Stand at the ocean as the waves roll toward you and you get the feel of distant places. Light ripples on the swell, the heart stirs, the imagination thrills. And it’s not just a feeling…
On the seabed lie strange instruments that turn that feeling into fact. Wave-recording scientists can tell you where a wave was first whipped up. Some are born in the wild North Atlantic, or out of tropical storms. On Lands’ End in England they record waves that curl around Cape Horn all the way from the southern-most regions of the world. Wave recorders on the coast of California can tell you the life story of waves that came 6,000 miles.
Scientists are also busy trying to get to the bottom of why being by the water makes us happier. I don’t know how exactly, but I expect it’s some brain-wave measuring contraption. Interesting, yes, but who needs science to tell you that you feel healthier and less stressed by the sea?
If you’ve ever stood on cliffs or dug your toes in coral sand, or waded in clear-blue water, then you’ve felt the peace of mind and general satisfaction with life that comes when you’re by the ocean.
Stateside, it’s an expensive proposition to live within a stone’s throw of the water. But on the right shores overseas, you can do it on a remarkably modest budget. You can buy an ocean-view home in Ecuador for $175,000, retire to an English-speaking Mediterranean island from $2,650 a month, or rent from $103 on the Visayan Islands in the Philippines. For as little as $1,695 a month you can live in an elegant Old-World port famed for wine and good eating where the Atlantic meets the Douro River.
Or…go a step further like Meri and Jim Faulkner who—with no ocean-sailing experience—sold their house, moved aboard their sloop Windfall, and went on to sail the world for less than it would have cost them to stay home. Here they show you how.
—Eoin Bassett, Editorial Director
At a fit and youthful 60 years of age, Mike Hord sports a contented grin as he guides his four-legged charges along the winding malecón (esplanade) in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The sparkling blue waters of Banderas Bay are to one side, the purple hues of the Sierra Madre Mountains to the other.
For years, Paulette Salo planned on moving to France when she retired. “After my first trip to France, I knew I would love to retire there. I have friends there and absolutely love the people.”
Clear sunny skies, a sandy coastline that stretches over 25 miles, and a year-round tropical climate…it’s not the image most people have of China. There is more to this exotic land than sprawling, polluted, and over-populated cities.
You’ll rarely find a better time to visit Japan. As I write, $1 is equal to 102 yen. The exchange rate has been strong for eight years. From the moment you arrive, Japan feels unlike any other destination in the world.
Back in 2005, Deby Hogue says, she was working at a Montessori school and her husband, Chuck, had been working in construction for 30 years. As Chuck used to say back then, “I am beat up from the feet up.” It was a natural time in their lives to retire and make some more memories.
A panoramic, awe-inspiring vista is your constant companion. The shimmering sea fills your vision every time you look out your back window or lounge on your terrace. No TV antennas, condo blocks, or other obstacles stand in the way of your perfect sea view.
When my wife, Suzan, and I first became serious about moving abroad, one of the first things we did to prepare was take some basic Spanish lessons at the local community college.
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