biggest fears is the airline loosing my bag).

In my carry-on I bring:

• toothpaste & brush
• all my make-up (I don't want to spend $100's replacing it)
• hair straightener (again, don't want to spend $$$ replacing it)
• one pair of clothes
• few pairs of undergarments and socks
• swimsuit (if I'm traveling to a tropical destination) 
• all the electronics we have (cameras, recorders, iPads, etc.) 

Traveling for a long weekend can prove to be a little more difficult when only trying to travel with carry-on luggage. But now there are also so many cool new jackets that can second as your suitcase or even your carry-on. Check out these from Scottvest. 

for more info on how to pack and what to pack check out OneBag.

Happy Traveling! 

Traveling on a Budget

Traveling on a budget can some times be hard; when you're on a vacation you want to splurge, relax and not have a care in the world. But you also don't want to come home with a bill the size of a small mountain either. Here are some tips on how to travel on a budget.

Rent a home/condo

There are so many other options when it comes to a place to stay other then the major hotel chains. For our next trip to the Hawaiian Islands we plan to use HomeAway or some of the condos listed on Trip Adviser. We saw a deal just the other day for a studio condo in Maui; they had a July special for $50 a night! Yeah, its only enough space for two people but you cant deny how awesomely cheap that is!!!

Saver tip: Don't rent any sort of sporting equipment from your hotel, they are going to over charge you! Rent it from the local surf or ski shop.

Hawaiian Style Cafe...yum!

Eat where the locals eat

When we went on our last vacation (the Big Island aka Hawaii) we ate at this awesome local restaurant called Hawaiian Style Cafe. Their servings were big enough for 2 people to share and the prices were really reasonable. Research these places before you go and map them out, it will be worth it! Again, use a search site like Trip Adviser or Yelp to find local hang outs. These websites will also let you  know how expensive the venues are.

Saver tip: If you're traveling to Hawaii you can pick any fruit you find on the island. We were told anything you find you can eat. And we happened to find pineapple, guava, limes, and passion fruit and we ate them all! YUM!

fresh out of the ground

Pack some snacks

This can be a real wallet saver! When I studies abroad I packed the instant oatmeal packs, peanut butter, and granola bars for my stay. I still continue to pack some small snack items when I go. A) you never know when you might need them and B) some times that's all you need to get you going in the morning. A granola bar form your local grocery store vs. the $15 per head breakfast the hotel is offering...granola wins!

Plan your vacation during the off season

This can really help you get those great deals! Most airlines and hotels will have sales to destinations during the off season. So instead of traveling to Paris in spring try the winter, or instead of going to Hawaii in the summer try November - March, the weather is better and you might see more marine life since the humpbacks are there from December to March. 

Enjoy what the destination has to offer

When we went to Hawaii we were able to enjoy beaches and waterfalls for free! Look for state or national parks that can offer you some amazing sights for little or no charge. Do some research before you leave and you're bound to find something fun for free.

Saver tip: Check out Groupon and living social for local deals for your destination. We did this when went to Las Vegas and saved $50 a person for night club/party bus tour.

Kekaha Kai State Park --- FREE

Pololu Trail --- FREE

Travel Insurance: To Buy or not to Buy

So about a year ago when we started planning our trip to Hawaii I started seeing friends on facebook and people at work talk about getting jury duty and hoping it wouldn't mess up their travel and/or wedding plans. It really got me thinking. Also, we were going to be traveling to an island with a valcanon on it and part of its coat line was hit by the tsunami that hit Japan.

photo credit 

I had always thought that travel insurance was kind of a scam; just another way for them to make money off of you. Whit this in mind, I went ahead and asked my travel agent about it. She gave me the full coverage price for 2 people and it was going to be ~$300 per person!!! ($600 is a big deal when you're planning/budgeting for a vacation). And then she gave me option 2 ... 80% coverage should we for some reason have to cancel our trip for only $154 for the BOTH of us! That I could live with. When she emailed me the paper work I began to look at it and it covers so much more! Which made me kind of relieved. Below is the list of things our insurance covered.

• Lost Baggage (very important!)
• Baggage Delay ($300 a day)
• Missed Connection ($800 for any fees the airlines try to slap on you)
• Emergency Medical Transportation
• Emergence Medical and Dental
• Trip Cancellation Protection
• Trip Delay
• Trip Interruption (should you need to rush home for something)

All of these things make sense and it made me feel so much better about having all our bases covered. Look at your vacation like an investment, would you protect your investments? Yes! So why not protect your vacation, your personal belongings, and family while you are an adventure!  Here is a link to good travel tips from my favorite financial guru.

World's Most Popular Landmarks

Empire State Building

Landmarks have piqued our interest for years and some are the reasons why we travel to the cites the reside in. So when I stumbled upon this article written by Sarah Spagnolo about the most popular landmarks in the world I thought it would make a good blog post. Enjoy! Highlighted in purple are the ones I have been to :)

No. 1 Statue of Liberty, New York City
More than a century after France gifted this 151-foot copper sculpture to the United States, three million–plus visitors head to Liberty Island each year to admire it.

No. 2 Empire State Building, New York City
Manhattan’s classic skyscraper soaring 1,435 feet above 34th Street is widely considered the quintessential Art Deco landmark and currently holds the record as the city’s tallest building.

No. 3 Golden Gate Bridge,  San Francisco
Spanning 4,200 feet across Golden Gate Strait, the structure’s dramatic setting, orange color, and sheer size have made it one of the world’s most recognized bridges since 1937.

No. 4 Eiffel Tower,  Paris
Gustave Eiffel’s 984-foot monument of open-latticed wrought iron wowed the 1889 World Expo, instantly becoming a Paris icon—despite initial resistance from Parisians themselves.

No. 5 Big Ben,  London

Though the name refers exclusively to its 13-ton bell, the world’s most famous clock tower has helped keep Londoners punctual since 1859.

No. 6 Colosseum, Rome
When construction finished on this 513-foot freestanding amphitheater in A.D. 82, 50,000 Romans could pack in to ogle gladiator death battles and mock naval combat.

No. 7 Millennium Park, Chicago
The standout features of Chicago’s 24.7-acre Millennium Park include Anish Kapoor’s jellybean-like Cloud Gate sculpture, Frank Gehry’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, and various outdoor art exhibitions.

No. 8 St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome
It took a star-studded team of Renaissance masters—including Raphael, Michelangelo, and Bernini—more 
than a century to complete the Vatican’s magnificent, art-filled cathedral.

No. 9 Swiss Re Building, London
Nicknamed The Gherkin, the 2004 glass-paneled, rocket-shaped office tower in London’s financial center was designed by Norman Foster using 10,000 tons of structural steel.

No. 10 The High Line, New York City
Flower beds, day loungers, even a bar occupy this once-abandoned elevated rail bed—reconceived by Diller, Scofidio, and Renfro—that now threads through buildings from the Meatpacking District to West 30th Street.

Big Ben

Swiss Re Building 

St. Peter's Basilica 

The Colosseum

Sin City

So this past weekend we took my little (well not so much anymore) brother to Las Vegas for his 21^st birthday. I decided to do this for him because when I was in college I never really got him anything great for Christmas or his birthday since I didn’t really have money to spend…So I guess I was trying to make it up to him. This would also be my husband's first trip to Sin City. I booked the trip online at aaa.com and got pretty nice deal (or I'd like to think); we got 2 round trip flights and a stay at the Bellagio for 2 nights for $1200. The Bellagio is nice and in a great location right in the middle of the strip. My only complaint was I had ordered my brother a birthday cake and it arrived about 45 minutes late, the wrong flavor and they didn’t give us any forks! When we called to see where it was at they said it was on the way and would be there any second…it was there about 10-15 minutes later so I am thinking they forgot. Of course we didn’t have to pay for it.

For our first night there I had bought a groupon for a Club Party Tour. We got on a party bus and went from club to club and had free drinks on the bus (good things because drinks were crazy expensive!). We left that scene before the tour was over because it's not really our thing. The next day we woke up and headed across the street to the Mile Mall (Planet Hollywood) to get breakfast and bring some back for my brother before we headed to the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, famous from the TV show Pawn Stars. Sad to say that the "Pawn Stars" weren’t there…that was a waste of $40 cab ride. Then they guys did some gambling and I took a nap because all the cigarette smoke everywhere was giving me a HUGE headache! Then we just wondered around before dinner at Serendipity 3 at Caesar's Palace and it was sooooo good! I was so excited to eat there because I wasn’t able to go to the original the last time I went to NYC. The food was good and so was the dessert! YUM! Then we decided to go see Peep Show staring Holly Madison, to be honest she really had nothing to do with the show, she seemed very shy and nervous and you're pretty much paying just to see her topless.

After that it was off to bed to check out and catch our flight in the morning. Vegas is always a city for a quick trip away; hope you had a great birthday little Bro!

Rick Steves: Study abroad is necessity, not luxury

So to continue my one post a week trend I will now be talking about travel instead of sharing my stories…because I have no more (until Vegas next week). I was surfing the web and saw this article written by Rick Steves, a travel expert of sorts, about study abroad and how it is something US students MUST do to keep up with the world. Typically when you meet someone from a different country they know 2, maybe 3 or 4 languages verse the typical American that only knows one…English. Steves says, "Ninety-six percent of humanity lives outside our boarders – and we risk being left in the dust if we don’t know how to effectively engage the world."

photo credit

Being a part of the only 2% of American students that were able to study abroad, I too think studying abroad is a must for this country's future. I only studied abroad for six weeks and I sure wish it had been more! I became who I am today in those short six weeks and I grew up so much as a person (as crazy as that sounds). Unfortunately my degree program didn’t offer any study abroad programs so I took one through the business school in International Marketing and Management. I did what I had to do to study abroad and make myself stand out to future employeers. While I was there I met some local people and they are some of my best friends now! Checkout Rick's article HERE!