Brasilito: A Funky Beach Town with Rent From $200 a Month

Brasilito: A Funky Beach Town with Rent From $200 a Month

The first day of my stay in Playa Brasilito dawned brightly and I couldn’t wait to get out on the white-sand beach. It was quite early and I found no one else strolling the stretch of more than a mile—the beach was often virtually deserted throughout my stay—but in the distance three horses carried riders into a mangrove-lined path.

The Greatest Adventure of My Life in Southeast Asia—On Social Security Alone

The Greatest Adventure of My Life in Southeast Asia—On Social Security Alone

Tucked into a secluded nook in the ancient Bayon temple, with benevolent stone faces smiling down at me from every angle, I felt overwhelmed at finally being in Angkor Wat, Cambodia, after years of day-dreaming of a life of travel. I remember thinking I should pinch myself. But instead I soaked up all the atmosphere I could, knowing this type of adventure would shape my future for years to come. Barely a year before, I could scarcely have imagined that I’d travel right across Southeast Asia—on my Social Security money alone. One morning early in 2015, I woke at dawn to get ready for a 10-hour shift as a shuttle driver.