Orange luggage & boots update…

Posted by worldwide-admin on August 12, 2012 with 0 Comment

You can tell by the little bulging muscle on the right side of my calf that I have tried to no avail, exercising my calves to build them up. If a scorpion or other such creature sees this gap in the boots, they may find it an appealing hiding place.This may warrant a visit to the shoe repair store.

Orange luggage, yes! Fabulous! Top quality! Lightweight! The four giant boxes and two smaller boxes arrived on Friday afternoon. How easily I lifted them into the house! The Fed Ex guy even commented on the lightweight big boxes, curious as to the contents, amazed when I told him it was luggage.

Carefully, a little knife in hand, I slit the tape off the over sized boxes to easily pull out the orange bags. Squealing like a kid, I couldn’t open them quickly enough, tossing one on the bed to unzip and inspect further.

The orange isn’t a Halloween pumpkin orange or the color of a naval orange. It is subtle, definitely orange, comparable to the color of the mashed sweet potatoes, under the fluffy pillow of melted marshmallows to be devoured on Thanksgiving day. (We don’t eat that dish anymore…or even the sweet potatoes for that matter; too much sugar, too many carbs, too much starch.)

The bags are deep, well constructed, easy to zip. Within minutes I loaded up one of the luggage carts with three of the 30″ Antler Bags, topped off with one of the new orange carry on bags. Yes, I knew they were empty. I wanted to see how well the four items would fit on the luggage cart. Perfect!

Of course, when they are loaded to the brim with our “stuff” it will be different but…it will be manageable. I was thrilled. Last night, I ordered two more of the 30″ orange bags after I sheepishly told Tom we’d each need three, not two of the bags.

I’d expected him to flinch when he heard we’d need three 30″ bags. He didn’t. He smiled at me, reminded of our somewhat preposterous situation, leaving everything behind, taking everything we need with us for the next three years, five years, ten years. Who knows?

We’ll manage. We’ll manage with a grin on our faces. And when the bags feel really heavy, toppling off the cart, landing on a well-booted foot, we will smile, stop, help each other and keep moving on. This we know for sure.

And, my Clark lace up boots arrived on Thursday during the jewelry sale. I didn’t open the box right away. I had spent so much time looking online, that I wanted to prolong the anticipation a little longer, preferring to stay preoccupied with the sale.

Returning home from taking down the hot pink “for sale” signs, I opened the box, feeling giddy over the great find, only to be sorely disappointed when I tried them on.

The foot, a perfect fit, the calf, a fiasco! I had measured my skinny calves before buying the boots, checking the detailed description of each possibility to ensure a good fit. They called it “shaft circumference.” The description stated a 14″ shaft circumference. My calves measured 12.5″ leaving adequate room to tuck in pants to keep out 6″ scorpions. They lied.

The shaft circumference measured 16.5″, leaving room for both of my hands to reach inside. An entire scorpion family could reside in there. No thank you. Now what? Back to the computer, searching “skinny calf boots, thin calf boots, narrow calf boots, skinny leg boots? No!!!

Friday morning, before friends were arriving for breakfast I started calling local shoe repair store. Yes, most likely, it can be done…the shaft can be made smaller, for a price, of course.

“Bring them in for an estimate. It could be $70 or more,” says Bob of Bob’s Shoe Repair in Wayzata, Minnesota, where 30 years ago, maybe 40, I’d go to get shoes repaired. Who repairs shoes these days? Gosh, I sound old.

Monday morning, off to Wayzata I’ll go with the Clark boots. Thus far, I’ve invested $149.98 plus shipping for a total of $161.98. This could translate into a total investment of $250. But, the end result may be a perfectly fitted, well constructed, long lasting, timelessly stylish, safe from scorpions, sure footed pair of comfortable boots, lasting for years, that I will be wearing as we dash down the concourse to our gate.

Next to my sweetie, I’ll be wheeling one of our 250 pound capacity two wheeled carts, loaded up with three 30″ orange Antler bags, an orange Antler carry on bag, a laptop backpack, a handbag for me, a man purse for Tom (called a murse) heading to our next adventure. Homeless? Yep! Harried? For sure! Happy? Undoubtedly!

Orange?…What???…

Posted by worldwide-admin on August 8, 2012 with 0 Comment

Deciding on what type of luggage we needed wasn’t easy. It must be lightweight, durable, affordable and possessing good quality. As always, research has been an integral part of any of our decisions.

Off and on over the past several months I read reviews and baggage restrictions for a multitude of airlines traveling to our required three flights: Rome to Mombasa, Kenya; Mombasa, Kenya to Nelspruit, South Africa and Lisbon, Portugal to the island of Madiera, Portugal and back to Lisbon, a total of four flights.

To fly coach on some airlines, one checked bag, one carry on, one computer backpack with one hand bag per person is acceptable. (Tom, much to his dismay will now be carrying a “murse,”a man purse or what they also call a messenger bag). Other airlines allow two checked bags. If one travels first class, most airlines will allow more bags, number unknown.

We are less than two months premature into booking our first flight to Mombasa, Kenya, which we’ll do as soon as possible. After researching the cost of first class with some possible discounts, it may pay to bite the bullet and go first class or perhaps business class, depending on baggage restrictions and fares.

The flight from Rome to Kenya with a few layovers, is a minimum of 17 hours. There are a few better priced options for as many as 29 hours (yikes!). First class would provide food (hopefully pin-free) and comfortable seating, enabling one to sleep with more leg room to accommodate my 34″ inseam, much longer than Tom’s.

This morning, as I perused the overstuffed totes in our bedroom, filled to the brim with more “stuff” to pack, it appears we may each require three checked bags. With our two 250 pound capacity luggage carts, we can do this!

Last night, we purchased four, 30″ Antler bags, a company in the UK known for manufacturing quality, lightweight bags, along with two matching carry on bags from eBags at their eBay store.

Orange Antler 30″ Expandable 4 Wheel Bag

After this morning, I faced the reality that we may as well purchase two more of the 30″ bags, once we’ve inspected them. Luckily, eBags provides free shipping both ways in the event one is dissatisfied.

Originally, we had planned to buy the Antler Zero 30″ bag, retailing for $540, priced at $249 on eBay. The quality was slightly better than what which we purchased. But, the thought of spending almost $1000 for four bags killed me, as opposed to the $444 we paid last night plus $79 for each of the two carry on bags.

We chose the Antler Toluca 30″ expandable four wheel upright bag for the following reasons, by order of importance:

Quality brand
Lightweight at 7.9 pounds each
The color: ORANGE (easy to find amongst all the black bags at baggage claim). Also, the color causes the bag to appear more of a “fashion” bag than an upscale expensive bag which may ultimately deter thieves. We leave Minnesota on Halloween, orange, get it? Hahaha (Tom didn’t think that was funny).
Great price at $111 each plus free shipping
Perfect size to comply with airline’s 63″ maximum dimensions
Four wheels for stability, when they are off of the cart
TSA locks, allowing us to lock the bags, but avoiding the TSA’s typical habit of cutting off non-regulation locks. This doesn’t provide a guarantee against theft, but it does reduce the risk.

Let’s talk about the ORANGE. Why not, orange? One would hesitate to do a bright color for fear of what others would think. Right? Is there any other reason? None that I can think of. If you think of any, please post a comment here.

ORANGE BAGS? Yes, some passersby may look at our bags and say, “Ugly bags!” We will laugh, hoping they aren’t referring to us and say to one another, “What thief is going to grab an orange bag from the carousel in baggage claim and run off, hoping to blend in with the crowd?

Results of my gold and silver sale…

Posted by worldwide-admin on August 4, 2012 with 0 Comment

As I stood in the kitchen at our high granite counter top (to accommodate my tall stature), sorting the last minuscule piles of a lifetime of gold chains, earrings and bracelets (mostly from the 80’s) along with more recent sterling silver, I chuckled to myself.

Who was I kidding to think that all of this was “real” gold and not some cheap imitation I fell sucker to in my more naive days (when were those?). They looked and felt like real gold. Then again, when was I ever willing to spend $100’s if not $1000’s on myself? Only a few times. There always were other priorities and I was never that interested in jewelry.

Somehow, over the years I managed to acquire a few chains, a few pairs of earrings or a bracelet that “looked” like gold. As trends changed from gaudy layers of gold chains around one’s neck (as Tom calls them, Mr. T’s starter sets) and wrists, I fell prey to the appeal of more reasonably priced sterling silver. As prices on sterling silver climbed over the past several years, stainless steel earrings started looking really good to me, categorically arranged on the wall at Target for $5.99 a pair!

Alas, the gold and silver guy, Bill Boyd, referred by our estate sales guy Jim Anderson, appeared at our door at 10 am this past Thursday, bringing along with him, estate jewelry store owner, Ann Eliason of Ann & Jack’s Vintage Jewelry, in Hopkins MN. Oddly, neither of these lovely folks conduct business online. But, what they lack online they gained in person!

The gold and silver business attracts many vultures as purported experts, are more than willing to give a motivated, customer supposed “top dollar” for their gold and silver. Customers walk out of their stores, $80 in hand thrilled they finally unloaded this useless pile of tangled chains (by the way, it is not necessary to untangle the chains).

Some crafty buyers conduct parties in homes, similar to the old Tupperware parties whereby the guests bring their old gold and silver to sell on the spot. With the host offering up appetizers and wine, a lively party ensues. A few wine glasses later, negotiating is out the window along with $1000’s from these unsuspecting party goers. Not for me.

Over the past several years I procrastinated about selling it not only leery of going to one of those stores in a mall or parties, but not motivated enough to start picking through the over-stuffed jewelry boxes of which I had little interest. I guess I’ve been more lazy about it than anything.

For two solid hours, while we clucked like hens thoroughly enjoying the time together, they meticulously picked through my “stuff” with the jeweler’s glass in their eye talking all the while. Their efficiency was evident and I was at ease, expecting to end the day with little more than a few hundred dollars.

After the rude awakening of what was “real” and what wasn’t Bill asked me for a piece paper and a pen. I scrambled around the house, looking for a piece of paper. Ha! I chuckled again.

I had trouble finding paper. I hardly use paper, computer geek that I am. Ah ha! I grabbed some paper out of the printer, rousting up a pen, handing it to Bill while he weighed the little piles of gold and silver on his special “pennyweight” scale. The word “penny” scared me. Goodness. Will I end up with $10.62?

Scribbling on the piece paper, finally silent as a mouse, after having looked up the gold and silver rates (which I had done before they arrived!) and Bill writes this number on the piece of paper: $2,810!

I tried not to look shocked as he explained how he arrived at this number. Negotiate? No, way! Show me the money!!! He did.

Next week, Ann will get back to me with an offer on my wedding ring. We’re not taking any risks and bringing along any fancy jewelry on our multi year journey that may attract thieves. Sell my ring? Yep! Remember, no attachment to “things.”

We will remain attached to people, to Mother Nature, to life changing experiences, a few creature comforts, food for survival, endless learning and of course, each other. That, my friends, is priceless!

Life is never risk free..

Posted by worldwide-admin on August 2, 2012 with 2 Comments

What were our motives for starting a blog about “leaving” seven months before we are actually “leaving?” In my mind the intent has been simple, document the process as a means of lessening the emotional blow.

Almost to the day, a year prior to starting this blog, I wrote my first blog, an accounting of the last days of the life of our precious little dog, WorldWideWillie, written from his perspective, followed by me, after he passed.

Much to my surprise, we had over 500 followers with no marketing, no advertising, no promotion, other than by my own comment to a few friends and a few references in own poorly maintained meager Facebook account.

Somehow, people were reading it across the seas. Perhaps, key words. Perhaps, one person in the US, sent the link across the world to a grieving relative having recently lost their own beloved pet.

What did this accomplish for us? Lots of tears each day as I read aloud to Tom, “what Willie wrote” as he sat at our side, nose touching my leg, tilting his little head each time he heard familiar words of which he knew so many.

But, most of all, it was a vital part of the healing process. I love dogs. I love dogs too much, too deep, the same as with people. In time, through the words, the healing entered our hearts as we began to talk about him without crying (still do sometimes). And, I stopped counting on my fingers how many days, weeks and months had passed since he left us.

And now, this time, this blog, 1000’s, not 100’s of readers, all over the world are sharing this experience with us. Thank you, readers. Thank you so much for coming on this journey with us, even now at this early date, three months away.

Most of you silently observe, some with disdain, some vicariously, some with curiosity and some, like me when reading other’s blogs, hoping to glean a tiny morsel that will somehow change our lives.

This is not just a blog about two crazy retirees traveling the world for what may prove to be many years. It is also about leaving everyone we love, everything we have loved, the familiarity of a comfortable life and all of our worldly possessions, not contained in four over-stuffed suitcases and two carry on bags.

Writing this blog has the same powerful healing effect that we encountered when writing about Willie. Plus, it serves as a powerful reminder of that which we have learned along the way, to reference the multitude of tasks to do now and into the future.

We “heard” through the grapevine that some people think we have no idea of what we are doing and that “we are in for some big surprises.” Yes, we surely are!

Did the senior know what he was doing when he jumped out of an airplane for the first time on his 90th birthday? No. He took the risk for the adventure.

After 100’s of hours of research we both feel we know the risks: death due to injury; crime or illness; illness or injury requiring an expensive (although insured) trip back to US; being a victim of a crime; theft of our belongings (which will also be insured); theft of our deposit or the property not being as expected or represented; unable to obtain a visa or gain entrance into a country; being stuck in airport or on the tarmac for days; cancellation of a cruise at the last minute due to maintenance issues of bomb threat; a cruise ship tipping over; false imprisonment (we won’t knowingly commit a crime!) and more.

What if a warthog cuts us with his sharp tusks? Or we step on a snake resulting in a life threatening bite? Or a creepy worm makes its way into the bottom of our foot to travel to our brain? Yuck!

When we read the newspaper or watch the news each day, all of these risks occur throughout the world and also, here in the US. Seniors fall down a flight of stairs in their own homes, resulting in horrible injury or death. Food poisoning occurs in our local restaurants. Pins are found in a sandwich on a domestic flight. Citizens are shot and killed in their own homes, as an unintended victim of violence.

Good grief! We could spend our lives immobilized by fears, a slave to our own environment. Or, we can venture out performing everyday tasks, enjoying our families, our friends, Mother Nature, our work and our hobbies, all of which are laden with a certain degree of risk.

Life is not without risk. Do we “prepare for the worst and expect the best?”

No. We choose to be as educated as we possibly can about the risks, proceed with caution along the way, avoid risk and pray for a little good luck. And, as life has its ups and downs along the way, as it surely will, we will holster our usual optimism hopefully discovering a logical solution together.

We’ve never done this before. This is not the same as traveling for a month or two, returning “home” to repack, paying the bills, reading the mail and visiting with our family and friends. There will be no “home” to return to.

The message is clear in the old adage, “home is where the heart is”. This will become our motto. After all, we are taking our “home” with us not only in our hearts and minds, but also in each other.

Luggage carts…practical or foolish?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 27, 2012 with 0 Comment

We deliberated over buying luggage carts. Would they simply add additional weight to haul around the world? Would we be charged extra baggage fees to store them on the plane? Would they serve as a invaluable resource to make the transportation from location to location more manageable?

After spending several hours researching baggage restriction on flights and after analyzing and weighing our load, thus far, we came to the conclusion that we must take the risk and buy the carts. Restrictions on cruises are only a “per bag” limit weight of 70 pounds to avoid injuries to their handlers. There are no restrictions on the number of bags on cruises.

What if we could place each of our two 50 pound suitcases, our 40 pound carry on bags, our computer gear and my handbag on each of our carts? (No money, passports or important papers will be in my handbag. The allowed space for handbags will be utilized for clothing, shoes, etc.) Important items will be tucked away in our carry on bags with an exterior zippered pouch for our easy access to our travel documents. Our wallets will be secured under our clothing.

We purchased two of these luggage carts each with a
250 pound capacity at Global Industries

The potential total weight for each of our luggage carts is anticipated to be approximately 180 pounds, an amount impossible to wheel and carry at one time without a cart. Buying a cart with a capacity of 250 pounds would ensure a more stable structure, enabling each of us to be able to wheel our own carts.

Our cart, folded for easy placement under the seat on an airplane

Researching airline baggage restriction, we found that most airlines will allow any wheeling or carrying devices aboard as long as it will fit under the seat. After investigating the folded up size of the carts we chose and the size of the space under the seats on most aircraft, we determined that the carts will fit.

The thought of easily wheeling our bags to cruise ships, through airports, on trains, ferries and in and out of our vacation homes, provides a great sense of relief. Recently, some family, friends and followers of this blog have asked why we don’t just throw some stuff in a suitcase and take off without all this planning.

In our minds, the answer is clear. Most people, when traveling for a few weeks or months have a home to which they return to at the end of their travels. We won’t. We will continue on. Since we aren’t considering this a “vacation” but rather “living” (as Tom describes it), we need to bring things with us that we need, want and use.

Under no circumstances, do we want the burden of finding a mall, a drugstore, or a post office. Neither of us enjoys going to stores, although I enjoy grocery shopping which we will obviously need to do wherever we go. Whether an outdoor farmer’s market or a tiny little shop on a corner, we will enjoy shopping for local meats and produce.

Neither Tom nor I would enjoy wearing the same items day after day. We tend to wear an item once and then wash it, sloppy that we both are when dining (mostly me)! We make a point of trying to look nice for each other. It’s a part of the attraction we both fell for each other so many years later; fresh smelling, clean, attractive clothes, well groomed, and for me; some makeup, earrings, manicured nails and polished toes (I have always done these myself).

Currently, through instructions online for how to cut a man’s hair, I will strive to cut Tom’s hair to his liking. We don’t want to have to spend time looking for a barber or Tom feeling frustrated with a peculiar cut. A few nights ago, I suggested that he grow a beard and a wear a ponytail. Here again, he wants to be “himself” and wasn’t interested. We’ll figure this out together.

None of our quirky traits will change when we’re traveling the world or when and if we ever settle down. It is part of who we are individually and, as a couple. For us, it is a part of the magic. (We accept that we are giving up so much to gain this experience together; seeing our loved ones, drinking coffee, enjoying familiar foods, my kitchen gadgets, watching US TV, reading the newspaper, our home, our friends and neighbors, the 4th of July, having a dog, access to a health club, and on and on.

Thus, this reality adds greatly to the packing. There’s “stuff” associated with feeling “put together.” We are willing to bear the consequences of our picky choices, by wheeling our carts, paying extra for baggage on the fewer flights we’ll experience and for packing and unpacking the “stuff” each time we reach a destination.

This weekend we’ll load up the carts with the two already pack bags, adding several more items to get the feel of wheeling around 180 pounds. If it doesn’t feel great, I will up the weights at my workouts and build more muscle.

After all, we still have three months and six days until we walk out the door!

No taco salad in the world?…Recipe for low carb gluten free taco salad bowl…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 18, 2012 with 0 Comment

Low Carb (2 grams) Gluten Free Cheese Taco Bowl. See recipe below.

Every meal I make, I wonder if we’ll be able to enjoy a similar meal when we are abroad. Will they have the low carb, gluten free, starch free, wheat free, grain free, sugar free items we use on a daily basis?

Last night’s dinner was a perfect example. We had taco salad that met all of the above criteria. On yet another hot day, taco salad has a particularly delightful appeal; warmed seasoned grass fed ground beef, crispy shredded organic romaine lettuce, plump, ripe diced tomatoes, sliced salty stuffed green olives and chopped Vidalia onions.

For my salad, it was topped it with homemade salsa and sour cream I usually add avocado slices, but none for Tom. Mainly, he likes the meat, onions and lots of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. The added touch of the “bowl” housing all of these goodies, usually made with corn or wheat tortillas (deep fried) is often a very special part of the pleasure. The crunchy, slightly greasy shell allows the diner to scoop and dip the tasty contents while looking forward to the soggy shell at the bottom of the bowl. Alas, a gluten-free, grain free, corn-free, low carb taco salad bowl does not exist in this world as we know it.

Don’t think for a minute that I haven’t looked for one! If I were to say I have looked online for such an item for as many as eight hours is no exaggeration. The alternative is to go for a pre-made gluten free, corn free, high carb tortilla which throws our low carb, no processed food commitment into a tailspin for a few days.

Not that I am an expert on gluten-free foods, but I have engaged in some research on the pitfalls of processed gluten free foods to discover that literally all of them are high in carbs and/or sugar. That doesn’t work for either of us.

After all, we are on a serious mission to be healthy, slim and fit for our upcoming lifestyle. The Internet has a variety of low carb, gluten free recipes, many of which we’ve tried and enjoyed. But, the taco shell bowls left us sorely disappointed.

While chopping the veggies for the salad, I had an idea about the bowls! Mulling around my head was the little Parmesan cheese bowls I have made on occasion, to be stuffed with some delectable morsels. They were quite a hit. Also, I contemplated the recipe for the pizza crust I had posted here (please scroll the archives on the right for the June 8, 2012 post for the recipe and photo).

Melding those two ideas together, I came up with this gluten free, low carb (2 grams), sugar free, wheat free, grain free, starch free taco shell bowl which took seven minutes to prepare.

Low Carb, Sugar Free, Gluten Free Taco Salad Bowl

1 cup shredded hard cheese (I used 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar, plus 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese. You may use only one type cheese if you’d prefer)

1 large non-stick skillet

1 large piece parchment paper (larger than the inside bottom of the pan) 1 large bowl (smaller than the resulting circle of cheese)

Place the large piece of parchment paper inside the pan, pressing flat to the bottom and against the inside edges. Don’t allow excess paper to be outside of the top edge of the pan or it may burn. Keep the paper inside the pan.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese into a circle atop the center of the parchment paper, taking care to create a large circle. (If there are lots of holes, fill them in with a little more Parmesan cheese).

Turn on the heat to medium high, watching while the cheese melts.

When melted, set a timer for 3 minutes. When timer goes off, remove the pan from the burner. Set the timer for 1 more minute to cool.

Gently lift the parchment paper with cheese round out of the pan, carefully flipping over the paper, centering the cheese round on the bottom of the overturned bowl.

Carefully, peel the parchment paper off of the cheese, while the cheese stays on the bowl. This occurs easily without sticking.

Gently press the cheese down to form a “bowl” with the cheese round. Let it cool for one hour. Remove from the bowl, placing it on a large plate for serving later. (The oil from the cheese will prevent the cheese from sticking to the bowl).

The cheese taco bowl may be made and left out a few hours prior to serving. Once filled, eat immediately or refrigerate for a short time.

Oh well. Here I am finishing this post, reporting that Tom didn’t like the bowl! He liked the similar recipe for pizza crust, but not the bowl. Picky! I ate all of mine, loved it and then found myself eyeballing the uneaten bowl on his plate. Shall I eat it, being a piglet or toss it? Tom noticed me looking at his plate, observing my empty plate and said “Go ahead, and eat it, Sweetie.”

Healthy, slim and fit echoed in my mind along with all the new well-fitting clothes for our upcoming adventure. With a lifetime of weight struggles, a single such overeating event could start me on a path I would later regret.
I stuffed Tom’s taco bowl down the garbage disposal, listening sadly as it pulverized away. Back to the LCGF taco bowl drawing board. Guess we won’t be eating taco salad in Africa!

Responsibility travels well…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 12, 2012 with 1 Comment

Life is filled with responsibility. There’s no escaping it. It goes wherever we may go. Self discipline is the driving force to commit us to responsibility.

Some have asked if we will have a sense of freedom, leaving behind work, finally both retired, of the day to day responsibilities of the upkeep and maintenance of a home, a lifestyle we have clung to for decades and the love-centered responsibilities that come with the care and feeding of family and friends.

Will we feel free and unencumbered by “stuff” that for us, as for most, dictates the tone of our daily lives?

The answers to these questions are yet to come from the upcoming experiences in our near future. It’s easy to speculate as to “how” one will feel when a certain scenario transpires. Anticipation in itself is often fodder for disappointment. How do we temper it?

Perhaps, by facing the responsibilities that will follow us around the world. These thoughts are not in an effort to dampen our enthusiasm. It is to maintain a level of reality that essentially will give us peace of mind that will ultimately enhance our experience.

Loaded with tasks to complete before we leave, we must gather the list of that which will carry with us, not in our overloaded luggage but in our minds and on secure Internet storage. Here are some of these:

File income taxes each year in the same manner we have done while in the US. Our long time accountant is prepared to do our taxes all via email and documents forwarded to him by our upcoming mail service with our direction. He will file electronically (as we’ve done for years) and our refund will be deposited in our bank account.
Handle all snail mail through our mailing service. They will send us a daily list of mail and will scan and email anything of importance. They will snail mail replacements debit/credit cards and packages for a small fee plus postage.
Apply for necessary visas and maintain second passports. Second passports are necessary in order to submit a passport with each application for a visa. We don’t want to be in a foreign country without passports in our possession at all times. Second passports must be renewed every two years in the US.
File insurance claims and stay updated on policy changes as to coverage while out of the US.
Handle prescription refills. We are still awaiting a response for our prescription plan as to providing us with one year of refills at a time.
Stay updated on both business and personal email/Skype. Email and Skype will be the primary sources of communication with our family and friends. Tom and I are both diligent checking email and will continue to do so provided we are able to receive an adequate connection. If we have a problem, we will seek out other local Internet resources frequently.
Seek out health clubs at each location. In Placencia, Belize, there isn’t a health club! There are hotels with adequate facilities and also private trainers. As soon as our bags are unpacked, I will be on a mission to establish a relationship with a facility to ensure I can maintain my current level of fitness. The walking we will surely be engaging in will not be a strenuous enough activity for me, although it may be adequate for Tom.
Find a dentist every 6 months. Tom and I are diligent about daily flossing and having our teeth cleaned every six months. As the time nears, we will ask the locals for reliable dentists in the area, paying out of our pockets. Our dental plan will be useless abroad.
Arrange vision exams every two years. Tom’s family history of serious eye disease and blindness require exams by an ophthalmologist every two years. Overall, we will be living in remote areas around the world. Taking the time and bearing the expense to seek out quality care will be a prerequisite. My vision issues are typical age-related, remedied by mono vision contact lenses. I have packed a two year’s supply. Tom will have eye exams and new glasses before we leave the US.
Family members birthdays. All these years we have given gifts to our grown children and grandchildren at the time of their birthdays. For the future, our gift to our adult children will be occasional plane tickets to visit us for a “free” vacation. As for the grandchildren, Amazon will be our friend and theirs, where we can purchase gift cards, allowing them to choose something fun from Grandma and Grandpa each year on their birthdays.
Trip planning. We have yet to book beyond the arranged 949 days from October 31, 2012. As the time nears, it will be necessary to book airfare, train travel, ferries and auto rentals. There are some holes in our itinerary that we are holding for the five cruises we want to book that are not posted as yet. Once we are a year out, we will be able to complete some of these bookings, sooner rather than later. Neither of us are “last minute” planners. (As you can see)!
Food shopping. Our special dietary needs will be a challenge wherever we travel. Finding gluten free, sugar free, wheat free, grain free, starch free, low carb foods will surely be a challenge. Here is another mission for us as soon as we unpack. If we can find grass fed beef and pork, free range chicken and eggs, wild caught fish and organic vegetables, we will be able to enjoy our meals. We use Greek yogurt, almond flour, coconut flour, coconut oil, unsweetened coconut milk, real butter, spices and Stevia. If these items are available, we will be delighted!
The constant tracking of all of our expenses. Every receipt and all cash purchases will be logged daily in our expenses spreadsheet to ensure we are staying within our budget. If necessary, adjustments will be made if we are over the budget to cut back and cover the shortage over a period of months if necessary. If we are “under” we may choose to dine out more often or upgrade to first class when we have no alternative but to fly. (We are bringing a tiny portable scanner and printer in order to scan receipts, making it unnecessary to haul the receipts with us for years. The printer will provide boarding passes and other documents as needed).

Yes, this list could be overwhelming. Here in the US, its familiar and a part of our everyday life. From afar? Maybe not. We can only look at these responsibilities with optimism and a sense of challenge, rolling it all into the adventure, chipping away at it, as we go.

As they say, “You can run but you can’t hide.” Hum…

Cell phone issues resolved…

Posted by worldwide-admin on June 26, 2012 with 0 Comment

Technology is an integral element of our ability to experience life “on the road” for a period of years.

When one travels to a hotel for a two week vacation, technology is relatively easy:
1. The hotel provides Internet access for free or for a charge.
2. The cell phone service provider allows phone calls for a roaming fee or not, depending on where one is vacationing.
3. Smartphone data is provided by the cell phone data plan at increased rates if outside the US or on a cruise ship. (We’ve all heard the Internet legend where a kid played games on the phone during a cruise after which the dad got a bill from his cell service provider for $20,000. Not so unlikely).

Over the past several months, I have been researching international cell phone options for us once we leave the US. Coincidentally, both of our contracts will have run out by November 1, 2012. The timing couldn’t have been better!

iPhone users have been saying, “You need an iPhone for international travel!” This is not our best or only option. We will need an UNLOCKED phone which simply put is a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) which is not associated with any specific cell phone carrier and thus, no contract is required.

An unlocked phone doesn’t have any service until one inserts a SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module), purchased in the country in which it will be used, providing both phone and data, with time and usage limits.

When the time runs out on the card, one either purchases another SIM card or buys additional time through an online account attached to a credit card. SIM cards each have their own phone number, not the handiest aspect when buying new cards from country to country. (Our old phone numbers won’t work).

Unlocked phones are considerably more expensive than purchasing a cell phone through a carrier and committing to the usual two year contract. By signing a contract, the carrier makes enough money from the subscriber for them to be able to sell the smartphone at a reduced price or, in some cases, for free.

How do we purchase an unlocked phone? We could buy one from Verizon, our current carrier for about $800. Other web stores such as Amazon sell unlocked phones. It is imperative that the phone be GSM or the SIM cards won’t work.

Upon reading some reviews online, it appears some customers did this to later
discover that the phones were not unlocked and had to figure out how to unlocked it themselves which may be as easy as flipping a switch or as complicated as hours online following complicated instructions.

In the worst case, one could send the phone to an unknown technician to have it unlocked, paying a hefty fee. This is the primary reason consumers hesitate to purchase an unlocked phone: Will it really be unlocked and if not, what do I do? Most people prefer to buy a two year contract and not mess with SIM cards which are also available in the US.

When we purchased our new unlocked GSM smartphones, we may consider buying two of the SAMSUNG GALAXY S III I9300 UNLOCKED GSM QUAD BAND SMARTPHONE from the company in this link by recommendation from CNET, a company that does reviews for technology and offers technical support, a company I have followed since the early 1990’s.

Why buy two unlocked phones when the cost is high at a minimum of about $700 each? We have a few good reasons:

1. In the event of an emergency, we will always have one charged phone handy and time left on one SIM card.
2. There are times we won’t be together for short periods: I may grocery shopping on my own or work out at a nearby health club. If something happens, we can phone each other. Piece of mind is worth a one time cost of $700.
3. OK, here’s a frivolous reason: We can both play games on our phones at the same time and, with each other and read books on the Kindle app.
4. Based on the specs of this particular model of smartphone (new as of a few days ago), it has a decent camera, perhaps all the camera we will need (we shall see). We can both be taking photos or videos at the same time while on safari!

By no means, are we experts on this topic and through research we’ve found varying opinions. And, this cell phone issue has been nagging at us for awhile. Finally, we feel we have a handle on it and can look forward to our new purchase this upcoming October, among with other digital needs!

Sunday Morning…

Posted by worldwide-admin on June 24, 2012 with 0 Comment

Ceramic tea set our granddaughter used to serve us “tea.” I saved this set for her as we made totes for our grandchildren filled with memorabilia.

As we sat in our comfy chairs this morning, a rerun of Sunday Morning playing in the background, our precious little granddaughter almost three years old, served us “pretend” tea from this tea set which had gone unnoticed on the bookcase for almost 26 years.

Where I found this miniature tea set fails me. Was it an arts and crafts fair, an antique shop, Apple Days in Excelsior, or merely a local garage sale? In any case, most likely I didn’t pay more than $10 for it.

But this morning when our tiny overnight visitor served us the tiny cups of “pretend” tea, it was priceless. When she leaves later today to return home, I will carefully wrap and place this little treasure in the bins we are saving for each of our grandchildren, little treasures from our past for our treasured young loved ones. Ouch!

Wiping tears from my eyes, Tom suggested I look at the TV for a moment to see a story on Sunday Morning about Fiesta of which we have main dinner service for 25 plus a wide array of plates, serving pieces, bowls and glasses.

In 2004, we remodeled our kitchen combining three rooms into one large space. Due to our close proximity to the lake, zoning restrictions prevented us from “building out.”

With seating for 12 at the giant wood island, eight at the 60″ square table, three at the corner banquet and two more in comfy chairs for a total of 25.

River rock granite and stones on side of fireplace.
Our Fiestaware dishes brought out the colors.

Thus, began our (mostly mine) fixation on dinnerware for 25. Searching for months online for style, function and price, we finally decided on Fiesta for several reasons:

1. We were able to choose four base colors all of which matched our river rock granite counter tops and hand picked river rock boulders in the fireplace. This resulted in either a mix and match place setting for smaller groups or one or two color place settings at any time.

2. Timeless style – Fiesta was introduced over 80 years ago

3. Durable – I am constantly dropping things (or, as Tom would say, I’m “a bull in a China shop.”

4. Easy to find replacement pieces on eBay and other web sites.

5. Playful or elegant depending upon the selection of our many matching linen napkins and place mats and, of course, the manner of folding the napkins. Yes, I have been using linen napkins all of my adult life, folded in a style befitting the occasion along with other decorative accouterments including flowers, candles, flatware, etc.

Sample of the colors in our Fiesta dinnerware.

This was fun! Tom wasn’t into cloth napkins when I met him. In time, he came over to the other side, leaving me chuckling when he occasionally helped set the table, gingerly placing the folded napkin in the correct spot. That’s my man!

Let’s not forget for a moment that we met halfway on the multitude of differences we immediately observed when we started dating. (Those will be a point of discussion in a future post). Adapting to each other’s taste and differences is part of the reason we will be able to continue to be happy when we’re together 24/7, beginning this October 31st! We are continually challenged and intrigued by these differences while being delighted by the accommodations we each make to please each other.

Needless to say, Fiesta… in its entirety will be sold at our upcoming estate sale or sooner. Bye, bye dishes! Any takers?P.S. If its hard to say goodbye to dishes, how can one fathom saying goodbye to family and friends? Stuffing that for now. Will deal later.

Shredding a lifetime of papers…

Posted by worldwide-admin on June 4, 2012 with 0 Comment

As October looms nearer and nearer to our Halloween departure date, I lay awake at night prioritizing my tasks. With Tom gone to work Monday through Friday for 14 hours a day, the sorting and packing of a lifetime is logically in my hands.

A portion of the most unbearable tasks has been started or completed, including the cleaning of our formerly junk laden attic, the messy top of my closet, many overstuffed drawers and hangers with outdated forgotten clothes, much of which I already hauled to Goodwill.

We’ve scanned over 500 photos thus far with hundreds more to go. A few months back, I removed every photo in a frame in our house, scanning the photo and saving an entire plastic tote filled with frames to be sold at our upcoming estate sale.

Looming in the back of my mind these past months have been the papers; boxes, drawers, file cabinets, banker’s boxes filled to the brim with receipts, tax records, legal documents, forms, medical files, certificates, insurance policies and on and on.

Although not hoarders, we’ve kept that which we thought we’d need to keep, 90% of which we never referenced in all of these years. After assessing the paper inventory over the past months, I came to the realization that saving these documents would require no less than a 5′ x10″ storage facility, costing no less than $50 a month. Goodbye, papers!

I called our accountant asking a few pertinent questions:

How long is one required to keep tax returns?

How long must one keep the supporting receipts for the tax returns? The answers to these questions are vague (Isn’t it surprising that the IRS would be vague?) If you cheat on your taxes, you’ll need to keep your records indefinitely! If you don’t, please see the IRS link for the vague answers.

Final question for the accountant:
Will he be able to do our taxes when we are no longer residents of Minnesota? Answer: Yes, as long as we have access to the internet.

The magic of the Internet with the availability of keeping digital personal records is steering us further and further away from the necessity of keeping paper copies of everything. Our medical records, bank statements, income records, financial records, and other legal documents an now be kept online in a secure “cloud.”

I made a list of the documents we’ll need to keep and subsequently store. (This list may be different for you depending on your personal circumstances).

Documents to store:

Original titles to cars (until we sell them both before we leave the US).
Tax returns past 5 years (accountant has these also)
Tax receipts for the past 7 years (per the advice of the accountant)

Documents to bring with us:

Passports, upcoming visas, travel documents
Originals of birth certificates, baptismal certificates, marriage certificate
New driver’s licenses for new state of residency
Health: Insurance cards, current prescriptions, actual prescription bottles, immunization records, emergency contact information in states
Checkbook (some property owners would like the balance of the rent paid via check) and recently renewed debit and credit cards
Travel insurance documents

Today, after a brisk 45 minute walk on an otherwise lovely morning, I returned home with a certain sense of dread knowing that I must begin the sorting process. When beginning a dreaded project I’ve always preferred to begin with the “worst first.”

First, I attacked the old style wood two drawer file cabinet in our bedroom that loomed in my mind in the middle of the night.

My next concern is the disposal of the papers, shredding and recycling as the only logical choices. After researching online I found a free shredding event which I put on my calendar with a plan to haul my two big bags of papers on June 23rd to the grocery store parking lot where Shredit will be offering the service to the community.

After sorting for most of the day, I’ve discovered few simple steps to keep the amount to be shredded to a minimum:

Place two plastic totes on either side of your chair, designating one bin for recycling, the other for shredding
Place a cabinet, drawer, or box of papers in front of you on the floor
Go through papers, removing envelopes, advertising, printed booklets and anything that doesn’t reference your name, address, social security number, bank account numbers, dollar amounts, etc., placing papers in appropriate tote; all personal items go into the shredding bin, all peripheral papers in the recycle bin. (Tear off parts of forms with your personal information and save the rest for the recycle bin).

You’ll be amazed how much smaller your shredding pile is, as opposed to the recycle pile. Place papers to be shredded into containers as suggested by your free recycle event into either bags or boxes. Deliver them to the specified location on the specified date and time. If one has additional shredding beyond that which the shredding event will accept, one can plan to repeat this process closer to the next arranged date in the area.

Often, waiting for a free event is difficult when we so much want to get this cleaned up and out the door. Most office supply stores have a shredding program (prices vary by locations and promotions).

Although I still have several more days of papers to toss, it’s less intimidating with this simple plan in place. Hopefully, by week’s end this task will be completed, leaving me with little piles of the documents we will be taking with us on our journey. I am looking forward to an enormous sense of relief.

Tomorrow is Round #3 of vaccinations which will include the first of three rabies shots. I’ll keep you posted!