Budget travel. It’s one of the most powerful buzzwords in the travel industry. And for the vast majority of bloggers and travelers using the word to describe themselves, it’s an absolute, bold-faced lie. Read More
living abroad
Why Selling Your Home To Become A Digital Nomad Is The Worst Possible Thing You Should Do
Posted by T.W. Anderson | Traveling Tips | 9 CommentsYou’ve been reading blogs by other travelers for the past couple/few years. Oohing and Aahing over their photos and videos. You’ve filled your head with flights of fancy, delusions of grand adventures in foreign lands while living a carefree lifestyle unburdened by debt or a high cost of living. You’ve taken to the “free travel myth” hook, line, and sinker. And now you believe it’s a good idea to sell of your house, all of your possessions, and head out to travel the world on a whim, with nothing but your backpack, laptop, and the wind at your back. Read More
Frugal Living Abroad – A Better Life For Half The Price
Posted by T.W. Anderson | Live Like a Local, Mexico, Negotiation, Quality of Life, Traveling Tips | 4 CommentsIt was confusing as hell when I was at TBEX a few weeks back, because there happen to be two of us named Tim who live in Mexico. Myself, obviously, but for those of you weren’t aware of it, renowned travel writer Tim Leffel also happens to be based out of Mexico, although he’s far more north and west of where we are in Palenque. He currently lives in Guanajuato with his family.
Along with being in the industry for well over a decade and authoring the World’s Cheapest Destinations book as well as running the associated blog, he also heads Perceptive Travel. Earlier in 2013, he and I got to talking in emails and Skype about a few things related to living in Mexico and the whole “cutting your cost of living into a fraction of what it was in the U.S.”. Read More
The Riviera Maya is a stretch of coastline packed with some of the most incredible sights you’ll ever see in your travels. From cenotes to stretches of white sand, from snorkeling and scuba diving off the coast of Cozumel to exploring the Maya ruins and diving into the turquoise waters of the Mexican Caribbean, there are few places in the world that boast this much natural beauty.
While Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Cancun all have their resorts and beach-front property and restaurants and beyond, there are still a few places in the area which haven’t fallen to over-development, and thus still retain their coastal charm. One of our favorites is the sleepy pueblo of Akumal, just south of Playa del Carmen on the highway to Tulum. Read More
Avoiding The Gringo Tax – Local Living In Mexico
Posted by T.W. Anderson | Live Like a Local, Mexico, Traveling Tips | 10 CommentsThere are two ways to live in Mexico: like a local, and like a foreigner. The first will see you enjoying the bounties of a low cost of living and an easy pace of life (throw away your watch!), while the latter will see you getting ripped off at every turn, paying three to four times the actual cost of everything, otherwise known as paying the “gringo tax”.
Thankfully, there’s an easy way to avoid getting nailed by these fees, and it simply requires you to shed your fear of foreign cultures, learn a little bit of Spanish, and dare to cross over to the world of immersion travel. Read More
