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When I was in Ecuador recently for our Ultimate Event, I snuck out with some colleagues before dawn one day. We drifted down in elevation, past the equator, through cloud forest into the town of Mindo. It was silent, save for the sound of a stream…water gurgling over rocks in its rush to get under the bridge.

International Worker’s Day, or May Day, is celebrated throughout Europe, India, China, Mexico and the Americas on May 1. It’s sort of like Labor Day in the United States but with less emphasis on the barbeque.

On the road in South America, travelers’ lore says that getting to the majestic Galápagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador can be expensive, only for the most well-heeled backpacker. Trips there often cost upwards of $1,000 just for a few days. However, Chile’s LAN Airlines has recently started flying to the islands and now offers accommodation packages for $352 per person for three nights.

How could this place have gone so long under the radar? Green pastureland rolls down to a shoreline lapped by the blue waters of a pristine lake. A volcano reaches 5,300 feet into the sky.

I live just a few steps from a white-sand beach. At just 38 years old I’m retired. In fact, I’ve been retired in the traditional sense (from a 40-hour-a-week, full-time job) since I was 35. You see, I realized that there was more to life than working.

Today credit and debit cards are the safest and most hassle-free way to pay for day-to-day purchases and take out cash while on the road. As a rule, you should use credit cards for big purchases and debit cards to withdraw cash.

Imagine spending three beautiful weeks traveling in Italy, wandering the cobblestone side streets of medieval villages, spending nights in Rome and mornings on the Amalfi Coast...and then coming home to find you’ve amassed a $230 cell phone bill. Not a pretty thought. But that’s just what happened to my neighbor.

Buying a property overseas is exciting, fun and potentially one of the most profitable investments you can make. You just need to do your homework and avoid the “Margarita Effect.”