The Grown-Up's Guide to Running Away from Home, Second Edition: Making a New Life Abroad (12 page)

Earthwatch
. This international nonprofit organization supports scientific field research through volunteers who work with scientists on projects worldwide. Earthwatch, 3 Clock Tower Place, Suite 100, Box 75, Maynard, MA 01754; telephone (800) 776-0188. Email:
[email protected]
. Website:
www.earthwatch.org
.

National Geographic Society
. A host of travel opportunities including adventure trips and small ship, family, and photo excursions to worldwide destinations. National Geographic Society, 1145 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone (888) 966-8687. Website:
www.nationalgeographic.com
.

Smithsonian Institution
. Combination study/travel tours led by experts in the area, covering the globe from India to Spain, Iceland to Russia and beyond. Smithsonian Institution, 1000 Jefferson Dr. SW, Washington, DC 20560; telephone (202) 357-2957 or (877) 338-8687. Website:
www.si.edu
.

A sunny beach will be ideal for catching up on your reading—as will a cozy cabin with a fireplace, when it’s raining. Yes, it will rain on your adventure, so make a list of all the good books you’ve wanted to read and pack up a pile of them to take with you overseas. After you’ve read them, trade around to create an informal lending library with other English speakers wherever you may be.

By the way, don’t panic if you run out of English-language books. Most large cities abroad have a bookstore especially dedicated to them, and large local bookstores often have an English-language section. I’ve found English-language paperbacks at French antique fairs, and a French friend whose deceased husband spoke English gave us three cartons of them.

With internet access, you can select from classics to the most recent best-sellers, from biographies to travel guides and more, via online bookstores. For starters, see Amazon (
www.amazon.com
) or Barnes and Noble (
www.barnesandnoble.com
).

Are you interested in the history of World War II? Vegetable gardening? A famous artist you’ve always admired? Choose a subject you’ve always wanted to know more about, then direct your reading and become an expert on the subject. Take classes and join special-interest groups. Some groups are specially designed for adult learners, offering a wide sampling of programs to explore.

Elderhostel
. For people fifty-five or older, the nonprofit Elderhostel organization presents a variety of programs ranging from music to literature, history, the arts, geology, folk life, plants, biking, computers, and more, in the United States, Canada, and over seventy other countries. Elderhostel is relatively inexpensive, as participants stay in school dorms or other reasonably priced locations. The programs have no special requirements for previous degrees or diplomas, just the simple desire to participate and enjoy the opportunity for personal enrichment. Elderhostel, 11 Avenue de Lafayette, Boston, MA 02111; telephone (800) 454-5768. Website:
www.elderhostel.org
.

TraveLearn
. Adults from age thirty to eighty can participate in learning vacations through more than three hundred universities. Programs include lectures, seminars, and hands-on field experiences, without exams, grades, or attendance requirements. TraveLearn, PO Box 556, Hawley, PA 18428; telephone (800) 235-9114. Website:
www.travelearn.com
.

Center for Global Education at Augsburg College
. These educational travel seminars of one to three weeks can be taken individually or integrated into a longer sabbatical by adults wanting to study Latin America, southern Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, or the Asia/Pacific region. Center for Global Education, 2211 Riverside Avenue, Box 307, Minneapolis, MN
55454; telephone (800) 299-8889. Email:
[email protected]
. Website:
www.augsburg.edu/global
.

Whatever you choose to do, don’t sit on the sidelines. Participate and meet new people, whether English-speaking or native to your chosen locale. Trade language lessons with someone, helping them learn English in exchange for lessons in their language. Invite them for a drink or a lunch and enjoy learning more about their lives.

Expatriate groups thrive in most major cities overseas. Just ask for information at the embassy or consulate, review a local English-language newspaper, or do an internet search.

After years of earning a living, you now have the time to give back. Volunteering is one way to share your knowledge and abilities. You, in turn, will benefit from the joy of helping others as you make new friends in the community. You can participate as a volunteer on an informal or formal basis. If you’re interested in a specialized program, consider one of the following:

The Peace Corps
. Got a yen to travel, no cash, and a desire to serve your fellow humans? The Peace Corps is not just for kids; it places adult volunteers in ninety-four countries around the world. They work in a variety of fields, with all living, travel, and medical expenses covered during the length of service, which includes three months’ training and about twenty-seven months on the job. Amazingly, the Peace Corps has no upper age limit. Married couples can serve, though you must both apply and be accepted by the Peace Corps. Most assignments require a bachelor’s degree, some require a master’s degree, and some may require several years of work experience instead of, or in addition to, your bachelor’s degree.

You must apply at least six to eight months prior to the time you’re available to leave. For information or an application, telephone (800) 424-8580. Website:
www.peacecorps.gov
.

Volunteers for Peace
. This nonprofit organization coordinates international work camps to assist with community development and international education. An inexpensive way to live and work within a different culture, most two- to three-week programs cost an average of $250, including room and board. This is a
working
experience; VFP does not recommend its programs for tourism or a cheap vacation. VFP, 1034 Tiffany Rd., Belmont, VT 05730; telephone (802) 259-2759. Email:
[email protected]
. Website:
www.vfp.org
.

WorldTeach
. An international social service program, WorldTeach places volunteers as teachers in developing countries that request assistance. No formal teaching is required, though programs do require a bachelor’s degree (B.A. or B.S.). These volunteer positions will often cover many of the costs, but participants also pay a fee for the program they choose. WorldTeach, Center for International Development, Harvard University, 79 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge, MA 02138; telephone (800) 483-2240 or (617) 495-5527. Email:
[email protected]
. Website:
www.worldteach.org
.

Once you’ve determined the general destination for your adventure, you’ll need to find that specific place to call home. It can be an apartment in a bustling city or a motor home on the open road, a tranquil farm or a house in a village. The final decision will hinge on the location itself, the size and amenities you require, your budget, and the specific accommodations available at the time of your adventure.

Quite possibly your final choice may result from a touch of whimsy. Let it happen. We know of several people who didn’t find their homes until the last minute. Peter and Dana looked for a home on each vacation for seven years until they found their dream property. Bob and Anne rented for almost that long as well.

In our case, we found a rental house via the Internet. It wasn’t in the location we originally had intended to settle, but it had all the space we needed and a yard for our dog, and it offered an immediate base in France. (The idea of trekking around looking for housing that would accept our dog didn’t have appeal.)

We fell in love with the area we’d found by pure chance. One thing led to another—meaning we started looking at houses, and as we were about to give up, we found a house in a nearby town, and it was love at first sight.

If you want to fill your time away with constant travel, your overseas address will shift with your luggage. The alternative is to find an overseas base of operations that you can use like the hub of a wheel, traveling periodically from there. Both situations have benefits and drawbacks; your plans may include a combination. For example, travel around when you begin your adventure to find the location you prefer, then rent long-term there to see if it suits you. If
you don’t like it, you can move on. If you do, you can simply hunker down for an even longer stay.

Forget about having a base if you intend to travel more than half the time. You’ll be paying for that long-term base location, plus you’ll have to pay for the hotel or other accommodations when you’re away from home. In effect, you’re having your cake, but losing it too, by doubling your costs.

Also, if you’re traveling far afield, it’s less time-consuming and less expensive to go in a loop than to have to keep returning to a base that may be out of the way.

If your idea of adventure is to see all you can see, and you have a limited amount of time, you’ll probably be smart to plan a route and find a series of places to stay. This does not preclude staying in one place for a month or more; it just means you won’t be tied down to a long-term rental or purchase.

One big benefit of having a base overseas is the psychological comfort of having a “home” to return to. A base overseas helps you avoid the full-time burnout of constantly living out of a suitcase. You can make shorter visits of a weekend or a week to various locales. One very practical advantage to having a base is that, if you’re not moving about constantly, you can take more clothes for different seasons. (After spending one March shivering because I emphasized warm-weather clothes in the initial packing, I discovered this has tremendous value.) When you travel from your home base, simply take one bag for schlepping about and hopping on and off buses and trains. You can return for reinforcements when you wish.

It’s comforting to have a familiar place as you adjust to the foreign environment. You’ll know where to go for medical treatment, the best chocolates, or the friendliest bar. You’ll meet people more easily and make friends in the neighborhood. There’s a difference between being transient and immersing yourself in the culture. And, financially, long-term rentals are less expensive than the usual tourist accommodations.

These things considered, let’s look at some options for finding either temporary or full-time housing affordably overseas.

Hotels are hotels are hotels. Except, there’s a big difference in price between the large hotels with rooms that you can reserve from the States and the smaller, family-run hotels overseas. The latter are more interesting for far less money. However, since they are small and personally run, these hotels won’t show up on a travel agent’s computer. You’ll need to find the small establishments through special guidebooks or, even better, friends who have stayed in the location and rave about “that little place in Bologna for just $40 a night.”

By the way, in many countries the hotel ratings are based not necessarily on cleanliness or quality, but by the amenities offered. For example, a place may be in a prime location and perfectly wonderful but have neither elevators nor twenty-four-hour service at the front desk (it’s family-run, remember). So it will earn fewer “stars” than a place that offers concierge service. If you can do without the pampering, you’ll find charming hotels for less cost. Ask to see a room before you take it, and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Many services offer furnished rentals, also called “self-catering,” accommodations on a short-term basis. These provide more space than a hotel or motel, and they include comforts of home such as a kitchen and laundry. Look online for options offered by specialized services as well as individuals seeking to rent out investment properties. You may also consider a home exchange, which enables you to temporarily trade your property in the States for one in a location abroad. (See below for more information.)