Not long ago all travel was slow. Ships sailed at the pace the wind gave them and trains rumbled for days through vast landscapes while passengers slept and ate on board.
You had to spend time in places…bad or good. Waiting around was part of the deal. I suppose it still is. No one loves an airport queue, but something was definitely lost with the arrival of airplanes.
So a “slow travel” movement was born. It’s billed as a way of traveling that allows you to connect with the locals, get more out of your destination, a way to “live” in a place rather than pass through ticking off sights.
A day here…a week there…a month somewhere else. It’s also without a doubt the best way to scout potential retirement destinations for yourself…
In your issue this month we reveal the best places to do just that this winter. We spent time and effort selecting specific destinations for their ease, low costs, and good climate. These are the ideal spots to get a taste of expat life, have fun, and spend less than it costs you to stay home.
Kathy L. Hall has taken the idea a few steps further. Fed up with work Kathy had an epiphany…she was going to take off with just her social security check. After traveling solo through Southeast Asia (which she wrote about in your December 2016 issue), Kathy set her sights on Latin America. “The path I’ve trodden there has been so incredibly rewarding,” says Kathy. She reveals how she’s journeyed through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Mexico on just $1,500 a month.
Boomer-age folk are well and truly on top of the travel hacks that make for luxury travel on a budget. With retirement comes the freedom and flexibility to make the most of secrets like the one we reveal here—learn how to take ocean cruises for as little as $42 a day.
And if you prefer four-wheeled freedom, how does a road trip in Mexico sound? See here for more…
—Eoin Bassett, International Executive Editor
As I sit at my writing table on my oceanside veranda, staring at the lapping waves of the Pacific, gentle breezes blowing my hair, I am a 65-year-old, extremely happy roving retiree. The path I’ve trod across Latin America over the last year or so has been incredibly rewarding.
With the heady fragrance of fresh truffle wafting from the kitchen, my mouth waters as I await the plate of handmade tagliolini pasta that will soon be coming my way, while sunlight filters onto the patio. It’s easy to think that this is the perfect Italian hill town. But then, there are so many to choose from.
Low costs…great weather…excellent healthcare for a steal. There are lots of benefits to giving overseas living a try. But what if you haven’t decided yet which overseas retirement haven you prefer? Or you don’t even know yet if this go-abroad strategy is for you?
For expats Becky and Ken Campeau, an active, social retirement is the order of the day in Boquete. “My wife and I have so many friends here. Some of them are the closest that we have ever had. Our social life is quite full. We attend many, many parties and social functions,” says Ken.
If someone offered you a dead chicken, what would you say? It would probably depend on how hungry you were. But if they’re offering you a “dead chicken” deal in Northeast Brazil, and you’re interested in profiting from real estate, your answer should be “yes.”
Back in 2009, a college student named Kristoffer Koch came across a new online currency—a “cryptocurrency”—called Bitcoin. As an experiment, he bought 5,000 Bitcoins. At the time, this cost him just $26.60. Kristoffer quickly forgot about his investment and went on to finish his studies
A smooth crossing. Perfect weather. Glorious blue skies throughout the day, orange-red sunsets at night, and when we woke early, pink sunrises… We were crossing the Atlantic in style. My husband Duncan and I are advocates of slow travel on land. Back home, the daily grind had us existing, not living.
Each morning began with the distant chanting of monks across the valley, as the sun slowly rose over the mountains. I’d spend an hour or so checking emails, then head down to the main part of the resort (past the three resident rescue monkeys—Lily, Rose, and Mut).
"San Miguel is alive with music and the arts,” says expat Jayne Halle of what drew her to her new home in Mexico’s Colonial Highlands. “Most people are friendly, and say ‘hello’ when you make eye contact. The weather is great, and the surrounding countryside is magnificent.
Northumberland…a wild border region between England and Scotland, battered by tempestuous seas, home to hulking castles, wild moorland, and the site of many ancient battles. About a quarter of Northumberland is a national park, and the county offers you outstanding “get-away-from-it-all” scenery.