There’s something that occurred to me years ago. Sometimes I spent too much time in Bangkok and I have always loved the beaches. So when I just wanted to ‘get away’ I would call it ‘”Time to ‘change my latitude'” and fly to Phuket or Samui.
There is something special about the perfect weather, the palm trees and the surf on the beach. Helps melt the pressures.
Even if you still have a job, I would seriously consider taking at least one official vacation each year somewhere real, tropical or exotic. Why WAIT until you are older and ‘retired’ and then enjoy life? That’s ridiculous.
Anyway, I refer to ‘get away’ to a tropical place as ‘change my latitude’. It could have been influenced by a Corona commercial or Jimmy Buffett.
Dealing with stress? Change up your environment and go to a warm tropical beach to ‘unwind’. (Now, of course, you can still change your status in the comfort of your own home, but being on a warm beach is something special.)
There’s definitely something to the ‘parrot head’ mentality of fans of Jimmy Buffett or the ‘Beach Boys’. I’ve always liked ‘drunken sunsets’ and ‘Kokomo’.
Why limit yourself? Some people actually end up ‘living’ in tropical areas like Tom Cruise did in ‘Cocktail’ while in Jamaica. Gold Philippines or Costa Rica. It’s so hard for some people to get out of their own ‘box’. It is even cheaper to live abroad in many places if you just minimize your expenses.
It’s even something you can save for. I have a friend who is a surf instructor and tour operator in the jungle in Jaco, Costa Rica. He used to live in the cold and dreamy London winters. Now, he has embraced the lifestyle of surf culture.
You might do it for a few years of your life, and then maybe you’ll move somewhere else.
In this age, especially with worldwide internet access, why NOT consider living abroad or taking an extended vacation? I’m glad Tim Ferriss helped make this idea more popular. The reality is that it doesn’t take much when you just ‘think outside the box’. It was only $250 for my roundtrip tickets to Costa Rica when I stayed/lived there for 6 weeks in early 2010.
It was a COLD winter in central Wisconsin, but I decided to ride it out living on the Caribbean coast in Rodadero, Colombia, from October to December and back for Christmas with my family. And then to Costa Rica, just a 4-minute walk from the Pacific Ocean. All for less than what it would cost to live in the United States. That was part of my stay abroad for a year in 4 consecutive continents.
If you don’t have a mortgage and have income or at least enough money saved up, why not consider doing something crazy and just ‘living’ abroad for a while? Even if it’s only for a few weeks. What I do is find a short-term rental flat.
It’s cheaper than a hotel and you feel much more like a local.
It’s great to see so many more people are doing this. I’ve personally inspired a dozen people to go to Thailand so far (and maybe a lot more indirectly) because I’m excited about it. Everyone seems to get excited about Thailand.
Of course, I’m still single and I ‘rent’ on purpose. I have my own business too, but there are still ways you can get away more. I have a friend and business associate in San Antonio who is married with 2 kids and every 3 months they take another family vacation (usually with the kids).
They have been to Europe, Asia and other places. They just plan it out and fit into their schedule to ‘change their latitude’ and see more of the world.
When you begin to value EXPERIENCES over material goods, you begin to realize that even if you don’t become a hipster, hippie, or drifter, you can STILL see different parts of the world and fit it into your own schedule.
Why not be in environments more conducive to your health and creativity?
Instead of buying more material things, maybe start saving for another trip and do it on a tight budget. Almost all my trips are business expenses anyway.
It is ALWAYS sunny somewhere in the world. What if you just went beach chasing around the world and had summer all year? There are plenty of adventures waiting out there.
