Our two children, Daniel and Angelina, are having the time of their lives in southern France. They’re riding their bikes along the canal under giant Plane trees, playing in the white sand and surf of the Mediterranean Sea, and enjoying long summers as well as skiing the snow-peaked Pyrenees in the winter. They absorb French culture as they play outdoors.
Latin America is seeing huge growth in the number of senior citizens. Birth rates are falling across the region. According to a study published by the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America, the population of those 65 years and older will increase three times faster than the total population between 2000 and 2025 and six times faster from 2025 to 2050.
You probably remember a time when the U.S. wasn’t heaving with coffee shops. Back in the early 1980s, Starbucks was just another place to get a coffee in Seattle. Then they tapped into the trend of European-style cafes. Within 10 years Starbucks had more than 400 stores in the U.S. Today they have almost 18,000 stores worldwide.
When my husband and I decided to move from Texas to the tropical island of Penang in Malaysia, I questioned the decision to uproot my children. Two years on, we have found the experience so enriching we’ve decided to prolong our stay. My husband was offered a job mentoring local computer engineers in Malaysia and, with three children—Clark, 13, Brad, 10, and Maria, 8—we had to consider if his career move was also in their best interest. We waited until after Clark finished elementary school so that it would be a more natural transition for him, and we planned a return visit to America for Christmas to minimize homesickness.
As a busy carpenter and contractor in his native Canada, Steve Quinn, 52, relished his regular trips to Costa Rica with his wife, Lisa, to relax and unwind on the beach. After six years of short visits, he decided to make this beach lifestyle permanent. He took over a beach bar and restaurant in Tamarindo, a funky surf town on the country’s northern Pacific coast. He’s leasing the property for three years, with an option to buy, which is a great way to test the waters without committing to purchasing property right off the bat.
If you’re planning to make the big move abroad, you can create a new occupation for yourself right now—something you will simply love doing and make money from at the same time.You can even get it going before you give up your job, making the transition to your new life overseas seamless.All you have to do is start writing a blog on something you’re passionate about and turn it into a money-making website.
I wake up and glance over at my wall calendar—no deadlines for the rest of the week. Time for the beach! Or maybe I could work on my novel. But it’s such good weather, what about another day trip? Welcome to the life of a freelance writer where every day is wide open, and every day is yours.
When I tell people that I‘m self-employed, they frequently respond: “Oh, I’d like to work for myself, but I can’t quit my job because I have such great benefits.”Well, people who are self-employed can have vacations and health insurance, too. In fact, they usually have a considerably longer list of benefits not available to those with 9 to 5 jobs.
Few places on Earth ignite the romantic senses like Italy—it’s a country people dream of visiting, and once they do, they dream of returning. From the mouthwatering food, the exquisite wine and classic art, to the rolling hills of Tuscany, the glittering Mediterranean Sea and la dolce vita lifestyle, Italy is the stuff of dreams. In spite of the challenging economic climate, Italy is a place where you can follow your passions and turn a love of Italian food into a business by teaching others how to cook it.
Moments after my daughter and I arrived at Santa Lucia train station in Venice, we were headed down the Grand Canal. After soaking up all that beauty, she turned to me and said, "You know how you imagine a place and then you get there and it's smaller than you expected it to be?