Setting up a life in paradise: Around the World in 80 Years

Hey guys… today I have another question for you. What would you do if you had ten million dollars? Think about it for a second… if you didn’t have to work for a living, if you didn’t have to worry about bills or the future, and if you could take care of all your loved ones without having to stress about a career?

Did you say “travel the world”? I’m always amazed how many people give me that answer when I ask them about their ideal life-style… it seems to be the main reason why people buy lottery tickets! Yet there is something that is still holding them back from taking the plunge… Maybe they think they can’t afford it, maybe they’re worried about the future, or maybe they’re simply afraid of the unknown.

If that’s you, if you really want to go but there’s something standing in your way, then today’s article is for you… and I’ll give you some practical step-by-step advice on setting up a life in a foreign country.

You see, about a year ago I stayed in Bahia for a couple of weeks, and one of my best friends came to visit me fromArizona. And as it turns out, most Americans have the same limitations set up in their minds about traveling… whenever he told someone that he was flying toBrazil, people would reply with something along the lines of: “Wow Matt, you are so lucky.”

His response was always the same: “You know what… I’m really not. I worked hard, saved up and bought a plane ticket.” And that’s his attitude… while the same friends who told him that they couldn’t go to Brazil had just bought a new TV for the sake of passively experiencing the adventures of fictitious characters, Matt had decided to spend the money on something that would last him a life time instead… on an experience that he help him to evolve as a person and that he will remember forever.

But if you’ve never left your entire life behind, at least for a while, it can be a scary undertaking… how does it all work? Where can you sleep and eat and not spend all your savings on hotels and expensive restaurants? How do you make money? Where are you going to meet people so you won’t get lonely?

In order to answer these questions, I’d first like to expand a little bit on what we really need in life in order to be happy. There are really two areas of life that we need to master: success, and fulfillment. Success means having our life on lockdown, and all our needs met… but that wouldn’t do us any good if we didn’t also experience a sense of fulfillment – maybe you have heard the saying that some people are so poor, all they have is money!

And while fulfillment is a true art form and very difficult to quantify, success is really very measurable and scientific… in fact, there are only three things you need to master in life in order to feel like you have achieved success and like you’re in charge of your own destiny and in control of your life… and these three things are Health, Wealth and Relationships.

Whenever somebody asks me about setting up life in a new country, I always recommend tackling these three areas systematically, one by one.

Step 1: Find a place to stay

Find cheap transportation from the airport to a central area and shop around for a nice place that’s not too expensive. Good places to start for short term stays are the websites hostelworld.com, airbnb.com and even couchsurfing.org for FREE accommodation (and instant local friends!). Once you’ve settled in, you can then look for a furnished apartment to rent by the month… that is usually going to be cheaper than hotel rooms. Look for something either in a central location or near public transport, and you may want to test the internet connection before you sign anything, too.

Step 2: Health

Figure out where you’re going to get healthy meals from. Look for restaurants that offer more than just junk food, or even a super market where you can do your own shopping. You might also want to join a gym… trust me, it can be very tempting to live on fast food and soft drinks when you’re on the road, because it’s a lot more convenient when you don’t have a routine – but you won’t enjoy your trip half as much if you constantly feel sluggish because your body is trying to digest a lot of processed foods!

Step 3: Relationships

Next, start meeting people! I don’t know about you, but for me, this is the most important reason why I travel in the first place: the friendships I end up making in all the countries I visit. If you spend some time couch surfing or even at a hostel, you’ll find that making new friends is actually a pretty automatic process… and once you know just five people, they will introduce you to five more people each, who will in turn invite you to some party where you end up meeting another twenty… and soon, there is no stopping it and you won’t ever be alone unless you choose to be.

Step 4: Wealth

This is the trickiest and scariest aspect of moving abroad for many people… how can you afford it? I’ve written an article about working abroad before, and one about working online, so hopefully they will give you some ideas. If you really need to generate some income fast, you can always talk to job agencies or language schools, but in the long run you’re better off working with potential employers and clients directly, as any middleman is going to take a cut of your pay!

So there you have it… just save up for a plane ticket and maybe enough funds to keep you afloat for the first three months, and one two three four, you have yourself a new life in a faraway paradise.

Hey – I’m not promising that this is going to be easy! But it is certainly simple… like most things in life. And the challenges you face will be to your character what carbon is to steel… once you’ve done this a few times, your confidence in your abilities to surmount any challenge will grow, and who knows… maybe you’ll end up like me and only go back home to visit your friends and relatives for a few weeks per year.

That’s really how I got started… I had the intention of spending a year abroad… but after a while, I realized that I could also do two years. And soon enough I decided that I’ll one-up Jules Verne… In 80 Days Around the World? Heck, let’s do it… but let’s travel 365 times longer!

If this article has inspired you and you want to give it a shot, feel free to leave me a comment below or on the forum – I’m always happy to help with any questions you might have. So hit the reply button now and tell me… what’s your biggest challenge when it comes to traveling the world?

It’ll be good to hear from you again!

My best to you all,

~ Frank Florida ~