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 Traveling used to be a lot more dangerous. While there have always been explorers, wanderers, and people who wanted to see what was over the next hill, this group used to be dominated by single men. After all, the world was dangerous, and travel was very slow and arduous. Your ship could sink, you could be felled by an exotic disease, or you could be fatally attacked by a wild animal at any time. Even if you survived, you would not see your loved ones for many years. Mail service was nonexistent in many locations, so contact was infrequent at best.
Fast forward to today, and technology has made exploring a whole lot easier. Now single women, couples and even families can jump on a plane and go. Tours and guidebooks are readily available to make your trip go smoother, with hotels and restaurants serving all but the most remote locations. Modern medical care can treat you if you are ill, and vaccines can even prevent diseases. Animals are rarely a danger outside rural areas. Contact is cheap and frequent with the internet, and you can post pictures of your travels to Facebook or your blog before you even return home! Continue reading Mobile Lifestyle
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 Uruguay has beaches, but is it really like Iowa? Montevideo’s focus is naturally on the beach. While it’s convenient to walk many places from the water, some attractions like the old city were too far away. I never bothered to learn the bus system when cabs are so cheap by U.S. standards. Also, they have a unique radio taxi service that will automatically dispatch a car to the address associated with the number you call from, like your hotel, and will give you an approximate arrival time. Continue reading Exploring Uruguay, Part 2
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This is a continuation of my interview with Adrian S., a married man with a family who sold most of his possessions in search of a better life. Links to earlier parts of the interview can be found below.
Adrian S: In November 2009, we went to Panamá because we had not been out of the country much, we’re kind of provincial people, we only speak one language. My two children really haven’t seen much except suburban life except for that brief time in the countryside of Oregon. And we thought it would be a good idea to go to Panamá. We stayed three months there, and that was a real eye opener. We saw that things were possible outside of the United States. There were a lot of things that were shocking. Continue reading Stranger in His Own Land, Part 4
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Here is the fourth installment of my series which spotlights content I’ve been enjoying the past couple of weeks. These links are listed in no particular order. I hope they help you to live a little more richly!
1. Photos of the 2010 Calgary Stampede – John has over 20 stunning photos of this annual cowboy festival. During the Stampede, Calgary looks like a funky cross between Seattle and Fort Worth. It’s a unique event that I’m sure is a great time.
2. 6 tips for overcoming a challenge ~ kitten style – What life lessons can you learn from kittens? It turns out they can teach you a lot about dealing with challenges. Read how Sandra outsmarts her formal feral kitties and bonds with them as well. As I rescued a stray cat out of my garden 2 years ago, I can relate!
3. Develop Your Intuition: It Could Save Your Health – Do you listen to your intuition? I do. It’s helped me make some very good decisions – like marrying my husband – and also helped me avoid bad situations. Angela listened to her inner voice and discovered what was really wrong with her health.
4. How to Teach Financial Resilience To Your Children – Neal Frankle has a guest post on coping with financial setbacks as a family. He argues that children know when something is wrong, and the honest truth is better than whatever horrors they imagine. This reminds me of my post on 6 Life Lessons from a Murder-Suicide, where Jayne Peters hid problems from her daughter too long, with tragic consequences.
5. Planning for an Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike – As a child, I dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail, which stretches more than 2,000 miles from Maine to Georgia. Deb tells you what she learned from her experience. Even better, most of these lessons apply to any major project.
6. Adjusting to Life as an Expat: Interviews and Resources – Are you an avid traveler? Have you ever dreamed of living overseas? Camden was shocked that she had trouble adjusting to life in Peru. Follow her journey as she learns how expats cope.
7. Trillion Dollar Public Pension Shortfall and Walking the Walk: My $114,000 Challenge to Uncle Sam – Bret and Len both realize that government pension plans are grossly underfunded. The US version, Social Security, is effectively a Ponzi scheme. You can’t count on politicians to keep their promises, so you need to make alternative retirement plans. I discussed this subject recently in Retirement Pitfalls.
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 Most of Uruguay is rural. This is an excerpt from the January 2008 issue of Global Asset Strategist.
I visited Uruguay in March of 2007. Most travelers have never heard of it, or believe it is very poor and dangerous. In fact, Uruguay is quite safe – it has fewer assaults per capita than Germany, and fewer car thefts than Switzerland. The capital, Montevideo contains about 1.4 million inhabitants, but it’s much more relaxed than most large cities in the US. I saw very few police officers but also no real crime. Continue reading Exploring Uruguay
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 Pension defaults have pushed seniors back to work. This is an excerpt from the February 2010 issue of Global Asset Strategist.
In the US, most workers no longer have a pension, so they are herded into company sponsored retirement arrangements. These usually consist of a few, equally terrible options. The majority of workers can choose between a couple of different stock funds, or maybe a bond option. Plans that offer both are considered “diversified,” as if these are the only two asset classes.
These arrangements are “one-size-fits all,” which means they fit most workers poorly. Ideally, consumers would consult a competent financial advisor who could tailor an individual retirement plan. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to get this level of personal service unless you have a large amount of money to invest. Continue reading Retirement Pitfalls
By (author) Laurence J. Kotlikoff, Scott Burns
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 Katie Stewart in a traditional mourning gown. When visiting my parents in Southport this summer, a hoop skirted young woman caught my eye. It turns out she is the lovely and talented Katie Stewart, owner of the Old South Tour Company. Katie started the business back in 2005 as a way to make some money through her love of theater and history. Katie researched over two centuries of local lore to come up with an entertaining and informative ghost tour.
I don’t want to spoil all the stories – after all, you should experience Katie’s telling of the ghost tales yourself. However, I will tell you a couple of my favorites from the tour. Continue reading Ghost Stories from Historic Southport, NC
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 Bees have to work hard in Vermont. Jennifer Barry: So you didn’t find an ecovillage that worked for your family?
Adrian S: No, we got discouraged by not being able to find communities that agreed with us in fundamental ways. But we did stay in some very nice places for a while, like we stayed in Oregon for the longest time.
JB: That didn’t surprise me, I felt that you would end up in the Pacific Northwest. I didn’t think New England would work out for you.
AS: I like Vermont, but the growing season there is too short. I just didn’t see how you could have people practically living in such a cold, cold place. And they are burning an awful lot of their forests up there just to stay warm. Continue reading Stranger in His Own Land, Part 3
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 photo courtesy of www.thepioneerwoman.com It’s been a while since the last round-up, so here is the third installment of my series which spotlights content I’ve been enjoying the past couple of weeks. These links are listed in no particular order. I hope they help you to live a little more richly!
1. Why You Need To Write In Your Goals Book Daily: As Joe Jackson once said, “You can’t get what you want, until you know what you want.” Karen helps you figure out your goals, and shares why writing them down is so important.
2. 19 Great Jobs Without A College Degree – And How To Get Them Fast: It’s a tough economy out there, so Neal gives you some tips on how to land that job even if you don’t have 4 years of college.
3. Will Travel Blogs Take Over Guide Books? Will guide books go the way of the dodo? Dave and Deb discuss the advantages of online travel information.
4. Curiosity Begins At Home: Even if you aren’t traveling, you can still have new and exciting experiences. Dan and Audrey give you tips so you can have an adventure in your home town.
5. Top 3 Pieces of Traveling Advice by Travelers Around the World: When you travel, should you be spontaneous or plan everything? Should you eat street food or only in chain restaurants? More than a dozen bloggers (including me) weigh in on these questions and more.
6. 15 Organic Fruits & Veggies That Aren’t Worth Paying More For: Concerned about the quality of your food? Can’t figure out whether to buy the organic onion or the local one? Len tells you what conventional produce has the least amount of pesticide residue so you can stretch your budget.
7. Living Abroad For Less Than $1000 Per Month: Speaking of budgets, you don’t have to spend a lot to travel. Earl shares some of the great places he’s lived for less than US$1,000. If you’re frugal, you could spend less than $500 and still have a great time.
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 Sparky's in Marion, South Carolina Early in July, my husband and I decided to take a road trip to see both sets of parents in North Carolina. Since we live in Dallas, Texas, most people we spoke to thought we were crazy for not flying. After all, it’s 1,200 miles and about 21 hours of driving, mostly on Interstate 20. Due to our mutual dislike of TSA, we did it anyway. Here are some of the surprising things you find out when you don’t fly:
1. Dallas drivers are really bad - I knew it was scary to drive in the city, but I didn’t realize how bad until we traveled out of the Metroplex. Georgian drivers are sedate by comparison, and even 50 miles east of the city people were much more patient.
2. It’s hard to get food in Shreveport/Bossier City - Louisiana has all kinds of legalized gambling, while Texas only has the state lottery. This is why just over the border there are a ton of casinos to attract Texan money. However, it’s not a great place to stop for lunch unless you plan to do some gambling. Continue reading Discoveries from a Southern (US) Road Trip
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