Expatriette: Lost. On Purpose.

After a long weekend, I’m majorly contemplating the meaning of work in today’s society. I know I’m done with “work for work’s sake” and engage only in work that’s meaningful and fulfilling to me. But I still come up against a lot of resistance when I tell people that I:
1) Will never work at 9-5 again.
2) Don’t believe a pension, social security or company of any kind will “save me.”
3) Have come to these conclusions after a lot of reading, studying and thinking.

But I am not alone!

Enter the male version of me. His name is Timothy Ferriss* and reading his book and blog are godsends to me. They remind me that cutting out the fat, traveling and working as little as possible (while obtaining enough money to live on) are what my life is all about. If you count yourself an Expy, it might be yours too.

Read Tim’s book & blog and get inspired (or listen to this interview with him by my friend Erica to see why you should!). If you’re put off by the idea of “only” working 4 hours a week, ask yourself: why? What is it you’d rather be doing in those hours you spend behind the computer or answering the phone? If the answer is travel, then you might enjoy reading about how to DEAL (Definition, Elimination, Automation, Liberation).

I’m working on incorporating a lot of Tim’s ideas into my life right now. I started by cutting down on the amount of information I take in (setting up an email policy was a good, easy way to do this). I then defined what it is I work for and how much I’d need to obtain, in financial terms, to live the “life of my dreams.” The good news is, I’m on the right track. Because I use public transport, bum rides or walk, I don’t have car payments. I’m not in debt. I don’t have a family yet. But, according to the book, all these things need not be true to travel the globe. In one chapter, Tim describes how families can make travel a part of their reality, too. Even after I have kids, I plan to continue exploring the globe. If they don’t like it, I guess they’ll have to lump it.

For any child of mine will know travel isn’t part of life. Travel is life.

*What a hottie!!

Have you longed to live abroad for some time? Are those brief forays into travel land - weekend trips, vacations, class trips - simply fueling the fire of travel desire?

You are not alone. I’ve talked with hundreds of people, a lot of them women, who have said they’ve often dreamt of living, working or teaching abroad but lack the money, courage or support to do so.

The top three constraints to living abroad for the long haul for women are, in this order: Continue reading →

Your search for the perfect travel bag may be over.

My mobile office space (a necessity following a recent house fire) is now cleanly contained in the latest release from Eagle Creek. The Velocity Series stands upright without being uptight. It’s spacious without being bulky. It’s branded without being obviously “Eagle Creeky” as my other E.C. campy bags have been. Continue reading →

I once spent a month in Bali with my partner. It was the middle of summer and tickets from Japan were going to cost us close to $800 apiece. I started budgeting and stuck to the budget once we got to Bali. NO MATTER WHAT I was going to stick to that budget. That meant, of course, that some of the more pleasant moments were spoiled by my trying to figure out how much the meal would cost and whether that left us enough for the hotel that night. Continue reading →

Why Chibi is the Way of the Future

Chibi became a part of my vocab within a week in the elementary schools in Japan (for a quick visual of the traditional meaning of the word, take a look at this page. Be careful. Your eyes might pop out of your head, anime-style.)

I’m taking the word chibi one step beyond the “small/cute” dichotomy as it’s traditionally applied to children and small people. I’ve extended it to refer to small things, small things in packages or tiny things well-compartmentalized. Chibi is linked, in my mind, to the store MUJI which changed the way I shop for good. Tiny plastic containers, compact toothbrushes, more plastic. When you walk into a MUJI store you’re put at ease by the smooth jazz on the overhead speakers, the muted colors of the clothing and the sheer amount of plastic. Plastic molded into practically any shape imaginable. Miniature bottles of make-up (the plastic is either clear or opaque in almost every case), chopstick and bowl sets and chibi lunch box sets. Heaven is molded plastic.

Back in the Land of Big

So of course, when I returned to the States after more than three years in the land of small, I felt flabbergasted. At Starbucks I had to special order a “short” coffee! People glared when I threw out the second half of my sub sandwich! I was back in the land of mega-super-gigantoid. Continue reading →

Backpacking* Europe, Asia or South America. Sound fun?

If you came to Expatriette for backpacker tips you’ve come to the wrong place. But because a savvy traveler must be well-educated, you can search the backpacker forums at Thorn Tree and get pretty much all your questions answered. Backpackers have done more to add to the Ugly American image than any package tourist ever could. And a heavily disputed wiki entry on the subject will only add to the already grey cloud covering the backpacker industry. Continue reading →

We arrive at PVO* at about two in the afternoon. We’re flying in from DEN where it’s 40 degrees in the sun. Puerto Vallarta is closer to a hundred and we’re all wearing jackets. The first thing people start talking about as we exit the aircraft is the pale ashiness of everyone’s legs. They gleam unshaven in the sunshine. Black hairs poke out near ankles, knees and shins. It’s almost too much for me to bear.

That first hour after you de-plane is crucial. Be wakeful for it. It may be the only chance you have to get your bearings. In some countries, if you don’t get comfy quick enough you’ll find yourself a victim of what I like to call Oh No You Didn’t Wear That attacks. This can come as dirty looks, snatched purses or worse. I’ll let you fill in the blanks.

Once, in Madrid’s feisty gay district, a stunning blond (stunning even after backpacking…a rare feat), clearly distraught, out of breath and unable to speak coherently, dashes up the hostel stairs.

“They…..stole…..my…..everything!” she cries. “My passport…both of my bags!”

Hostelers, hostel employees and some Spaniards crowd around as she relates her story. Two men, bigger than her and sweaty, came up together, one on the right and one on the left. She had one small bag strapped over her bosomy front-side and carried her main pack on her back. Both. Gone. In an instant. There’s no happy ending to this story. She could replace her passport, but all of her possessions were gone with a gasp.
Continue reading →