Source: me
Nerja is one of my favorite places in Spain. Just outside of Nerja, on the road to Maro, you will pass this aqueduct. It’s not as old as some, but it is still a magnificent structure. Built in the late 19th century to bring water to the sugar plantation. This picture was taken May 12, 2009.
Source: Giorgio Montersino at flickr
There is a confluence (big word) between being a world traveller and being financially independent that is hard to ignore. In some ways it’s the elephant in the room – you can’t dream about visiting every country on planet Earth, or living 6 months a year in a sunny warm country, or being a photojournalist in war-torn or naturally beautiful locations without thinking about how you’re going to pay for it all.
So how ARE you going to pay for it all?
I have a friend who spent 9 months in India and China one year. It was the trip of a lifetime. I asked him how he did it, and his answer was “once my wife and I decided we were going to do this, we became so focused on it that we were able to save the money in about a year.” So simply by having a goal and cutting their lifestyle in North America way back, they were able to save the money ($20,000?) to do this trip. So the first option has to be “save for it”.
Source: bobjagendorf @ flickr
I still have this idea in my head that, with Portugal, Spain and Greece in some trouble, that now would be a good time to live there for a bit, or just visit.
But then the idea struck me – maybe it’s not a good time for that.
Sure, prices are going to be cheaper as the Euro has dropped like a stone this past year. And businesses will cut prices to attract customers, and on a purely financial basis, this might be a good time for that.
But stores and restaurants are closing. Some in the centers of town, and tourist areas. Greece’s main shopping district has empty storefronts, where there used to be none.
The people are unhappy. Let’s put the riots and violence aside, unhappy citizens mean strikes. The mood in town will be more somber. The care-free, let’s take the afternoon off every single day, Europe that I love will be just a little bit quieter, more serious, more desperate. Beggars on the streets, which are usually just a handful of gypsies, will increase.
Spain’s unemployment has gone up to 21%. Think about that. More than one-fifth of the population does not have a job. Almost every family has a parent or a sibling who is out of work. That reminds me of a story I heard in Barbados about when the unemployment rate was above 20% for a time there – crime increased, and particularly crimes again tourists. And then tourism plumetted.
Source: jonrawlinson at flickr
Iceland’s economy was the first to fall. All three of the country’s banks collapsed, and the stock market fell 96% from it’s high in a matter of days.
Greece is grabbing headlines now for its financial problems, needing a record $150 billion bailout from other European governments and the IMF. Greece currently has an annual government deficit of 13% of GDP, meaning the government has to borrow one-eighth of the size of their entire economy this year. There’s a very interesting article on how it all started.
And those might only be the first two European countries to be in trouble. Ireland’s deficit is 14% of GDP, and economists are worried that it could be next. Spain has had troubles for years (mostly relating to its real estate collapse) and is running an 11% deficit. Portugal is also under the microscope with 9% deficit. Besides the level of government spending, these countries have high unemployment rates, increasing debt service obligations, and falling credit worthiness making it more difficult for their governments to borrow.
I don’t mean to make light of their problems, and the long term solutions to the world’s financial crisis aren’t clear. But the thought did occur to me…
I wonder if this is a good time to move to Greece? Or Spain?
The Euro is actually at a historic low against the Canadian dollar – and has fallen 15% in the past year. (The US to Euro exchange has been about break even in the past year although very volatile, given America’s deep financial crisis as well.) But against Canada, Australia, India, Indonesia, Sweden, and other countries that have not had as deep an economic crisis, the Euro is 10% down from year ago levels.
Source: tambako at flickr
I am an avid watcher of the PBS series, Rick Steves’ Europe. That guy has quite the job, spending 6 months a year touring Europe with a film crew, seeing all there is to see, while getting paid (well I hope) to do so.
He recently did a show on Venice. Well, not recently. The show itself is probably 8 years old by now, but I recently saw it again on TV and it’s got me thinking.
Rick loves Venice. “The most romantic city in Europe” he claims. He raves about the food, the ambiance, loves the museums, the smallness, and talks about how you can just walk about in any direction and easily make your way back.
Source: kevindooley at flickr
Many North Americans have dreams of “traveling to Europe”. For some it’s a romantic tour through Italy, and for others its relaxing at a vineyard in the South of France. We all know someone who has been to Paris and loved it, or backpacked through Europe as a young adult. I’m not saying it’s everyone’s dream – it doesn’t have to be – but if you gave 100 people $1 million and asked them to list everything they were going to do, a large percentage would include a trip to Europe on the list.
So if you are planning a trip to Europe for the first time, here’s what you need to know before you go:
1. Don’t Try to Do Too Much
If you arrive in Paris for a one week vacation, you might be tempted to do multiple things in each day. You might think since the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomph, shopping along the Champs D’Elysee, and the Notre Dame cathedral are within a short walk and/or subway ride of each other, you can try to do all that in a single day. To which I say, what’s the point? If you go to Paris for only a week, you’re going to miss out on a lot of good stuff. Don’t try to do too much and enjoy doing less.
2. Don’t Try to Travel Too Much
The other temptation, related to the first, is that you think you can see several cities in a single trip too. Heck, you can fly into London, take the train to Paris, fly down to Nice, drive over to Monaco, do an afternoon in Italy, take the train back to Cannes, end up in Barcelona… and end up seeing nothing of all those great cities. Pick a city (or two) and enjoy your time.
Source: Tulane Public Relations at flickr
I am currently listening to an audio book (from audible.com) called “Talent is Overrated” by Geoff Colvin. I started off disagreeing with the author on some of his key points, but giving the book a chance and listening to it all the way through has changed my mind somewhat. How does it relate to sabbaticals? It does, and I’ll address that at the end. (Without purchasing the book, you can get a good understanding of the topic by reading this Fortune Magazine article “Secrets of Greatness” by the same author.)
First the premise: there is no such thing as natural born talent. You are not born to be a great golfer, artist, singer, actor, or computer programmer. All 1-day old babies have equal abilities in this regard.
But somewhere along the way, Picasso picked up a brush, Tiger Woods picked up a golf club (or more specifically was given one), and Mozart started composing music.
This might sound outrageous at first. Tiger Woods is naturally talented right? If I had a baby tomorrow, I could not hope to turn him into as good a golfer as Tiger Woods, no matter what I did, except if I got extremely lucky right? It turns out, anyone can craft their child to be the next Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods was born with nothing special that you and I were not born with.
