The World’s Best Retirement Spot

The World’s Best Retirement Spot

Winner of the 2013 Global Retirement Index, Ecuador offers sophisticated historical cities…miles of unspoiled, sun-kissed beaches…fertile farmland…and temperate mountain hideaways…and all of it for pennies on the dollar. You can live well for a fraction of the cost of living back in the U.S. And with Ecuador’s official currency the U.S. dollar, you needn’t worry about complicated currency calculations or exchange risks.

Troglodyte Homes: Around the World…and Underground

Troglodyte Homes: Around the World…and Underground

The accepted story goes that as humankind progressed over the millennia, we abandoned our cave shelters in favor of constructed homes. But plenty of folks still live in dwellings carved out of volcanic rock, into mountains, rocky hillsides, cliffs, or quarries. And they aren’t living a primitive life in caveman-style homes, either (though they are referred to as “troglodyte” homes).

Colombia: Check Your Worries at the Border

Colombia: Check Your Worries at the Border

I remember clearly the knot that formed in my stomach as I approached the Colombian border for the first time. I had been living in Cusco, Peru, and in order to escape the rainy season there I was taking a trip. Colombia was a country that scared me. So why was I going? All I can say is curiosity had gotten the better of me. I had spoken with lots of backpackers passing through Peru and each and every one had told me Colombia was their favorite South American country.