10-23 Flying: The Dream

Back in the day, when Loy and I were just young and carefree and starting to have a tiny bit of money to invest, we met with an investment counselor. He asked us what our goals were. We were so clueless!! We came up with very few. The only one I can even remember is that we said we wanted to be able to travel and take nice vacations. The counselor was rather stunned...he said our goals were really more modest than about anyone he'd ever counseled. That's probably just a nice way to say we were living in a naive little dream world!!

We HAVE travelled quite a bit...vacations to Michigan, Florida, Texas, Colorado (Dude Ranch), Georgia (private island), Jamaica, Bahamas, Hawaii, San Diego, Table Rock Lake, Minnesota, Mt. Rushmore (Or Mt. Mushroom, as little Paul used to say), Cancun, Phoenix, Maine, Outer Banks, Seattle...just to name those that come to mind right away. Some in motels, some in cabins, some at resorts, some with family. I've tried to mix it up each year, although my heart is ALWAYS at the beach.

I get an idea and then become obsessed with trying to find the perfect spot. I'll scour the internet (before the internet it was scouring travel books and magazines.) I'll look up reviews and try to find out of the way places or something unusual. I'll look at probably hundreds of places before one, for some strange reason, will sort of jump out at me and I'll think, "Hey. Maybe this is IT." And we've been pretty happy with most of our trips.

So, it is not surprising that I've become obsessed with "House Hunters International" (HHI) I started out with just a little recreational "House Hunters" addiction. But then, soon, it wasn't enough. I had to watch both shows. Then "House Hunters" didn't even touch my need. I just became annoyed at those people. And the houses seemed so much the same. Just hardcore HHI for me.

In case you've been living in a cave, HHI is a show about people who are looking to rent or buy a place to live in a foreign country. I tell myself that I watch it to see what other cultures are like. Right. And some men get "Playboy" to read the articles.

Here are some truths I have learned from "HHI."

1. Life in the US is hectic and busy. The only way to escape that is to move to another country.
2. Tell the realtor that you want to live explore the country's culture. Then pick out a house that is as close to a house here in the US as is possible.
3. Living near the city center is always a must.
4. You cannot survive without at least three bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
5. Act extremely amazed and surprised when they show you the dorm-sized refrigerator.
6. You must be near the beach.
7. Everyone must have room to entertain. (Maybe that is why life seems so hectic...we're always entertaining!)
8. When it comes time to state your budget, tell the realtor much, much less than you can pay. They will ignore whatever you say anyway.
9. Go into any house and whine about how the floors are not too nice or that it's too cramped or that the kitchen is not modern or the bathroom is small. All these things MUST be changed immediately.
10. If you can imaging yourself sitting out on the patio having a cup of coffee or drinking a glass of wine, it must be the place for you.

I find myself wishing I was moving to these countries for a time. Then I realize, "We did that!" I wasn't in on the apartment hunt, but we did live in a foreign country for a year. That was us!! We can take another sabbatical in 2016 (I think). I'm starting to work on Loy now--studying at University of Bahamas sounds good, doesn't it?

Loy emailed me an article from the Wall Street Journal about a retired couple who sold their house and lives out their dream of travel. They go wherever they want in the world and live in different cultures for 4-6 weeks in each place. They rent a vacation rental type house and just absorb the culture. It sounded really cool to me. Without having to pay for house payments or insurance or utilities, their investments give them $6,000/month. Sometimes they overspend (depending on where they're living). But then they'll pick some really cheap place for the next place to balance it out. Some days they play tourist. Others they just stay home and do laundry or take a walk. I kind of liked that idea. When traveling from one continent to another they take cruises that are moving their ships. The cruise may take 2-3 weeks (from US to Europe) but it's slow and they adjust to the time difference slowly and it's cheap if you time it right. Sounds great to me!

The "fly in the ointment" is family. Living in England for ten months about killed me--I missed out on the planning for two of my kids' weddings. I couldn't see my friends or family. I was lonely. As much as I love Loy, I don't think he'd be enough for me week in, week out!  (Sorry, Honey!) And, now that we have a GrandSweetie, how could I ever leave that bundle???

But, it's something to dream about. Who knows....