Updates on the package…International shipping woes…

There are taxes and duties (customs) required by most countries when receiving foreign packages.

Shipping packages from the United States to other countries has never been a simple process. Over the years, we’ve learned that what seems like a straightforward task, boxing up a few items and sending them overseas, can quickly become an exercise in patience, persistence, and sometimes, pure luck. For travelers like us who live a nomadic life, moving from country to country, the challenge of receiving or sending a package can feel like navigating a maze filled with hidden fees, lengthy delays, and unpredictable customs rules.

One of the first hurdles comes long before the box even leaves American soil: the cost. International shipping prices have soared in recent years, making it shockingly expensive to send even a small parcel abroad. A lightweight box that might cost $30 to ship domestically can easily increase to US $200 or more once an overseas destination is added to the equation. Add insurance, tracking, or faster delivery, and the total can rival the value of what’s inside the package. For digital nomads, expats, and long-term travelers, that price tag makes us think twice before sending anything at all.

Then comes the paperwork, those seemingly endless customs forms that require detailed descriptions of items, their values, and intended uses. It might not sound so bad until you realize how specific you have to be. Listing something too vaguely, like “gift,” often triggers suspicion at customs. But list something too precisely, say, “prescription vitamins” or “lithium battery camera equipment,” and you might open the door to confiscation, extra taxes, or even outright refusal of entry, as we experienced in the recent DHL refusal of Tom’s hearing aid charger. Every country has its own rules, and they change without warning. What passed through last month might get stopped next time for no clear reason.

Customs clearance itself is a bit like waiting for the weather to change. It could take days or weeks. Packages often sit in limbo, “awaiting inspection,” while both sender and recipient anxiously refresh tracking pages that seem frozen in time. Sometimes, items that were carefully declared and legally shipped never arrive at all. They vanish into the mysterious void of “lost international mail,” a term we’ve learned to dread. Attempting to file a claim with a courier company often results in a bureaucratic dead end. Each side blames the other. The US carrier blames the destination country, while the foreign postal service insists it never arrived.

For those of us who are always on the move, timing becomes another major obstacle. Since we rarely stay in one place for long, coordinating a delivery can feel like a game of chance. Even express options, like DHL, UPS, and FedEx International, are not foolproof. A promised “three to five business days” can easily stretch to ten or more if customs decides to take a closer look. And unlike domestic shipping, where you can redirect a package mid-route or pick it up at a nearby office, international parcels often can’t be rerouted once they’ve crossed a border.

Another frustrating factor is import taxes and duties. Many countries charge high fees on incoming packages, even when they’re clearly marked as gifts. We once received a small box of personal items sent from the US, containing nothing fancy, just vitamins, a few pieces of clothing, and a pair of shoes. We were shocked when customs in Europe charged nearly US $300 in import duties. The irony was that the contents weren’t worth much more than that. These surprise fees can make receiving mail abroad both unpredictable and costly, turning what should be a joyful experience into an expensive ordeal.

Certain items are especially difficult to ship. Anything containing lithium batteries, as has been the case with Tom’s hearing aid charger, electronics, or supplements, tends to raise red flags. Medications are nearly impossible to send, even if prescribed. Food items, liquids, and anything perishable are typically restricted as well. We’ve learned the hard way that what’s perfectly legal in the U.S. might be considered contraband elsewhere. It’s not unusual for customs to seize an item, claiming it violates import regulations, even when it’s something as innocent as over-the-counter vitamins or protein powder.

Many travelers turn to mail forwarding services, as we have with Maillinkplus.com, hoping for a smoother experience. These companies receive packages in the US and then ship them abroad once all items are consolidated. While convenient in theory, they come with their own complications. Forwarders charge handling fees, and sometimes they repackage items to reduce size or weight, which can cause problems with customs if item declarations don’t match perfectly. Still, for those of us without a permanent home address, they can be a lifeline.

Technology has helped somewhat. Tracking systems are now more sophisticated, allowing you to track a package’s journey across the globe. However, tracking doesn’t make the process faster or more reliable. It simply provides a clearer view of where things are stuck. It’s both comforting and maddening to watch a parcel sit in “customs processing” for a week with no updates.

The emotional aspect shouldn’t be overlooked either. When you live abroad, packages from your home country carry more than just objects. They carry connection. A care package from a friend, a birthday gift, or even a replacement for something lost in travel can mean the world. So when that box disappears, or arrives months later battered and partially opened, it’s hard not to feel a little deflated. It’s a reminder of how small yet complicated our world can be, and how easily a simple gesture can become entangled in bureaucratic red tape.

Ultimately, we’ve learned to adapt. We pack light, buy locally whenever possible, and avoid shipping anything we can live without. When we do need to send or receive something, we brace for the process, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. International shipping, like much of long-term travel, teaches patience and flexibility. It’s a dance between convenience and chaos, between the modern world’s promise of connection and its many practical limits.

For now, we accept it as part of the adventure, just another challenge on the long road of life abroad, reminding us that even in an age of global connectivity, distance still has a way of humbling us.

This morning, we received a notice from UPS, when the package arrived in Barcelona, we had to pay a customs fee of US $38.93. We couldn’t pay it quickly enough, hoping the charger wouldn’t be delayed further. It was expected to arrive yesterday, but now it is delayed until tomorrow. We shall see how it goes.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, October 8, 2015:

Tourist information at the police station in Savusavu, Fiji. For more photos, please click here.

The challenges of cooking in a sparsely equipped kitchen…

No, our photo, but you get the idea…

Over the almost three weeks since we arrived in Barcelona, we’ve ordered about 70% of our meals through Uber Eats. Surprisingly, I’ve been able to find meals that fit into my way of eating. Tom has found several options that appeal to him.

We are both doing intermittent fasting to lose weight before the cruise. Since neither of us is drinking alcohol and snacking on biltong throughout the day, we’re thrilled to be losing weight, at long last. After too much fun in Marloth Park, being away from that party-like atmosphere, losing weight finally became possible.

Most of my cruise-type attire didn’t fit me for the past few years after I gained about 25 pounds from heart medications, which I no longer need to take. When I stopped taking those meds, I thought the weight would fall off. But, it didn’t. On numerous occasions, while in Marloth Park, I attempted to lose weight, but despite my efforts, I was unable to maintain any losses.

Now, in Spain, limiting how often we eat and how much we eat, it’s finally falling off. I still have a way to go and don’t expect to reach my goal by October 27, but I am determined to be very strict on the cruise. Neither of us ever gains weight on cruises. Although we enjoy many of the offerings, food isn’t a big motivator for us on cruises. There are plenty of other events we enjoy on the ships.

In the past few days, tired of Uber Eats meals, we decided to make chicken and beef taco salads. We brought an entire container of low-carb, sugar-free taco seasoning with us. With all the topping items available to order online, our grocery order arrived this morning with everything we needed.

We both load up our salads with lettuce, seasoned meat, diced tomatoes, onion, green olives, and freshly grated cheese. I purchased a container of guacamole, which I’ll add to my salad. Neither of us uses the tortilla shell that one often sees with taco salads in restaurants, which has too many carbs and is entirely unnecessary.

While I was showering after the groceries were delivered, Tom started cooking the meat using three separate, smaller pans of varying sizes. There wasn’t a pot big enough to cook all the meat.

Once he was done, I started cutting the vegetables, keeping each item separate from the other since we each like to control how much of each item we add to our salads.

There aren’t any small bowls, only full-sized pasta bowls, that take up too much space in the small refrigerator. I couldn’t find any plastic bags at the online grocery store. I rummaged through our luggage and was able to consolidate a few large ziplock bags, leaving me with one plastic bag for the diced tomatoes. I place the remaining diced items in measuring cups without lids. It will have to do.

Tom grated the delicious aged cheddar cheese onto a dinner plate, which I covered with paper towels. Once I seasoned the meat, I placed the entire pot, which fit all the meat, into the refrigerator after it was cooked and cooled. Tom’s Crystal Light Iced tea and my herbal iced tea are in individual sauce pans and have taken up space in the refrigerator when no pitchers are available here either.

This made me appreciate Louise’s well-stocked kitchens in her houses in Marloth Park. We’ve never wanted for a thing! After all this hoopla to cook a meal, I suppose, once we finish the pot of meat, we’ll continue ordering from Uber Eats, which, at that point, in three days, will be for the remaining 20 days, including the day we meet Linda and Ken for lunch, until we head to the ship on October 27. We can hardly wait.

No word on the package yet. We wait, checking the UPS tracking every few hours.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, October 4, 2015:

The bubbles around the coral, seen in Fiji, led us to believe it is alive. For more photos, please click here.

The package with the battery charger has left Las Vegas…Tentatively optimistic…Still staying in…

Not our photos: The Sagrada Família is an iconic, still-under-construction Roman Catholic basilica in Barcelona, Spain, designed by Antoni Gaudí. It is famous for its unique architectural style, a blend of Gothic and Art Nouveau forms, filled with intricate symbolism and vibrant, tree-like structures within its interior. Funding for its construction comes from private donations and ticket sales, and it is considered the most visited landmark in Barcelona, as well as a masterpiece of Modernist architecture. We visited this site the last time we were in Barcelona (on three occasions in the past).

Last night, we received a tracking number from UPS for the shipment of the hearing aid charger from Nevada. Of course, we’re both frequently checking the tracking information on UPS. It appears that it has arrived in Spain for the clearance process. (See below).

Past Event
Label Created

United States

10/01/20254:05 P.M.

Past Event
We Have Your Package

Las Vegas, NV, United States

10/01/20258:55 P.M.

Current Event
On the Way

Clearance in Progress

El Prat De Llobregat, Spain

10/02/202510:45 A.M.

Thus, since yesterday, October 2, it appears it’s about to enter Spain, but we can’t determine by UPS’s post if it’s actually in Spain at this time. We can only keep checking and see if it moves along. We’re concerned it may be held up by customs for several days or weeks, which we’ve experienced in the past when shipping internationally.

Clearance in process is described as follows:

“Clearance in process” for international UPS shipments indicates that the package is undergoing the necessary customs procedures to officially enter or exit a country, ensuring it complies with regulations and pays any required duties or taxes. During this stage, customs officials are checking documentation and verifying the contents of the shipment.”

We hope that regulations are less restrictive than those in South Africa, which has prompted us to stop sending packages from the US. We’ve learned our lesson there!

On another note, we still haven’t gone out. As we mentioned, we’ve been to Barcelona in the past, seeing the attractions that appealed to us, and have no interest in hiring a taxi to drive us around. With my recent Uber experience, which was a rip-off when I got a pedicure, we’re not motivated to use Uber.

Given our recent string of unfortunate experiences, we believe staying put for now is a logical decision. The treacherous staircase is a huge factor in this decision. Our dear friend Rita (and her husband, Gerhard) were at a safari resort in South Africa for a few days, and Rita fell on a step, breaking her foot.

They are now back in Marloth Park until the end of the month, when they will return Inge to Germany, as Rita is unable to stand or sit when her foot must be elevated, or go out to dinner or sit in a vehicle for game drives. Rita is very strong, fit, and one of the most sure-footed people I know. Thank goodness, Rita’s mom, Inge, is there with them, who is cooking and handling household tasks.

Yesterday, I spoke with Gerhard at length, as he described her fall and subsequent trip to Mediclinic in Nelspruit to be diagnosed and fitted with a cast. They purchased a wheelchair to get her to and from the rental car.

When we heard this story, we were all the more determined to stay put, not attempting to navigate those stairs any more than absolutely necessary. The only upcoming outings will be meeting up with our dear friends, Linda and Ken, at a restaurant near the port of Barcelona, and for another pedicure at the end of the month.

Some of our readers have written, suggesting we “bite the bullet” and get out and about, even if it’s just for dinner. We realize and appreciate that our readers would like to see some local photos. However, we must do what our guts tell us, and now that everything is working in the apartment, we are content and will be even more so when the package arrives.

This time indoors has been well spent. We’ve booked holiday homes, flights, and rental cars well into the future. We successfully completed the complicated, time-consuming, and challenging process of obtaining the ETA for Indonesia, despite its website crashing repeatedly.

We have since obtained and received ETAs for Australia and New Zealand, and checked to ensure we don’t need any additional online visas for any other countries we’ll be visiting on the upcoming 47-night cruise. Additionally, we’ve spent hours working on a means of receiving the hearing aid charger.

It’s this precious time that has enabled us to accomplish a lot. Additionally, Tom had to process his first RMD, Required Minimum Distribution, since he turned 72 this year. An RMD is described as follows:

An RMD (Required Minimum Distribution) withdrawal is the mandatory minimum amount that must be withdrawn each year from traditional IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans, such as 401(k)s, starting at age 73 or the year a U.S. taxpayer turns 73. Tom’s birthday is in December. These withdrawals are required by the IRS to prevent individuals from indefinitely deferring taxes on their pre-tax retirement savings, ensuring that these funds are eventually taxed as income.

Today, we’re washing and drying the bedding which takes almost all day with the slow washer and dryer. We keep having to check the dryer’s water collector to ensure it’s emptied, or the dryer quits working. We can only wash or dry one of the two sheets at a time. There isn’t another set of sheets for that bed, which would make it easier.

That’s it for today, dear readers.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, October 3, 2015:

The fishermen in Fiji sell whole fish at the local farmer’s market. Without a good fillet knife, it makes no sense for us to purchase an entire fish. For more photos, please click here.