The cost of living for the expat lifestyle

If you\’ve ever had the dream of trading in a life of abject slavery and 40-hour work weeks for one of continual travel where the world is your home, there is no time like the present to explore the lifestyle of the digital nomad. While most people will only ever see or experience the world through the television or a copy of National Geographic, location independent expats are out there in the world, using their Western salaries to enjoy a life of continual travel and adventure that sees them actually living the excitement that most people only ever watch on The Travel Channel.

The expat lifestyle is not anything new; it has existed for thousands of years in the form of people choosing to live in other countries. However, it is easier now in the 21st century than it has ever been before simply because the Internet has allowed for globalization on a level that was never previously available. When you can work via the Internet you can take your job anywhere you want to go, which means you can very literally be working while sipping mojitos on the beach in Mexico just as easily as you can be stuffed into a tiny cubicle while wearing a restrictive suit in a New York City office.

One of the best parts about living as a digital nomad is how accessible it is to everyone. You don\’t need a million dollars to enjoy a life of continual travel and early retirement. All you need is the tenacity to trade in your life of wage slavery for one of absolute freedom. Forget spending 40 years of your life in a cubicle environment where you are working for someone else\’s benefit. Instead, realize that the entire world is ripe with possibilities, and by choosing to explore them through a life of continual travel you will obtain the greatest levels of freedom available.

Consider this for a moment: the cost of living in New York City is around $30,000 a year for the average individual. This amount assumes a minimum level of creature comforts and amenities; in other words, you are living at the poverty level without any extra money to spend per month. If you look at Mexico City in comparison, expats are enjoying an upper middle-class lifestyle on merely $10,000 a year. That means they not only have more creature comforts than a person living in poverty in NYC, but they also have plenty of money every month to spend gratuitously.

The power of the digital nomad lifestyle is in the simple math. The median salary for American citizens is $36,000 a year before taxes, or around $30,000 a year after tax. If you live in a median cost of living city in the United States of America you can expect to spend your full $30,000 a year on the cost of living, which means you are never getting ahead and never putting any money in the savings. But when you choose to live in another city such as Mexico City like other expats around the world, you can actually put the lion\’s share of profit back into your bank account and see returns that are a minimum of $15,000 a year.

Food poisoning is something to watch out for on the digital nomad adventure. While you can generally enjoy the expat lifestyle without hazards, there are always exceptions to the rule.

The cost of living for the expat lifestyle

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Holiday Travel

Ready for the vacation of a lifetime this holiday but can\’t shake the feeling you\’re forgetting something? Not to worry: here are a few holiday travel tips to help you stay on track. Whether you\’ll be spending time with your family or off to a getaway, it\’s important to plan. Number one travel tip: find out peak travel dates, then avoid them like the plague! There are two problems associated with peak travel. One: everything costs more from plane tickets to hotels to car rentals. And two: everyone else will be traveling those same dates. If at all possible, plan for your trip to start a few days before the peak travel period and then plan to come back a few days after. It\’s your best bet for finding great price reductions and to avoid holiday traffic headaches.

Try to get the best deals for your dollar. Look for flight specials and vacation destination deals. If you\’re visiting family for the holidays and don\’t need a hotel room or transportation then all you have to worry about is flight costs. Websites that offer great holiday deals are Expedia, Travelocity and Cheaptickets.com. You\’ll also be surprised to learn that many airlines offer great deals if you search their websites directly. One great shop-by-comparison site I would recommend is SideStep.com, which compares every flight special sorted by price. I\’ve had the best success using their services.

While planning a trip you need to see that your package deal is all inclusive of stay, tour and travel. If your deal does not include transportation ask for a car. It is better to ask other travel agents what they offer to the same destination.

There is one tip in particular that can greatly reduce your stress level. You know that sinking feeling you get sitting in the airport waiting to board your first connection when you hear the airline attendant politely announce that the flight has been delayed? You\’ve got a connecting flight scheduled to depart 30 minutes after this flight is scheduled to land, and pre-boarding begins 30 minutes prior to take off to make sure the flight leaves on time. That\’s when you wonder why you didn\’t schedule a later connecting flight.

Avoid this anxiety by choosing connecting flights that allow for at least one and a half hours of layover time. We choose connecting flights as closely as possible to landing times to get to our destination as quickly as possible and avoid the boredom of waiting in the airport. But considering the length of time it takes to exit the plane, find the gate for your departing flight and get settled before boarding, and the reassurance of actually making your flight one to two hours really isn\’t much that much time, especially during the rush of the busy holiday season.

Also, prepare yourself ahead of time for airport security and pack in accordance with the airport\’s security measures. It saves lots of hassle.

You can do this by ensuring all liquids and gels larger than 3ml are packed within bags that are to be checked. Throughout the airport there are many signs warning that these items will be confiscated. A list of these items include, toothpaste, perfume bottles, hairspray (aerosol cans) lotion, baby oil, and water bottles just to name a few. If found they will be taken. Therefore, this scenario may be avoided by simply packing these items in the bags you plan to check. Liquids 3ml and smaller are permitted when carried in a transparent zip-topped bag so you\’re not left completely stranded. If you stick to these rules, you, your family, other travelers behind you and the security as well will have a much better experience.

Graham McKenzie is a webmaster for the leading UK Flight Comparison website, which offers detailed information on Booking a Flight to the UK.

Holiday Travel

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