International Living: 7 Good Reasons to Live Abroad
Feeling stuck in a rut? Tired of the same old scenery?
Imagine living like royalty for less than you’re spending on your current lifestyle. I’ll show you how to ditch the daily grind and reveal the secrets of the New Jet Set.
World travel and international living are no longer just dreams; they’re achievable realities. I’ll give you seven undeniable reasons for taking off for a better life. My personal favorite –and I’m betting yours, too– is number 7.
Come on, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for. The lifestyle most people only dream of is just hours away.
Exotic Travel for the Not So Rich and Famous
Step 1 is joining the new Jet Set. Chances are you’re already a member.
If you’ve ever boarded a plane to visit another part of the country, you’re already meeting some of the prerequisites of membership. Jet travel used to be more expensive and limited to a relative few. Now, traveling by air is more affordable and within reach of almost everyone.
The membership roll of the new Jet Set is much larger than most imagine. Taking off for a better quality of life has been trending for some time. The US Department of State estimates there are nine million Americans living outside the United States. Ten years ago, the number was half this amount. There are more Americans living outside the United States than there are living in the entire state of New Jersey.
The International Civil Aviation Organization, an agency of the United Nations, recognizes more than 5,000 airlines worldwide. According to FlightAware, there are an average of 9,728 planes—carrying 1,270,406 people—in the sky at any given time. With so much competition, especially from the budget airlines, Jet Setting is easier and more affordable than ever before.
Anywhere in the world is just a plane ride away.
This statement of the obvious is taken to heart by those seeking the lifestyle they deserve in the land of their dreams. The treasure map of possibilities is unfolding before them, and they are taking off for their new land of opportunity.
Some Jet Setters are looking for the perfect climate, others want to break out of their 9-5 cubicle. Some desire a better lifestyle for less money, others need to escape the politics of their home country. Some yearn for a slower pace; others crave the adventure of a lifetime. ALL want to be happier.
This is the new Jet Set. They come from various backgrounds, for a variety of reasons, with a multitude of strategies, all looking for the one thing… a better quality of life.
The original Jet Set established a high bar for the post war high society.
The Original Jet Set
The year is 1952. Harry S. Truman is in the Oval Office presiding over a conflict in Korea. The soon-to-be iconic film, “Singin’ In the Rain” is playing at Radio City Music Hall. More than half of US households own a car, some with the new automatic transmission. Gas is 25 cents a gallon.
On Friday May 2, the world’s first passenger jet airliner departs London on its maiden voyage. The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) ushers in an era of faster air travel. Thirty-six passengers and seven crew members have front row seats to the birth of the Jet Set.
Initially, jet passenger service is marketed to the rich with routes to London, New York, Paris, and Rome. Additional routes open to Los Angeles, Athens, and Madrid. Celebrities and the wealthy begin taking off for exciting and exotic locations.
Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and Lauren Bacall are among the A-Listers along with many other rich and famous movie stars, politicians, and socialites. This international social group travels the world, hopping from one stylish location to another all via jet.
Jet Setting becomes exotic and glamorous—a lifestyle certainly beyond reach of the ordinary person.
Jet Setters breakfast in London, lunch in Rome, and party that night on the French Rivera. Suddenly, relatively unknown locations like Acapulco, St-Tropez, and Cannes become hot spots of the social elite.
Of course, the exclusivity of this group fosters competition. These Jet Setters need to not only travel in style, but they also need to be seen traveling in style. Publicizing their exploits becomes fun and exciting for many socialites. They make sure to be noticed in restaurants and clubs around the world. Their photos appearing in the newspapers make them even more popular.
Art imitates life in 1960 when Italian filmmaker, Federico Fellini directs, La Dolce Vita (‘the sweet life’ or ‘the good life’). The movie is about finding love and happiness. Over seven days and seven nights in Rome, we follow gossip journalist, Marcello Rubini along with his pushy news photographer, Paparazzo.
Their search for the good life eludes them but the term ‘paparazzi’ sticks.
Publications begin paying photographers for sensational photos and an industry is born. Even before it becomes a generic term for celebrity photographers, ‘paparazzi’ becomes a jet set phenomenon.
Passport Please
The requirements for joining the Jet Set are flexible. The only strict prerequisite is having a passport.
Only around 40 percent of Americans have a US passport. In Canada, 70 percent of the population possess a passport. In the United Kingdom, the percentage of passport holders is even greater at 75 percent.
Having a passport and actually using it are two different things. Most Americans have never traveled outside the United States. Even those with passports tend to stick close to home with visits to Mexico, Canada, or maybe a cruise in the Caribbean.
The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.
~ St. Augustine
You might say Americans need to get out more. Literally, out of the country. Close to 200 million Americans have never traveled abroad. How can we feel comfortable having such strong opinions of the world around us if our only source of information comes from television news and social media?
What’s In It for You
Here are 7 life-changing reasons for joining this adventurous group. You’ll have your own, but these are my favorites.
1. Making new friends. Meeting people along the way is easier than I thought it would be. I effortlessly expand my network of friends and contacts—no WiFi required.
2. Eating amazing food. I’m exposed to different foods, flavors, and textures. Think about the first time you tried Thai food or Chinese food. Those foods taste incredibly better in their home countries.
3. Feeding your mind. International travel sharpens my mind. I’m able to disconnect from the routine and status quo. My brain resets and I find myself more relaxed and open-minded.
4. Expanding your worldview. Exposure to different cultures provides me new insights and an appreciation of how I fit in the world. I build life skills I didn’t know I needed and boost my confidence.
5. Improving your vitality. There’s nothing like a fresh perspective to invigorate my health and well-being. A new outlook relieves stress, rejuvenates me, and makes me feel 10 years younger.
6. Enhancing your storytelling. Which story do you want to hear? The one about my Zoom call—or—how I ended up standing in the middle of an active international airport runway in Gibraltar?
7. Living more for less. This is my most favorite reason for joining the new Jet Set. For many destinations, I can live twice as well for half the cost of the United States.
At first glance, a global lifestyle seems like it would be more expensive, not less. For the original Jet Set it was. Today, you can live internationally on the equivalent of a Social Security check (which is around $1,900 a month). Just ask me, I’m doing it.
World travel and international living are life-changing adventures. One thing is for certain; when (if) you return home to your native country, you will see the world—and your place in it—from a totally new perspective.
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Jet Set 2.0
This isn't your parents' Jet Set. The wealthy and Hollywood elite may have been the founding members but over the past 60-70 years, this richly diverse group has grown exponentially.
The wealthy and the average. The young and old. Heck, even people like you and me can join the club. Luckily, we don’t need to worry about the paparazzi.
The Jet Set lifestyle is within reach and, unlike in the 1950s, this time it’s possible for you and me. This time it’s sustainable.
No longer do we need to consider ourselves limited by the lines drawn on a map. We are on the brink of massive change as we embrace our new identity in the international community—Citizens of the World.
Joining the new Jet Set activates a global approach to living well. Better health, greater wealth, and increased well-being. If you’re not seeing the lifestyle you envisioned for yourself, maybe you’ve been looking in the wrong places. Prepare to discover what’s been hiding just beyond your view.
