My mother was a worrier. Man, what a worrier! Anyone who knew her would have said the same thing and she would own it, but truly, she had her reasons. She had a tough life (I’m writing her bio finally) and was abandoned by her father at 1.5 years old in Hungary, and interred at Auschwitz Concentration Camp at age 24 for three years. She was transported in on the second train from Hungary before anyone had any idea what was going on—or what was to come. The camp was not even set to receive prisoners yet, and like millions after her, she was tagged and identified by number only: #3811. That’s how early in she was in and where she remained until April 1945, when the camp was finally freed.

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She had me (she thought she could not bear children), and worried about me profusely. Like any young male, I pushed back, pushing for my independence, and unfortunately I shut her out, and others, too. But I became self-proficient and probably (absolutely) took that too far.

So when it comes to medical treatments, I usually think I can handle it myself, and thankfully, I have. The “Superman” invulnerable complex many men have in their twenties is long past, and after a few broken bones and accidents, I recognize that I am not Superman. At age 72 I am amazingly healthy and have good genetics, and Kathleen and I have been blessed over our seven plus years of nomadic living.

How nomads take care of medical expenses overseas is one of the most common subjects that I write about along with many others. We’ve had our own personal experiences, including a few paramedic ambulance rides and visits to the ER, and without exception, all have been very inexpensive and were well handled. But probably nothing compares to our most recent experience in Sri Lanka.

I had a mishap that put a decent gash in my shin, deep enough to see the bone. It immediately bled profusely and fortunately there was a hospital in Kandy (the city) within a 5-minute ride. We pulled up, an attendant escorted me into the ER, and within minutes I had four different nurses working on me. They cleansed the wound, bathed it with sterile water and antiseptic, and added Betadine, and the doctor sutured me post haste with 10 stitches. They gave me a painkiller injection and antibiotics for four days and told me to change the bandage and take a look at it in three. As I was waiting to pay the bill I was conjecturing in my head: “How much was all this going to cost?” The number that came to my mind was $200 to $300 so when the bill came to $34 and change I was most pleasantly surprised.

Just for fun I checked what prices might be in the US, and I was told $2,500 minimum, and it could be as high as $6,000 at a hospital. For an Urgent Care it would be much cheaper, $350-$800, which actually sounds a lot less than what it would be in Real Life.

Three days later we were in a new town and since we didn’t have the proper tools to change the bandages, I went to a local hospital, which was not nearly as modern as the one we were at in Kandy, but it got surprisingly good reviews. The language issue was much more prominent there, but it was pretty obvious what I needed, and my translation device was effective. I was in to see the doctor in just a few minutes, she spoke decent English, and they escorted me into the next room which was specifically labeled “dressings,” so I suspect they do a lot of topical injuries like that. Even though it wasn’t as sterile as we probably would have liked, he put on rubber gloves and was delicate in removing the old bandages, and they did a decent job. Fortunately, everything looked good, with just some swelling around my ankle. As we were leaving I asked how much the bill was and she said, “go, nothing.” Now you don’t find that very often.

But the next few days were uncertain as my leg showed some symptoms of infection, so with a one day lapse I was back on antibiotics, and we concluded that I should get it looked at in a GOOD, ie, more modern hospital. We did a few nights later in Negombo, which is where we stayed the first few days of our bike tour, and finished there.

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We checked in to our hotel, took a 30 minute tuk-tuk ride to the hospital we were referred to, and as with the first one, got first-class service. A women in native garb met us, spoke English, and asked why I was there. I told her, she escorted me to the cashier (!) and I paid to see a doctor for a consult: $7.84. We saw the doctor and he suggested a blood test to see if any infection was present, and also an x-ray of my bone to be sure there was no infection inside. The long and short of it was that we got blood drawn, did the x-ray, and were on our way in about an hour. They never knew or asked my last name, and to them I was “Mr. Norman, age 72.”

And the bill was less than $20 USD

The good news is that the x-ray and blood count were normal and now I’m just taking it easy and letting time do its thing.

I have no agenda here other than to share this experience, and if you read my link from my prior post on this subject, you’ll get an idea of our medical run-ins over the years. We have Medicare, but for us it has no value. Going back to the US to use it is not practical and I hear about the long delays and inferior service. We have no insurance either, and that’s all I’m saying here since I don’t want to start anything controversial. We self-insure and over seven years have probably spent less than $5,000 including maintenance and medical scans.

I understand that major medical issues, injuries, and some conditions are things you need to really be conscientious of, and luckily we have had none that gave us major concerns. Some bronchitis, a dose of salmonella, a fainting episode, probably from dehydration, but thankfully no surgeries or broken bones.

For seven plus years we’ve lived outside the US and nothing I hear (and remember) about the US medical system gives me confidence. A few years ago I visited California and tried to access my Medicare program to see my assigned personal doctor: six weeks to get in. Maybe in the event of an emergency that would be different, but for me, personally, I’d rather take my chances on medical systems that really show they care, and it’s not all about the money.

Don’t forget!

If you’re a full-time (or mostly) Nomad who spends more time outside your home country than within, then I highly recommend you check out Airalo e-sims. Personally, I hate the idea of dealing with physical SIMs in each new country, having it expire, and then renewing it. With my e-sim, just one click of the button and it’s renewed, but I also have an extra advantage of getting Regional as well as International services (170 countries) for whatever period of time I need it! Will you be in Asia for several months? One e-sim covers 18 countries! Europe: 42 countries! Latin America: 17 countries. I get 5GB /month for a Regional Asia plan for $15 USD. Use promo code: NORMAN7447, and get $3 USD off your initial order.

As I mentioned in prior letters, I got a Chase credit card last year and started with a 60,000 points bonus. That’s almost enough for a round trip ticket from the US to Asia!! But with this link you’ll get 100,000 free points, which covers you for that flight AND rooms, too. The card has a $95 annual renewal fee, but I get $100 hotel allowance every year, so it pays for itself pretty easily.

Transferring money worldwide can be a little bit tricky, but I’m a big fan of WISE, which used to be called Transferwise. The WISE account ties into your bank account of your home country, and in minutes you can transfer money in and out, and send native currency to whatever country you need, and into their currency. Pay for rent, pay for larger items, even use the ATM card to get cash in many countries. I pay rent in our Vietnam property in just minutes. Use this link and pay NO FEES for the first $600 USD transfer. And thank you so much.

Thanks, and Happy Labor Day coming up for my American friends!

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You don’t have to dig too deep into history to remember what it was like “back in the day.” Traveling without a mobile phone; using pay phones when they were available; mailing postcards from afar, and using American Express Travelers checks. Things were hard! But the good news? Those days are behind you.

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Over the last 7 plus years of travel there have been more than a few times when we bought the wrong product at the grocery or pharmacy. Hair shampoo? Skin cream? We were not 100% sure, so had to guess, and you have a 50/50 chance of getting it right. And what about the ingredients and the quality of the food? If this drink says 100% natural, Is it really? But now with AI’s very quick ability to analyze nutritional information and labels, shopping is a breeze.

Since we’ve been in Vietnam, I’ve used my AI camera too many times to remember. I can determine if this product is good or if one product is better than another, and when I went out shopping for raisins, I had four different boxes posed on a shelf and I asked which one was better. It analyzed the cost per serving, the ingredients, whether one was more natural than another, and I found it made my decision much easier. The winner was from Peru. Another time I found a great selection of oatmeal on the shelf, and personally, I prefer steel cut over instant, so always look for that. Again, I had several choices, and knew which one to get. Surprisingly, Gemini identified the Russian variety as having the best ingredients and cost per serving.

Periodically I have high blood pressure concerns so try to monitor my diet and stay away from salt. But I wanted to get soy sauce (generally pretty salty), so we searched for the low salt version. My AI told me which label to look for (in Vietnamese), and I took a picture of the whole shelf, and it told me it was on the second shelf down on the right! It’s like having your own personal shopper!

Many years ago I started taking photos of products that we liked in different countries. I would put a label on it and say this is the popcorn I like in Albania or, this is my favorite tea in Malaysia. For that I have an album in my photo gallery. I did the same thing with meds.

Different countries have different laws about meds, as far as what is regulated or available by prescription, and which are over the counter. As a general rule, unless a drug is a narcotic, almost everything we’ve ever needed we were able to get. And cheaply, too. I take a picture of what I get in “X” country, show it to the pharmacist, and they will find their version, since most of the base ingredients are the same in most languages. It takes the guesswork out of it and saves money and time.

In Da Nang we found some “western style” groceries stores—but on steroids! Vast selection, especially in regional products, like noodles and sauces, but because this is a popular tourist destination, most larger stores carry products from Japan, China, Korea, and Russia, along with American made products.

Kathleen found some Korean noodles that she loved. Easy to make, inexpensive, and tasty, but she didn’t recall exactly which shelf they were on. We took a picture of the labels and were able to zero right in on it.

Look, I’m not saying that travel is not without its complications and stress, but compared to where we were seven years ago when WE started, or 20 years ago before cell phones were as robust as they are now, traveling internationally was much more difficult.

When I took my first long international trip exactly 10 years ago, in the summer of 2016, I was 62 and naïve as hell. Sure I did some research on the major things I needed to know, like travel logistics, but back then we had only manual SIMS in every country and that made data very undependable. Wifi was not as common, either. Google MAPS was pretty good, as was currency conversion, but language translation was very basic, and not always accurate. Trying to find rooms and directions was challenging, and ordering off menus and guessing what you were buying at the store was always a crap shoot. At that time, green or not, I was blown away by the younger travelers—the millennials mostly—who made it look easy. I told myself, “I need to travel like them,” and that was the seed of the whole Travel Younger concept. I had NO IDEA that 18 months later I would be leaving my home country and attempting to emulate those young’uns’ To say there was a huge learning curve is oh so true, but we found that once your “comfort zone” gets pushed larger and larger, it does so more easily. More willingly. More effortlessly.

And my goal is to help you do the same whether you are already living this nomadic life, contemplating it, or maybe just fantasizing. You CAN make your fantasies come true.

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The next day he happily shared with me that Christopher’s bicycle was not actually stolen! It was “borrowed” by his younger brother to go to the store to pick up some things, and he had so much to carry he left the bicycle there and walked home.

And totally forgot about it.

During their conversations about the “not” stolen bike, the younger brother conveniently forgot to mention that he had taken it, since he had forgotten where he left it. They backtracked his route during the prior day and concluded that it must still be at the grocery store. And it was. The owner very kindly put it inside overnight since no one claimed it, and my friend and his boys happily went back to retrieve the bike.

And these things happen all the time, all over the world, in many countries we have lived in. Overall people are surprisingly and amazingly honest, and the number of times that a vendor has given me money back when I gave them too much to begin with, is too countless to remember. And I’m sure you have stories too.

I know there is an opposite side to that coin as well, and many merchant stalls and flea market type environments are conducive to ripping off foreigners, ie, tourists. Many restaurants have two different menus, one for locals, and one for foreigners, and it’s just a fact of life. In many countries I think the truth is that everyone struggles, so they take every available opportunity to try to recoup whatever they can.

The first time a business let me leave without paying my bill I was dumbfounded. It happened in Saranda, Albania on our first visit there when I had a dinner that totaled about $15. After the fact I realized that they did not take credit cards, and I did not have enough cash. “No worries my friend,” he said, “bring it by tomorrow, or the next.”

I looked at Kathleen and just went, “OMG that was new!” I did not get a chance to go by the next day, but I did the day after and gave the money to the father who owned the restaurant. He didn’t even know that I owed money and insisted that I sit down and have a beer with him! Friendship on top of generosity.

A few years ago we were in Sicily and took an overnight ferry to Tunisia, our first visit to Africa, and our first Muslim country. We got a cabin for ourselves, but the boat was totally packed with Tunisians returning home loaded with goods from Italy that they could not get in their home country. These people had very little money, so many of them slept in the hallways, on couches where they could find them, and outside. The decks looked like a campground, and we had them outside our doors too, making a bit too much noise for my sleeping habit, but it got quiet by a certain time. The next morning we walked out and there was a Muslim family of three sitting on the floor having breakfast. They gave us a smile and a hello which we returned, and spoke enough English to ask about us, and insisted that we join them for breakfast. This husband, wife, and solo child had very little, yet they were willing to share it with a stranger there in the hallway. We were touched, but declined.

The Dual Menus of Survival

Of course, I am not naive enough to believe the world is entirely populated by saints. And we had a MAJOR awakening in May 2025, when our rented BMW GS750 motorcycle was stolen in Sicily on day 43 of a five month planned ride through Europe.

Looking Home

Reflecting on these global experiences, I don’t want to sound cynical or jaded about my home country of America. We have mostly honest, kind, and generous people living in the United States who would gladly give you the shirt off their back. However, looking at the contrast between the communal trust I’ve experienced abroad and the hyper-individualistic caution back home, it becomes clear that human nature is deeply influenced by circumstance. Throughout history, every society has had those who choose to take advantage of others. But when economic times get tough, it seems to exasperate that negative drive, causing people to close their doors, lock their gates, and view their neighbors with suspicion.

As a Baby Boomer who was born in the 50s, experienced childhood in the 60s, and puberty and young adulthood in the 70s, I don’t think I have rose-colored glasses on, but I THINK people overall were more honest then. More connected. Communal. Neighborhoods in many cases brought closeness and friendship, and people watched out for each other. I believe a lot of that in the US changed in the 80s when computers went from being a novelty to becoming a household helper. Businesses embraced them, personal relationships started to suffer, and by the time the nineties came along with the Internet, it went downhill from there.

Much of the rest of the world followed but at a much slower pace- first world countries excluded. In Europe many countries learned and followed “The American Way,” for better or for worse. Many of the countries we have visited and loved, from the Balkans to Southeast Asia, were struggling for survival and identity for decades, and even though crime certainly existed, it was more a matter of survival.

When we went to Tunisia on our first visit to Africa and our first Muslim country, Kathleen felt a bit out of place primarily because she dressed in “western attire,” complete with brighter colors than Tunisians were used to. Our preconception of what a Muslim country might be like was dashed by friendly, polite, respectful people—especially the younger ones. That trend continued in Turkiye, where we lived for nine months and got residency, and never feared walking the streets late at night. And last—Albania—which many people (us included back in the day) thought was a Dangerous Place, was far from it. Irony on irony, many foreigners are afraid to visit the US because of gun violence! Mass Shootings are definitely an American thing, though sadly being exported by vicious people.

What Christopher’s “stolen” bike, the Albanian restaurateur, and the Tunisian family taught me is that trust is a choice. Often, the people who have the least are the ones who understand most deeply that we are all we have, and we are all connected. Human honesty isn’t dead; sometimes, you just have to travel a few thousand miles outside your comfort zone to find it waiting for you outside a grocery store or on the floor of a ferry boat.

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• If you’re a full-time (or mostly) Nomad who spends more time outside your home country than within, then I highly recommend you check out Airalo e-sims. Personally, I hate the idea of dealing with physical SIMs in each new country, having it expire, and then renewing it. With my e-sim, just one click of the button and it’s renewed, but I also have an extra advantage of getting Regional as well as International services (170 countries) for whatever period of time I need it! Will you be in Asia for several months? One e-sim covers 18 countries! Europe: 42 countries! Latin America: 17 countries. I get 5GB /month for a Regional Asia plan for $15 USD. Use promo code: NORMAN7447, and get $3 USD off your initial order.

• As I mentioned in prior letters, I got a Chase credit card last year and started with 60,000 points. That’s almost enough for a round trip ticket from the US to Asia!! But with this link you’ll get 100,000 free points, which covers you for that flight AND rooms, too. The card has a $95 annual renewal fee, but I get $100 hotel allowance every year, so it pays for itself pretty easily. I’m using that credit for a week in Sri Lanka.

• Transferring money worldwide can be a little bit tricky, but I’m a big fan of WISE, which used to be called Transferwise. The WISE account ties into your bank account of your home country, and in minutes you can transfer money in and out, and send native currency to whatever country you need. Pay for rent, pay for larger items, even use the ATM card to get cash in many countries. I pay rent on our Vietnam property in just minutes. Use this link and pay NO FEES for the first $600 USD transfer. And thank you so much.

And don’t forget to become a paid subscriber! As a Travel Younger founder you will get:

The eBook of “Nomadic Life for All Ages,” and my most recent addition on northern Greece, called, “The History and Magic of Northern Greece.”

Nomadic Life shares our story from Day One, as we prepared to leave the US after six decades of living there, sell everything, and say goodbye to friends and family. The departure involves so much more than just getting on a plane, and the emotional, mental, spiritual, and financial aspects are all covered. The book offers tips and hints, and guidance on how to travel within Europe, deal with the nefarious “Schengen Zone,” along with lots of shortcuts and time savers. We spent time on six continents, so except for the Poles, we have you covered!

For anyone who likes Greece, or would like to know more about the “less visited” areas, this book covers our 31 day, 15 city motorcycle journey we took in the summer of 2022. This is in full color, so you can see some of the amazing and historical places we visited.

Over the past few years I have also written several other books and you will get a free copy of two of them!

One is called “COVIDstories,” and it shares the journey of 19 people who benefited from that once in a lifetime pandemic. Even though COVID virtually shut down the globe, almost destroyed the world of travel, and did personal damage to so many, the unfortunate event actually helped some people adapt, grow, and change for the better. I am one of the 19.

Book number two is a fantasy fiction book called “The World Series of Oz,” and that story was inspired by a dream that woke me and I turned into a novella. If you are a fan of The Wizard of Oz, baseball, or both, I think you’ll enjoy it. If that doesn’t interest you, I also offer a more sci-fi type novella called “Alien Gifts,” about a young man, Sammy, who is given three different superpowers over three years, from his former best friend. Who happens to be an alien. That story came out a conversation I had with Kat about, “What super powers would you like the most?” and you can get a copy of that one instead. Here’s some more details.

Would you like to know HOW to Manifest Your Travel Dreams?

Then you can join me in my one hour webinar with that title as I walk through some of the processes involved when contemplating a nomadic lifestyle. This webinar was first presented in 2019, but SOOO much has changed and it is now fully updated.

Going somewhere?

How about… a 10 day small yacht cruise off the coast of Croatia, leaving from Split, going south to Dubrovnik? Or maybe a motorcycle tour of some of the most magnificent countries I have ridden: Romania? Vietnam? Ecuador? I have traveled all three, but also have Sri Lanka and Nepal available through close connections. Maybe you’d like some adventure on a 10 day safari along the plains of Tanzania?

What’s your fantasy trip??

These tours will be offered to you at seriously great prices in a few months, and will be limited to small groups of 10 or less. Please take a moment to tell us which one you like the most!

And finally, you will also get a FREE video call with Travel Younger (that’s me) every calendar quarter, and you can ask your specific questions and address your particular needs.

Is that all worth $50 to you?

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In Oct 2023 Kat and I cruised from Honolulu to Sydney, with stops in three islands in French Polynesia and two in New Zealand. Here’s a link to Part I if you missed it. They were only one day stops, but it was long enough to give us a feel for them and to contemplate returning. The result was that we loved them all and would definitely like to return.

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In Part I (One) I didn’t get into specifics about prices, so now I will.

Prior to leaving we did a lot of research on the where on the ship to stay since seasickness was a concern. We were told to stay “mid-ship, lower cabin,” but our second deck room was too rocky and it was WEIRD looking out our porthole and seeing the waves crashing up against it!! We spoke with a lot of fellow passengers, most of them with more experience than we had, and our conclusion was that mid-ship right under the SHOPS is where you want to be if you want stability. It makes sense since they want you to shop “in comfort.” You probably won’t get a porthole looking out, but I think that’s a good trade off.

We paid $2200 each and the only upgrade we did was a “coupon” for daily Starbucks visits and on-board wifi, which was actually quite good. I suspect they use some type of Starlink network for data, and I wouldn’t do a Zoom call, but I did have several good video calls on WhatsApp. Many of the people we met were frequent Royal Caribbean customers, so they got killer deals, but some people booked last minute and got in for less than $1000. Now THAT’S a great price. It pays to be open to your room location, but even so, that would bring down the daily cost to about $55. Our cost per day totaled about $122 and that included three (or more) very good meals, programs, and entertainment.

The trip I’m contemplating going from Tokyo (actually Yokohama) to Los Angeles is 17 days next May with four stops within Japan, but nothing else along the way, so that would entail 12 solid days at sea. I think I can handle that. The price for that RIGHT NOW: $1009, which is down from what it was the last two times I checked ($1200 and $1300), so LUCK and timing matter. A price of $1009 for 17 days comes out to about $60 per day. Try finding just a room in a decent city for that price!!

For those that were concerned about seasickness I suggest Sea-bands, which are simple bands with a ball on it that applies pressure to the underside of your wrist. They seem to work and are more organic than meds if they work for you.

This voyage would get me to Southern California for as long as I need, then I would fly back to probably Vietnam, since I’m not quite sure where I will base myself next May.

I have used credit card points over the years but NOW is when they show their full power.

I got a Chase Sapphire Preferred card last year which included a 60,000 miles bonus, and that was a great place to start. Now I’m over 110K miles and that would easily get me a ROUND TRIP ticket from Asia to Los Angeles, but since I’m only going one way, I can do it for half that. Compare that to what plane tickets are retailing for these days! Over the past few months I’ve been learning the best ways to USE these points, and my conclusion is to partner with an airline that is going where you want to fly. In my case that means Virgin Air, Air Canada, and United (I’m partnering with Air Canada), and what’s cool is that I can transfer points from Chase to those carriers in a few minutes.

You may use reward cards already and maybe even have a few in your wallet, but Chase keeps encouraging me to share their Sapphire card with YOU, and in exchange you get 100,000 miles, rather than the 60,000 I got. The card is $99 a year, but if you got a round trip ticket from the US to Europe or Asia, that is one hell of a deal! Here’s the link, and you’d be helping me out, too, since I’d get 15,000 miles as a thank you from them. So thank YOU very much! (Earn 100,000 bonus points with Sapphire Reserve® or 100,000 bonus with points with Sapphire Preferred®.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19x/B89PXJ4EJ0

And if you need help figuring out how to partner with any of those carriers, let me know and I’ll walk you through it.

The Affordability Question: Why are these cruises so cheap? Well, there are several reasons:

Supply and Demand

The one-way nature of these cruises automatically shrinks the pool of potential buyers since the Time at Sea is so long. Most vacationers only have a week off work (especially Yanks!) and would generally fly somewhere on a round-trip flight. A 15-night crossing from Barcelona to Miami requires a massive chunk of time off but only one return flight. To convince travelers to take the logistical plunge, cruise lines slice ticket prices to the bone.

Lower Port Fees

A massive chunk of your standard cruise ticket actually goes toward port taxes and passenger fees charged by each island or city the ship visits. Less time at port = lower (or no) port fees. Like in my case, I would have only a few within Japan. Those savings are passed directly onto you.

The “Captive Audience” Factor

Cruise lines are sophisticated businesses, and they know that if you are on a ship for XX days at sea, you are going to spend money. Even if your entry ticket is cheap, you will likely buy an espresso at the cafe, book a treatment at the spa, play a few hands of blackjack in the casino, or upgrade to a specialty steakhouse dinner. I know on our first crossing there was a LOT of money spent at the bar by those Aussies!!

I’m not much of a drinker, but Kat did buy some items in their gift shops which were surprisingly well priced. We didn’t do any excursions with the carrier, but we did get some directly with a tour company on land.

Why Their Popularity Keeps Growing

In recent years, Repositioning Cruises have transitioned from a travel industry secret to a booming travel trend. They are no longer just filling seats; they are catering to a rapidly changing demographic.

• The increase of “digital nomads” who don’t care WHERE they work as long as they have good wifi.

  

• More and more people—especially older ones—are willing to take longer vacations and the value proposition for a one way cruise and one return ticket makes sense for them.

• Cruise companies are pretty smart when it comes to keeping people “entertained,” so it’s not just nighttime entertainment, it’s also daytime programs which can be very interesting and educational. Many times they have high-recognition speakers and can offer workshops as well.

By the way: If you want to travel with your DOG, most cruise lines have kennels along with areas to play with your four-legged friends.

Is a “Right” for You?

Who knows?? Prior to the Hawaii> Sydney cruise, my only experience was a Los Angeles to Mexico three day deal which did NOT excite me. And if something like that has been your only experience, you might really enjoy an ADVENTURE! Try it out, and let me know what you think.

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Welcome to the world of Repositioning cruises.

Kat and I did our first one almost three years ago, from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Sydney, Australia, over 18 days. This was a FIRST for us to be on the water for so long, but the decision was an easy one.

We were in Albania at the time the conversation started, and I said I wanted to take her to my Maui timeshare which she had never seen and I had not been to in seven or so years. She wanted to see her kids in Ohio, and I also had a business event in Arizona, and the timing worked out for all the above! We started the journey with our second 90 day bike trip in Europe and the Balkans over the summer, ended in Romania, where I took the bike back, then flew to Paris on French Bee, on a very affordable flight to Newark, NJ. From there we went to Ohio, where Kat remained, and I went on to California and my event. Later we reconnected in Orange County and flew to Maui, spent a week at my timeshare, and then 10 days on the Big Island, since we had a gap before the cruise left the beginning of October. Quite a whirlwind over a five month period!

But then the fun began! From the Big Island we flew to Honolulu to pick up our Royal Caribbean, Brilliance of the Seas.

Here are some links to our blog sharing that period below since it covers several weeks. Let’s just say aside from some queasiness with Kat’s belly on the first few days, and the excessive heat, then very chilly temps in New Zealand, we had a great time. The cruise was 90% Aussies, and they were all cordial, inviting, and just great people to know. We remain in touch with several of them.

• https://travelyounger.com/chapter-176-18-days-at-sea/

• https://travelyounger.com/chapter-177-18-days-at-sea-the-voyage-of-5000-miles-honolulu-to-sydney-5071-mi/

• https://travelyounger.com/chapter-178-sydney-our-new-favorite-large-city-canberra-beyond/

The beauty of the tour was that we got to places that would be totally impractical to visit directly by air. I mean, Tahitia? Moorea? Raiatea? I never in my wildest dream ever thought I’d get there.

And our last two stops were New Zealand, and Sydney. Imagine waking up about 0600 and looking out your porthole at one of the most iconic structures in the world: the Sydney Opera House.

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We looked at this as a solution to several things, including making our way back to Asia, which we did, by flying to Bali after we were done in Oz.

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Here’s some Repositioning Cruise Basics

Q: Why are they so affordable?

A: Unlike standard cruises, which typically sail in a loop and return you to your exact starting point, a repositioning cruise is a one-way voyage. Most cruise ships, like migratory birds, follow the sunshine, and when the summer season winds down in one corner of the globe, cruise lines must physically move their multi-billion-dollar vessels to a completely different region to catch the next wave of vacationers. Rather than sailing these massive ships completely empty—which would be a huge waste of fuel and resources—cruise lines open the cabins to the public at deeply discounted rates. And that is how Repositioning cruises started to be noticed, and they have grown significantly over the years.

The Most Common Seasons—and Directions

Repositioning cruises don’t run year-round, but cloister around two peak windows: Spring (March to May) and Autumn (September to November).

During these shoulder seasons (BTW, the best time of year to travel in my opinion), the global cruise fleet undergoes a massive shuffle, charting historic trade routes and passing through engineering marvels.

1. The Transatlantic Shuffle (Europe & The Caribbean)

This is the granddaddy of all repositioning routes.

• The Autumn Migration: As Europe cools down in October and November, ships leave Mediterranean hubs like Barcelona, Rome, and Southampton, heading west across the Atlantic toward sunny winter homeports like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Galveston.

• The Spring Migration: In April and May, the reverse happens. Ships leave the Caribbean and head east back to Europe for the Mediterranean and Baltic summer seasons.

  

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2. The Pacific & Alaska Crossing (North America & Asia/Australia)

When the Alaskan cruise season wraps up in September, ships docked in Seattle or Vancouver don’t stay in the cold. Some head south down the coast of the Americas, transiting the iconic Panama Canal to join the Caribbean fleet. Others head west across the Pacific toward Hawaii, the South Pacific islands, and down to Australia or across to Japan and Southeast Asia.

This was the one we took in October, 2023, and this is what I’m looking at now. For next Spring of 2027.

I have no incentive or reason to return to the US, except for the expiration of my driver’s license—which I still need. Even though we rarely rent cars, we do rent a lot of bikes and scooters. And since I have that very significant “M” motorcycle endorsement on my license, I need to renew it. If I had NOT gotten that I generally would be limited to 125 cc bikes, which is OK for some places, but not for longer multi-day rides. The problem is, I cannot renew this online since I did that last time, and in California they require Old Guys over 70 to get a vision test.

So that is my motivation to return.

I have enough points on my credit card to cover a round trip ticket, but I thought I’d keep the spirit of adventure and look into another Repositioner. The only thing that makes sense is to leave from ASIA and head to the US, since that is where the seasonal new positioning goes. I found a Royal Caribbean leaving Yokohama (Tokyo), Japan, in May of next year, and landing in Los Angeles 18 days later. And THAT works for me.

In Part II I’ll cover some of the other cruise options in the world, why they are as cheap as they are, and talk about the possible future of that market. According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the market has grown from 23 million passengers in 2016 to 37.2 million passengers in 2025, a 62% growth overall, and an average of almost 6% annually. And here’s what’s interesting.

The next ten year’s numbers are expected to DOUBLE over the past decade, and there are about 60 new ships on order for the next five years.

So if you’d like to try something new, stick around for my next report!

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One is Bali, which happens to be one of my most favorite places in the world. And I have discussed this before, that old, “it ain’t what it used to be,” complaint. Yea, I know; it’s not. And of course, Bali is not alone when it comes to places that have changed, but not necessarily for the better. So, what does Bali have going for it?

The “Old Bali” Still Exists (you just need to look outside the cities)

The complaints about gridlock and concrete are usually entirely contained within a small southwestern pocket: Canggu, Seminyak, and parts of Ubud. If you step outside that bubble, the timeless, slow-paced island is alive and well.

• The Reality: Places like Sidemen, Munduk, and Candidasa offer the exact same misty rice terraces, quiet coastal roads, and sleepy village life that drew travelers to Bali decades ago. Personally, I like Sanur, which is not quite out of the way, but is a much slower pace of life.

• The Solution: “Old Bali” isn’t gone; it just requires a slightly longer drive.

The “Zen factor” is no longer there…

Au contraire, as they say in France! Many places lose their cultural soul to tourism, but Bali’s Tri Hita Karana (the traditional philosophy of harmony between people, nature, and the divine) is remarkably unbreakable.

• Daily canang sari (baskets of offerings) still line the sidewalks, ceremonies and parades still close down major thoroughfares, and village temple life remains the absolute priority for locals. If you’ve been there, you recall the daily prayer offerings in front of every business and home. I have not seen that anywhere else and is very much aligned with their Hindu religion.

• The Balinese haven’t sold out their spiritual heritage for tourism; they have integrated tourism into their world without letting it dictate their values.

Modern Technology has been an ASSET in Bali!

While some might miss the cheap, basic beach shacks of the 1980s, the evolution of Bali has brought an incredible level of comfort that makes it one of the most livable islands on earth.

• The Amenities: You get high-speed fiber-optic internet, excellent medical clinics, top-tier gyms, and wellness retreat infrastructure that rivals any major Western city.

• The Culinary Scene: The food scene has exploded far beyond basic nasi goreng. Bali is home to some of the most innovative plant-based dining, specialty coffee roasters, and international cuisine in Southeast Asia, all at a fraction of Western prices.

What kind of “life” do you want? Bali Offers Many Choices & Lifestyles

Few destinations allow you to design your day so fluidly. Because of the sheer variety of micro-regions, you can easily match your environment to your exact mood or lifestyle goals:

Those are some examples of where you can still find remnants of “Old Bali,” and excludes the places where it may be lost.

Where The People Truly Embrace That Bali Culture and Warmth

Even with the influx of millions of tourists, the innate hospitality and warmth of the Balinese people remain unmatched. The hospitality here isn’t transactional; it feels genuinely relational. In many places the people are “nice” because they value your dollars; here they value YOU. When you pair that cultural warmth with the value for money—where a beautiful villa with a private pool or a world-class spa treatment is accessible to everyday travelers—it is incredibly hard to find an equivalent anywhere else in the world.

Conclusion (for now):

Bali didn’t get worse; it just grew up. If you go expecting the empty beaches of 1995, you’ll be disappointed. But if you accept it for the vibrant, culturally rich, hyper-livable island it is today, you’ll realize the magic never actually left. And along those lines, Bali remains immensely affordable compared to much of the world.

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Meanwhile, just 1700 miles away…

Lies Vietnam, and when we got here in mid-March—from Bali—we both lamented over leaving since Bali truly did (and does) capture our soul. But Vietnam gets its share of bashing, especially in Da Nang, which truly has become a poster child as an expat and digital nomad’s haven, and the construction and rebuilding has truly been a legitimate source of complaints. But, that being said…

The complaints about Da Nang are identical to what you hear in Bali: “It’s just a playground of construction cranes, the beach strip is overdeveloped, and the prices aren’t what they were five years ago.”

But just like Bali, the critics are usually looking at a single, highly compressed tourist strip—specifically the high-rise concrete canyon of My Khe Beach. If you step back and look at the broader geography, Da Nang has actually transformed into one of the most functional, naturally blessed, and dynamic coastal hubs in Asia.

• The “Cost” Myth vs. Western Value: While a bowl of bún chả cá or pho might cost slightly more than it does in a remote village, Da Nang remains an absolute steal compared to Western standards. The “higher costs” actually fund incredible infrastructure: immaculate, garbage-free public beaches, beautifully paved riverside walks, and reliable city services.

• The Ultimate Hub Strategy: You aren’t just visiting Da Nang; you are accessing Central Vietnam. Within a 45-minute radius, you have the ancient lantern-lit streets of Hoi An, the dramatic heights of the Hai Van Pass, and the quiet artisan history of the Non Nuoc area. Even though flights from Da Nang airport are not as prolific as many cities, the airport is small, intimate, and very easy to navigate.

• The Cleanest City in Vietnam: Unlike the intense, chaotic exhaust of Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City (we’ve been to both), Da Nang’s wide streets and coastal breezes mean the air is clean, the traffic is orderly, and the city actually breathes. You’ll rarely have to wait 10 minutes to cross the street or feel you are putting your life on the line, and even though there IS a lot more traffic than there was when we were last here in 2024, it is still manageable.

There has certainly been a huge increase in nomads, digital and non, and even though rents have increased, there are still bargains to be had. We rented the apartment we had two years ago with the intention of staying very long term and pay just over $500 USD month for a newer studio with a newly added kitchen.

That said, the vacant lots that were on BOTH sides of our building are no longer vacant. One side houses the cutest Cat café and is just a single story structure, and on the opposite side there is a still under construction building that looks about 80% complete. True, construction noise can start quite early, many times before 7:00 a.m., but due to the hot weather it’s the only way that makes sense.

And compared to Hanoi, the capital, and Ho Chih Minh, you have much better air quality and much easier traffic to deal with. Even comparing it to Bali there are still some benes, including lower cost of living, much better quality beaches, and overall better infrastructure regarding utilities and outages.

I believe no matter where you live, people will find something to complain about, and that includes locals as well as visitors or foreign residents.

How do you know who to believe? You might think I have rose colored glasses on, and there’s some truth there, but after 7 plus years of traveling and hundreds of places I’ve been, when it comes to southeast Asia, Bali and Da Nang are at the top of MY list.

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As a Travel Younger Founder these are the things you get:

The eBook of “Nomadic Life for All Ages,” as well as “The History and Magic of Northern Greece,” which describes our 31-day tour we did to 15 different cities in Northern Greece a few years ago, and all the history we experienced.

Nomadic Life shares our story from Day One, as we prepared to leave the US after six decades of living there, sell everything, and say goodbye to friends and family. The departure involves so much more than just getting on a plane, and the emotional, mental, spiritual, and financial aspects are all covered. The book offers tips and hints, and guidance on how to travel within Europe, deal with the nefarious “Schengen Zone,” along with lots of shortcuts and time savers. We spent time on six continents, so except for the Poles, we have you covered!

Our Northern Greece book shares the “less visited” areas and is in full color, so you can see some of the amazing and historical places we visited.

Here’s a few other freebies!

One is called “COVIDstories,” and it shares the journey of 19 people who benefited from that once in a lifetime pandemic. Even though COVID virtually shut down the globe, almost destroyed the world of travel, and did personal damage to so many, the unfortunate event actually helped some people adapt, grow, and change for the better. I am one of the 19.

Book number two is a fantasy fiction book called “The World Series of Oz,” and that story was inspired by a dream that woke me and I turned into a novella. If you are a fan of The Wizard of Oz, baseball, or both, I think you’ll enjoy it. If that doesn’t interest you, I also offer a more sci-fi type novella called “Alien Gifts,” about a young man, Sammy, who is given three different superpowers over three years, from his former best friend. Who happens to be an alien. That story came out a conversation I had with Kat about, “What super powers would you like the most?” and you can get a copy of that one instead. Here’s some more details.

Would you like to know HOW to Manifest Your Travel Dreams?

Then you can join me in my one-hour webinar with that title as I walk through some of the processes involved when contemplating a nomadic lifestyle. This webinar was first presented in 2019, but SOOO much has changed and it is now fully updated.

Going somewhere?

How about… a 10 day small yacht cruise off the coast of Croatia, leaving from Split, going south to Dubrovnik? Or maybe a motorcycle tour of some of the most magnificent countries I have ridden: Romania? Vietnam? Ecuador? I have traveled all three but also have Sri Lanka coming up this August. Or maybe you’d like some adventure on a 10 day safari along the plains of Tanzania?

What’s your fantasy trip??

These tours will be offered to you at seriously great prices in a few months and will be limited to small groups of 10 or less. Please take a moment to tell us which one you like the most!

And finally, you will also get a FREE video call with Travel Younger (that’s me) every calendar quarter, and you can ask your specific questions and address your particular needs.

Is that all worth $50 to you?

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On a personal note, I will soon start my TikTok channel which I’ve been wanting to do for years! It will start at the beginning of my travels and offer regular video updates of lots of different experiences and lessons from the past seven plus years. Along the video lines, I will also be doing regular video features on Vietnam (to start) for International Living magazine, who I have been writing for for three plus years.

For anyone who has ever traveled throughout Asia, it becomes immediately apparent that noodles, alongside rice, form the foundation of daily life and culinary eating. They are not merely side dishes or fillers; they are the canvas upon which centuries of history, geography, and culinary innovation are painted. But to US, the outsiders, the uninitiated, a noodle is just a noodle. Nothing could be further from the truth. The sheer variety, textures, and types of noodles found across the continent are nothing short of insane. They can be crafted from an astonishing array of base ingredients, ranging from staple grains like rice and wheat to protein-rich eggs and a diverse selection of subterranean tubers and root vegetables.

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When you pair this structural variety with a regional variety of aromatic spices, fresh herbs, and complex broths, you unlock the tremendous, mind-boggling diversity that Asian cuisine is globally celebrated for. To truly understand Asian food, you must understand that every noodle and every grain of rice tells a specific story of the soil and water from which it came.

The Magic of Central Vietnam: The Legend of Cao Lầu

To appreciate how deeply noodles are tied to geography, one needs to look no further than the ancient, lantern-lit streets of Hoi An, located in Central Vietnam near the coastal city of Da Nang, and where I am currently living. This historic trading port is famous for a dish called Cao Lầu, which serves as a prime example of how localized a noodle can truly be.

Unlike the traditional soft, smooth Vietnamese rice vermicelli or the delicate, translucent ribbons used in a classic bowl of Pho, Cao Lầu noodles are an entirely different beast. They are dense, firm, remarkably chewy, and carry a distinct, smoky brownish-yellow tint. What makes them so unique, however, is their exclusive hyper-locality.

Authentic Cao Lầu noodles can only be made right here in Hoi An, and this is because of a highly specific, age-old recipe that requires a unique combination of ash-lye water drawn from an ancient, hidden well, which is in the city. The ash used to create this lye mixture doesn’t come from just any wood; it must be harvested from the trees grown on the nearby Cham Islands, just off the coast. The unique alkaline properties of this ash-lye water give the noodle its signature springy texture and yellowish hue. If you try to recreate that recipe elsewhere it simply falls flat: it is a dish bound entirely to its birthplace.

The Undisputed King: Rice Noodles and the Gluten-Free Wonder

Moving from the highly specialized to the beautifully ordinary, rice remains the undisputed king of noodles across Vietnam and most of Southeast Asia. As the saying goes, “For all the rice in China,” Vietnam boasts an equally staggering abundance of this vital grain.

From a culinary science perspective, rice noodles are fascinating because rice lacks gluten. While Western pasta relies heavily on the gluten component to achieve elasticity, rice noodles rely entirely on the precise gelatinization of rice starch during the steaming and cutting process to hold their shape. This chemical process gives them a distinct, delicate tenderness and a clean profile that allows accompanying broths to shine.

As a wonderful side benefit, this makes the vast majority of Southeast Asian noodle dishes a natural haven for the gluten-intolerant people of the world. Among these, round rice vermicelli (bún) holds a special place in my heart. It has a distinct, subtle tang due to a slight fermentation process before the rice paste is extruded. It serves as the perfect, light carrier for absorbing the smoky sweet and savory fish-sauce-based broth of bún chả—a grilled pork masterpiece native to Hanoi.

The Northern Champions: The Art of Wheat and Egg

While rice dominates the tropical, water-rich south, wheat noodles are the major players in the northern parts of Asian countries. Wheat is naturally suited to cooler, more temperate climates, making it the dominant grain in Northern China, Japan, Korea, and parts of Central Asia.

Wheat flour contains gluten, which unlocks an entirely different aspect. The structure of wheat allows the dough to be stretched, pulled, spun, kneaded, and rolled, and this elasticity makes wheat a highly creative and theatrical component of cooking showmanship.

When you add egg to the wheat mixture, the culinary profile shifts again. Egg noodles offer increased nutritional value, a rich yellow coloring, and a sturdy structure capable of standing up to heavier, richer, and oilier dishes.

On the minimalist end of the wheat spectrum sits Japanese udon. If you ever wondered exactly what gives udon its iconic status, its beauty lies in its absolute simplicity, since it has but three basic ingredients—wheat flour, water, and salt—and the magic is entirely in the kneading and aging process. The result is a thick, clean, stark white noodle with a dense, deeply satisfying chew.

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Roots, Tubers, and Beans: The Translucent Revolution

Beyond grains, Asia has mastered the art of extracting starch from roots and legumes. Among these, glass noodles (also known as cellophane or bean thread noodles) are a personal favorite.

Instead of grains, these are made from the starches of various tubers and roots, including sweet potatoes, ordinary potatoes, and canna root. The extraction and drying process creates a noodle that is completely clear when cooked. They are incredibly chewy, boast a slippery texture, and are good at absorbing heavy broths, stir-fry sauces, and sesame oils without ever getting soggy or mushy. And they make a mean Pad Thai!

Soybeans and mung beans also play a massive role in the Asian noodle ecosystem. We are all familiar with tofu, which started as simple soybean curds and remains one of the world’s best sources of plant-based protein for those avoiding meat and fish. But when mung bean starch is isolated, it creates some of the finest, most delicate glass noodles available.

Let us not forget buckwheat, a pseudo-cereal hardy enough to grow in poor alpine soils. When ground down, it creates the earthy, nutty flavor profile of Japanese soba noodles, often served chilled on a bamboo mat with a delicate dipping sauce.

A Global Perspective: The Grain Trade and the Specialty Gap

Diets and food cultures vary dramatically all over the world, but it is fascinating to see how certain base ingredients are shared globally. The real magic, however, lies in exactly what is done with those base ingredients based on cultural traditions.

Consider wheat. It is America’s biggest crop, and the United States stands as one of the top agricultural powerhouses in the world. But how is that massive harvest utilized? Interestingly, about half of the wheat grown in the US is used domestically—much of it going toward livestock feed—while the other half is exported across the globe. The old geopolitical clichés used to proclaim that “America is the world’s policeman,” a statement that may still carry weight, but the safer agricultural cliché is that “America feeds the world.”

The same surprising dynamic applies to rice. We rarely think of the United States as being a major rice producer—I certainly didn’t, yet, the US grows roughly 20 billion pounds of rice annually. Just like wheat, about 50% of this yield is exported to international markets, while the remainder satisfies domestic demand.

However, what the Western hemisphere lacks in its mass-production model is the delicate variety of specialized aromatic rice that defines Asian dining, like Jasmine rice, from Thailand, or the nut-flavored grains of Basmati rice, which comes from the foothills of the Himalayas in India and Pakistan. These varieties are not just food; they are heritages preserved over generations.

The Living Breadbasket

So many things in daily life are taken completely for granted, especially the fundamental question of where our food comes from. In the West, food often appears on a supermarket shelf, divorced from its agricultural origins.

In Asia, however, the source is impossible to ignore. Rice fields abound across the landscape, stretching out in brilliant green terraces that double as major international tourist attractions, from Ubud in Bali to Sapa in Vietnam. Between rice and noodles, probably 80% or more of all Asian dishes feature one or the other as the primary component, and Asia stands as a massive, self-sustaining breadbasket—or more accurately, a noodle-bowl—for the entire planet.

Ultimately, whether it is an ancient well-water recipe in a small Vietnamese town, a hand-pulled wheat noodle in Northern China, or a fragrant bowl of Himalayan basmati rice, the message is clear: never assume they are all the same. Every grain and every strand holds a world of flavor waiting to be discovered.

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And these tools are what made our travels so “easy” in the past few years. But AI? NOW you’re talking about traveling on a whole new level.

ChatGPT, one of the original AI programs, has been around for a while (November 2022 to be exact), and within 2 months had 100 million users, but I was not one of them. The early adopters got with the program pretty quickly, but it’s only been a few months since I started dipping in. But now I find uses for my Gemini, Kat loves her Chat, (which she named “Leo,”) usually several times a day.

There’s scores of similar type of programs, many tens of thousands I discovered, which surprised me, too. I used to treat Gemini like a Google search engine, but it has become invaluable part of my life as I now find it part of my daily ritual, and I believe we will be together until death do me part...

Many things AI can do are pretty simple and obvious, but that does not make them any less significant. For example, “find me the cheapest flight between Denver and Dallas,” is no more than a Google search, but when you add it the details, the nuances of what you really want, is when AI shines. If I’m in Vietnam, which I will be soon again, and I want to know the best way to get to Da Lat from Da Nang, it will give me options between flying, training, or busing. And then it gets fun! Which is the cheapest? If I take a train, what are my options? Do I want a seat or a sleeper car? Do I want a room alone or shared? Can I order a bottom bunk instead of a top bunk? All those questions can be drilled down so you know what app to go to so you can get exactly what you want.

When traveling overseas you need to know which countries needs visas and which don’t, and Gemini will give me that info. It will tell me how long I can stay, the different visas available, and the cost and direct web site. And since there have been several countries we have wanted to remain in longer—or even get residency—it will spit that out, too.

Since we rent motorcycles, many countries require me to have an International Driver’s Permit, which is not a license per se, but just a validation that I have a legal one from my home country. AAA in the US issues them, but only for 12 months, and not all countries recognize the US variety. So that got me looking at getting an Indonesian driver’s license as well as one for Vietnam, and I learned all the details of which is easier/ better/ cheaper, and that data allowed me to decide. It’s also great to know, “what ATM charges no fees to get cash?” in any country, and find those machines. NOTE: they are not always accurate, so it’s good to ask others and do separate research if you want firm answers. I can also give Gemini my location and find out where the closest ATMS are.

Since we love Vietnam so much, especially Da Nang, I wanted to know, “what other coastal towns in Vietnam have calm waters, little coral to walk over, and have populations under 500,000 people?” and I got a list that I was able to drill down further and further. So far I have checked out four alternative cities in Vietnam and now have options to visit. Even if you love where you live it’s nice to take side trips, too. Speaking of, Vietnam only offers a visa for 90 days, so every three months we have to leave the country, stamp our passports elsewhere, and then we can return. Some people do visa runs via bus to Laos, and several businesses offer these services and have full buses every day. We choose to do it differently, and plan to actually GO somewhere every three months, and use our base as our home. We just finished our first 90-day visa and had a choice of where to go, so what did we do? We asked Gemini, “would May be a better month to visit Japan or Hainan Island, China?” and got a plethora of information about flights and stays and weather and crowds.

And that is why we picked Japan for this visa run.

And in Japan, the foreign text, which can be either of Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana (yes I used AI for that, too) is very difficult for westerners, and Google translate does not pick up on all the nuances of signs and labels. Which is where Gemini comes in once again.

At a drugstore I was looking for the best electrolytes to buy, and I got the exact brands to choose, which was best, and the Japanese names for them. I asked, “what’s the best similar product to Gaviscon in Vietnam?” and that is how I found their best option. If I see a product on the shelf of a grocery I can take a picture in Gemini and ask, “what is this product?” or “is this drink healthy?” and I can pick exactly what I’m looking for. There’s an Italian shaving cream that I really like, but cannot get outside of Italy, so I asked for the closest in ingredients in any country, and I know exactly what to look for. I am considering buying a scooter in Vietnam, which is very inexpensive, so I asked what I should consider, how much would it cost, and what is the used market like, and I got answers to all.

Some of you may recall that I had a medical urgency recently when my blood pressure dropped precipitously after a long, hot hike the day before, and that scared the hell out of Kat and me. We both researched our own AI programs to discover what happened, how to prevent it, and any changes I should implement going forth. And I have.

Daily I tell Gemini how many steps I did the day prior, what my BP was, how I slept, what meds I took or didn’t, how hydrated I was, etc.… and he will offer feedback and sometimes direction for that new day. Of course AI cannot replace a doctor, but it can offer guidance to determine if I even need one or anything more extreme. In some countries I have had medical tests done and the results are returned in a PDF document. It will detail my results and compare it to the norm, BUT, when I download that into Gemini it goes into much more detail and I can pick it apart as I need to.

The bottom line is, if you have not dipped into using AI for your travels, please try it. Ask it ANYTHING, no matter how weird, exotic, or extreme, and don’t worry about punctuation or spelling, it will get it figured out to know what you mean. Hey, it’s a TOOL, and tools are only as good as how they are used, for good or bad, the right way or wrong way. In our lives, as we keep on moving forward in our travels, our New Best Friend will always be by our side.

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The first day we were in Hanoi we walked down the street in Old Town, and I noticed an exhibit of Peugeots at an exhibit hall called the Hanoi Cultural Exchange Center. I thought they might have Peugeot motorcycles in there, but the exhibit only included bicycles—and lots of them. Over 100 were on display, built from 1892 to 1992, and come to find out this was only a fraction of what the owner, Đào Xuân Tình, had in his collection. Oh, and he collected old sewing machines and time pieces as well, so this was a fascinating man.

Finally the day before we left Hanoi I walked over to the Exchange Center and started viewing the bikes. In a few minutes this sharply dressed man came over to say hello, and he asked the number one question we get all the time: “Where are you from?” I told him, and he got excited and wanted to talk, so pulled out his Google Translate, and I did the same, and we were about to get to know each other courtesy of technology, but I had no idea how personal it would get.

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He called over his wife, and since they were with another couple, they came over too. The man started showing me around and took me over to the collection of old sewing machines, which were very personal and known to me since my mother was a seamstress her whole life and used an old Singer sewing machine from the fifties, which was part of my life from as early as I could remember. I told the gentlemen about my Mom and pointed out the type of sewing machine she owned and by then I realized that I was speaking with the owner of this magnificent collection.

And the proud daddy of all of them.

He shared his favorite pieces, including a sewing machine that was a century old, and a Peugeot bike that was the same. Some were in better condition that others, but they were all personal to him. A picture on the wall had he and his wife tooling along on two identical bikes, and the picture looked to be at least 30 years old. He excitedly took me over and showed me those bikes and in sign language indicated, “look, here they are!” Another bike was dated 1952 and I said, “that bike was made two years before I was born,” and he came back with, “you’re four years older than me, but we look exactly alike!” and I quipped, “we look good for our age, don’t you think?” which brought a chuckle from both of us.

The whole Peugeot obsession started in 1975 when he was ready to graduate from high school, and his first Peugeot was a “matter of pride,” a valuable asset and luxury; the bike represented the history in his country, which was formerly a French colony. His bike criteria is strict: each bike must remain original and retain at least 80 percent of its quality.

Another room beckoned us, so he took me over there and turned on an Akai reel to reel tape deck, which brought back an immediate memory of being a teenager age 13, and using a machine just like that to put together music lists. He played some somber Vietnamese music and solemnly said, “I am so proud of my collection and all the handcrafts that are here today,” and I agreed. There was a moment of reflection between us, and I could feel the mood shift. I think it was our mutually sad moments, which brought me to say, “and I am so proud how Vietnam has progressed over the last 50 years. I am so sorry you had such a challenging history,” which caused us both to hug.

Not awkward, just shared emotions from our youth that would be best forgotten.

That war to me, and others my age, was a horrible possibility as the war lasted year after year. When it started I was only 10 or 11, a child, and the thought of me going to war, was impossible. But years past and I aged and got close to the ominous DRAFT, the only scary as shit thing that had all young men approaching age 18 to shake in our boots. For me that was something to be feared and to avoid, but for Đào, he wasn’t so lucky. How do you avoid a war that encroaches upon your home, your community, and your country? Fortunately he was pretty young at that time, but even young and pre-teens were active fighters. The things they may have seen in person were only possible nightmare scenarios for me., but for him they were real.

We stood there for a moment and he said (via translate), “this (our meeting) was destined to happen,” and I agreed 100%.

Onward we walked, with him pointing out this bike or that, various old Singer sewing machines, and a few other old collectibles. This proud man has several award plaques displayed for different collections he had, so they were more than just memories to him: they were significant artifacts from his country.

We finally parted, gave each other new hugs, and I shared with his friend, who spoke marginally better English, some of what transpired between us. No doubt Đào gave him more details in their shared language. He asked if I liked Vietnam and I gave him the short story of being here for the fourth time, gone from the US for seven years, and our travels to 43 countries. I shared that we love Asia, Vietnam, and specifically, Da Nang, where we will return to in just a few weeks.

As I walked back to the room I was reflective of what just happened in such a short time. It reminded me that Kat and I ARE travelers, not tourists, and just visiting a museum, admiring the exhibits, and walking away is fine, but when we have the opportunity to know the people behind these items, how they started, and to sense their personal love for what they shared, well, that’s a whole new level. And it was fortuitous that the day we met was International Museum Day.

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Stage 1: getting to Hanoi

For years we talked about taking a long train ride up the coast of Vietnam, so this was our chance. We left Da Nang in a two-person sleeper car which we paid extra for, but it was SO worth it. Only two beds to a cabin, no other people (or kids) to deal with, and the lesson I learned here is that THIS is the way to do it if you can. A normal ticket per person would be about $35 pp for a 6-berth cabin, about $50 for a 4-berth, and we paid about $90 each. I’ve slept in a four bed one, and it was tolerable, but one for six would be very difficult for us. We opted for the day train since we wanted to enjoy the scenery, so left at 0900 with the arrival time slated for 0200 the following morning. And it was almost to the minute with about a dozen stops on the way—some of which lasted 20 minutes or more—and some magnificent scenery. Our room had AC and as night approached we tried to get a few winks, but if you truly want a decent sleep, take the pure overnight option. You miss the scenery, so it’s a compromise. Our bathroom was close, and porters came around throughout the day with food options, which were pretty good.

Overall our 17 hours on the train were more than tolerable, and we arrived in Ninh Binh at 0200, and of course the taxis were waiting for us. They know the schedule, as did our hosts which we notified, and by 0300 we were crashed out in a much nicer bed that wasn’t moving.

Staying in Ninh Binh

Actually we stayed a few miles away in the nearby village of Tam Coc, since many recommended one over the other. It’s known as “Halong Bay on Land” since it has similar limestone mountains all around the city, known as karsts. They can be up to 650 feet in height and jagged all around, which creates a surreal Avatar movie like scene. The movie’s Pandora planet was actually based on these mountainous structures, though James Cameron tried to emulate the ones in China which can be over 3000 feet tall. Our room was on a street which paralleled a small lake, and between the water effect, the mountains, and the tree lined road, Kat and I were enamored within hours of waking up later that day. We arrived on the Saturday of the biggest holiday of the year in Vietnam, Reunification Day, and considering we are just two hours south of Hanoi, many came here to get away. And you’d think with that kind of crowd it might be crazy, but it wasn’t. Merely busy. But on Monday a few days later it regained its tranquility and retained its beauty.

And that was just the start.

One of the big draws for us, and almost everyone, is a nearby UNESCO park called Trang An, which offers boat tours through a labyrinth of caves and mountains. The small four-person boat was rowed by a local, and along the way we went through three tunnels and visited three pagodas and temples. And we were lucky because we had an overcast day which made it much more manageable. They offer three different routes, and we took the one most often recommended, but we would absolutely go back to try another.

(the video is only 35 seconds and worth your time)

On the way home we stopped at another attraction, Mua Caves, which is more a climbing mountain since the very small cave was not noteworthy. But for $4 we walked through amazingly beautiful lily pad fields and viewed this giant HIKEABLE mountain before us. With all 500 steps. We watched several videos prior to getting here and I was indecisive about whether I wanted to make that trek. I was more concerned about the crowds walking up very narrow, jagged, uneven steps, than my level of exertion.

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There were two options to hike: one was shorter taking me to the top of a pagoda, and the other was all of 500 steps to the dragon statue at the top. I did the easier one and thought “that was way too easy,” so I thought I’d at least start the dragon hike. But, a caveat to anyone over a certain age who may be concerned for their health: it’s really important to hydrate and drink enough water. But that’s just the start, as I found out the following morning when my blood pressure crashed and I passed out when I got up. Without exaggeration or minimizing my danger, I was very lucky and dodged a very dangerous bullet and learned so much about not just hydration, but also about having enough magnesium, sodium (salt), and potassium in your body BEFORE and AFTER undertaking serious exertion in a hot humid environment. It was a hard lesson to learn about the value of electrolytes and supplements.

Our hosts at our room were lovely and supported Kat as she wasn’t sure if a hospital visit was needed. With the help of orange and coconut juice, elevation of my feet, and rest, I fortunately recovered but suffered the aftermath the rest of the day as well as the next.

Aside from all that drama, we still so loved the area that we decided to stay here for 10 more days and shorten our time in Hanoi to just five days. We’re being held hostage here, but no need to send help and there is no ransom for our return.

If you visit Vietnam I highly recommend visiting Ninh Binh, and I have a list of several other areas worth your while.

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Even after 7+ years on the road, Kat and I STILL deal with new challenges that confound us. We always work through it, but sheeesh!, it can be tough.

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Our first visit to Asia in Q1 2020 was challenging since neither of us had been there before. We had no idea where to start, so after researching a lot, settled on Bangkok, initially for one month, and had the option for staying a second month. Our “plan” was to settle in, check out the rest of the country, and see where else we wanted to go. But Bangkok did NOT work for me! It was too noisy, too crowded, and way too smoggy. We had a nice unit on the 36^th floor of a 42-story building, but it was a bit outside of town and we felt isolated from the city. Wherever we went required a taxi, no big deal, it was cheap, but there weren’t any great walking areas. There WAS a brand-new metro stop nearby, but it was only partially working so we couldn’t use it like other stops. And truth was, I wanted to get out, and my discomfort was tough on both of us. So we decided to take side trips, keep our stuff THERE, and visit other cities that might be more appealing. Which we did.

First stop was Chiang Mai, one of the most popular expat and traveler destinations in Asia and Thailand, we liked it, but just before leaving (about Jan 15), Kat got COVID—the night before we were due to fly to Vietnam. It was a mess all around. A paramedic ride to the hospital about 2:00 a.m. was very tough, and trying to FIND an equivalent of a “911” emergency line was impossible. The paramedics did come, she stayed in the ER several hours, they NEVER used the word COVID, and truthfully, I don’t think they had a definitive name for what she had. But she had it. Long story short, we never made it to Vietnam at that time but instead returned to Bangkok to recover. Which she did. Over the next six weeks we did venture out again to several places in Thailand, as well as Vietnam and Cambodia.

New things were difficult, but we had been on the road for less than one year; we were seven years younger, and we looked at it as an “experience.”

And we’ve had many experiences since then, and they are getting more challenging. Packing and repacking is getting tiresome, and figuring out “new stuff” is not as exciting as it used to be,

Which brings us to now.

This is our fourth trip to Southeast Asia and we’re pretty comfortable now. We know the topography, a bit of the languages, customs, currency, as well as where to go and where not to go. But we’re finally heading to country #44 (we’ve been stalled at #43 for too long!), Japan, and THAT is a whole new experience.

For one, and we knew this, it’s much more expensive that southeast Asia. Still affordable, especially compared to parts of Europe, but we’ve been used to paying less than $40 a night for a long time, so looking at $100 a night rooms was daunting. And then the question is, “WHERE do you go?” We allocated two weeks and this will be our Vietnam quarterly visa run, which was our plan before we even got here. Every 90 days we must leave the country, then reenter with new visas. Rather than do a quick flip, we thought it best to actually GO somewhere, and Japan is number one. It’s a big country, with many famous cities to visit: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, etc…and the list goes on. So rather than trying to do TOO much, which we’re not up for anymore, we focused on two: Osaka and Kyoto.

Artificial intelligence is a godsend, and I wish we had it years ago! My Gemini program advised us how to split our 14 days between those cities and gave us IDEAS of where to stay. Their cities are made up of “wards,” and some are better than others. And how do we decide? I’m not as comfortable with BIG, big cities—one reason we passed on Tokyo for now—but now we had to settle on our lodging. Kat is a whiz at that and reads the reviews, checks access to transportation, and finds good values. Fortunately I had a bunch of frequent flyer miles through Jet Blue (airlines) which I have a hard time using since I don’t fly much in the US anymore, so we used them for hotel points. Did the same thing with American Airlines miles, so we actually got off pretty cheap! We didn’t have to tap into my 100K of Chase credit card points since they didn’t have anything that made sense, so instead we’ll take a portion of that in CASH to pay for the room through Bookings.

Like I said, this takes some work!

Logistics are crucial with all travel, and here it was even more so since we’ll be dealing with a language we’ve never encountered, along with their Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana writing, which will be very hard for us, our first time! English usage is pretty strong from what we’ve heard, so that should take away a bit of the stress. But one thing we committed to is to carry with us ONLY what we absolutely need to. Fortunately weather will be warm, so that helps with clothing, and I decided that carrying heavy stuff like toothpaste and body lotion makes no sense, when we can buy what we need there for a few bucks. Instead of carrying my big 48-liter bag, we’re doing this with a much smaller one, and of course, checking no luggage.

Our trip will depart from Hanoi, and we’ll be spending two weeks there, along with nearby Ninh Binh, so overall we’ll have four weeks of stuff in a few small bags. We’ve done it before, so I know it can be done, but like I said, it’s tougher than it used to be. The good news is that when we return to Da Nang about June 1 we’ll move into the apartment we lived in two years ago, so we know the area, the restaurants, and everything around it. And we plan to stay at least six months, take some side trips within the country, and do our visa run when we need to.

At least that is the Plan…

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In Vietnam they called it the American War, and their lives were even more impacted, and many Vietnamese lost their lives and were touched by it. Entire villages and families lost a generation of young men, and those wounds still persist. In the decades to follow, the war became less significant, a memory that no one wanted to remember, but the lives of those directly involved lasted a lifetime.

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Fast forward several decades, and the world is a much smaller place, the internet has changed how we do things—including how we travel—and places that used to seem “too distant,” weren’t anymore, and many travelers and visitors were discovering the beauty and the affordability of southeast Asia. Especially Vietnam.

Our first time here, in Q1, 2020, wasn’t memorable either way, but since we were only in the north, where a lot of hostilities still remained, we didn’t really feel “comfortable.” The younger people spoke a bit of English and made the effort to communicate with us, but the older generation didn’t. The experience was a bit surreal to me, a man who missed the war draft by less than a year or two, and those memories were ingrained in my youth.

For those that might not have known where Vietnam was a few years ago, most are now aware of how popular the country has become for visitors! Since our first time in 2020, we have returned three more times, and I have checked out much of the country. It really is a beautiful one, with over 2000 miles (3200 km) of coastline, and some of the tallest mountains in southeast Asia. The South China Sea is a major source of fish and seafood for the country, and much of the world, and the 3000-mile Mekong River flows from the very north and empties into the South China Sea. It too is a major source of food, and for centuries has been a primary travel highway.

It has history and sights that are unique in the world, and their food has been exported worldwide. On our last visit here we fell in love with the central city of Da Nang, and we are back there right now. Actually, we are about 30 minutes south, in the Ancient City called Hoi An. And that is the town that Travel & Leisure has identified as being the top “under the radar” place to visit.

Under the radar? I don’t think so!

It’s popular with many other Asian country’s travelers, especially from Korea, and a town I recently visited, Nha Trang, has an extraordinarily high number of Russian visitors, as well as full time expats.

Since I’ve checked out a lot of the country, I wanted to offer some Real-World tips on Vietnam overall, and some specific places to look in to.

The Weather

With as long and skinny as the country is, the patterns of weather are very specific to each region. Basically, however, most of Vietnam has two seasons: Dry Season and Wet Season, and there are various shades of both.

In the north, around the capital, Hanoi, and Ha Long Bay, winter runs from November until April, and summer is May to October. We found out the hard way that winter DOES exist in Asia, when we went to Ha Long Bay in January, departing from a very hot and humid Bangkok, Thailand. Our few days there were VERY cold, and we were unprepared to the point that I had NO long pants with me! Lesson learned.

The central region, around Da Nang, has two seasons as well: dry in February to August, and wet September to January. Rainy seasons in either region can be extreme and unpredictable, but you will also contend with less people.

Down south, which includes Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon), has two seasons which are the same as the central coast, but wet weather extremes may be less torrential, and dry season may be warmer.

Getting around

Most of southeast Asia is very inexpensive to fly within and most countries can be reached in a few hours. Within Vietnam, flights go to every major, and some minor cities, and the country has a very adequate bus system, as well as a train that runs over 1000 miles from Ho Chih Minh City to Hanoi. We have used all the above, and we’ll shortly be taking a 14-hour overnight sleeper train from Da Nang to Hanoi. The buses are very cool in that they specialize in sleeper buses which have private pods with privacy curtains, lights, and power source. Since the country is not very wide, and is quite long, overnight, and very lengthy bus trips are common. HINT: break them up with longer stays in between.

The People, the Food, and Affordability

Vietnamese people tend to be very friendly, and the usage of English is adequate in most areas, very good in others. We’re constantly amazed in that it’s hard to predict! Body language, Google translate, and third parties go a long way in facilitating communication.

The country offers more vegetables and fruits than I ever knew existed!! This place is heaven for vegans and vegetarians, and for fish lovers, you’ll be happy, too. The downside is, they use a lot of oil in their cooking since much of it is fried, and they use a lot of salt for those who avoid it, and their food CAN BE very spicy! It’s always best to ask, and watch out for sneaky little red peppers… Vietnam is not the largest rice producer in the world (number 5), but rice is everywhere, along with noodles. The variety of food combinations that can be made using those two bases is mind numbing!

For coffee lovers, Vietnam is the second largest producer of coffee in the world, and they take creativity to a WHOLE NEW level! Egg coffee, salt coffee, avocado, are just a few, but our favorite, and one we use as a benchmark wherever we go: coconut coffee.

Along with those two factors is another huge winner: the country is one of the most affordable we have ever visited. From lodging to food, from transportation to everyday supplies, unless you specifically are buying western food and products, a single person can live here for less than $1500 per month, a couple for less than $2000.

By the way, I’m writing an article for AAA magazine on this affordability question, and the good news is that you can find high end, top notch resorts, for a fraction of what you would pay in other parts of the world.

Exactly 12 months ago we left Asia to spend a year in Europe, and even though we returned in less than 12 months, our plan from the start was to come back here; and hopefully find a “home base.” I’ve written about that before, and soon we will return to Da Nang, where we planned to HAVE that home base. We’ll see how that plan comes together. Meanwhile, coming up is Ninh Binh, Hanoi, and Japan, for the first time.

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As a Travel Younger Founder these are the things you get:

The eBook of “Nomadic Life for All Ages,” as well as “The History and Magic of Northern Greece,” which describes our 31-day tour we did to 15 different cities in Northern Greece a few years ago, and all the history we experienced.

Nomadic Life shares our story from Day One, as we prepared to leave the US after six decades of living there, sell everything, and say goodbye to friends and family. The departure involves so much more than just getting on a plane, and the emotional, mental, spiritual, and financial aspects are all covered. The book offers tips and hints, and guidance on how to travel within Europe, deal with the nefarious “Schengen Zone,” along with lots of shortcuts and time savers. We spent time on six continents, so except for the Poles, we have you covered!

Our Northern Greece book shares the “less visited” areas and is in full color, so you can see some of the amazing and historical places we visited.

Here’s a few other freebies!

One is called “COVIDstories,” and it shares the journey of 19 people who benefited from that once in a lifetime pandemic. Even though COVID virtually shut down the globe, almost destroyed the world of travel, and did personal damage to so many, the unfortunate event actually helped some people adapt, grow, and change for the better. I am one of the 19.

Book number two is a fantasy fiction book called “The World Series of Oz,” and that story was inspired by a dream that woke me and I turned into a novella. If you are a fan of The Wizard of Oz, baseball, or both, I think you’ll enjoy it. If that doesn’t interest you, I also offer a more sci-fi type novella called “Alien Gifts,” about a young man, Sammy, who is given three different superpowers over three years, from his former best friend. Who happens to be an alien. That story came out a conversation I had with Kat about, “What super powers would you like the most?” and you can get a copy of that one instead. Here’s some more details.

Would you like to know HOW to Manifest Your Travel Dreams?

Then you can join me in my one-hour webinar with that title as I walk through some of the processes involved when contemplating a nomadic lifestyle. This webinar was first presented in 2019, but SOOO much has changed and it is now fully updated.

And finally, you will also get a FREE video call with Travel Younger (that’s me) every calendar quarter, and you can ask your specific questions and address your particular needs.

Is that all worth $50 to you?

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After high school graduation I knew college was not my thing, especially since I had no focus or field of study. That didn’t stop a lot of kids from going to college, and “Liberal Arts,” was the collective bucket they slid into. And college was cheap in 1972; less than $3,000 for a state school in Pennsylvania, which was still affordable back then, based on cost of living. My mother, born in Hungary, for years offered and begged for me to go to Hungary with her to visit. See Budapest, visit her hometown of Miskolc. I never did, wasn’t that interested, and was too arrogant to “travel with Mom,” who was overbearing in my youth since I was an only child.

To this day one of my life’s Biggest Regrets.

Even though college didn’t call me, I tried Junior College for a semester, was bored to death, didn’t stay, so entered the workforce in the car industry, which is where I stayed until August of 1975, when I was 21 years old. My restlessness was hitting its peak, so when my cousin Michael, same age as me, invited me to visit him in California; I said yes.

The plan was to drive 3000 miles cross country by myself, and fortunately I had a nice newer car, and felt that it would be a safe trip. And fun. I was pretty sheltered until then, so driving WEST of Pennsylvania for the first time opened up new horizons. I had never camped, never set up a tent, cooked on a portable stove, or any of those fun things that many kids do with their parents. This was all new to me—and I loved it. As an only child I had no problem being alone for days on end, and I had all those hours each day in my car, all that time, so what else was there to do, but think.

And that was one of the first times I had serious conversations with me about what I wanted to do with my life.

I loved California and ended up staying for a year, worked in a ski town, then drove cross country again, to Florida, where I stayed for two years, then moved to Canada for the summer with my (then) Canadian love. In 1977 I drove back again to California via the TransCanada Highway, and lived there for forty years.

Fast forward fifty years, uh, that’s half a century! and here we are. Today. Wherever that is at any given time, but currently, for me, here in Southeast Asia.

As a retired guy, I theoretically have “all the time in the world,” but sometimes it’s hard to fill that space, and I find that sometimes it’s hard just BEING. Not doing, not planning; just doing. Nothing.

The idea for this stream of consciousness came about a few weeks ago while Kat and I were in Sanur, Bali. Like I’m wont to do, I decided to scout out some other places to visit or live aside from Sanur, and took a few days to visit the much smaller towns of Sidemen and Candidasa.

Sidemen was a small village, in the hills, and heard it represented the way Bali used to be, since it had few tourist attractions aside from rice fields, some waterfalls, and places to hike. The 90-minute ride was surprisingly pleasant, and as I approached my homestay (hotel) down this gravel driveway, I recognized that I was in a much less civilized and commercialized part of the island. I dropped off my bags and went off to explore the town. And I found no “town” to speak off. There was a main road, another road that intersected it, and that was “downtown.” That’s it. No McDonalds, no restaurants to speak of, not much of anything to interest me. I Googled restaurant selections and found a great one on the edge of a rice field and had a delicious dinner for just a few bucks. I had a tentative list of “things to do,” and that would require a scooter since nothing was close, so planned that for the following day.

The next morning I enjoyed a breakfast on my patio, and since it was overcast with a chance of rain, I thought it wise to postpone the scooter since I don’t enjoy getting caught in the rain.

I started my walk with no specific destination and sauntered down the street. I found this beautiful bridge with a river just as pretty, quite pristine, and just enjoyed that for a few minutes. I continued on and found a really cute little hotel on that river, so wandered into the back yard where there was a deck overlooking the water. A few feet away was another view area, covered from the sun, and there was not a soul there, so I stopped, grabbed a comfy chair, and just sat watching the water. And I sat there for almost an hour, mesmerized, hypnotized, and reflecting on HOW I got there, at that time and space. And I had an abundance of Gratitude, to be able to DO those things I never even dreamed of in my youth. Living in Bali?? NOT on MY radar!!

I inquired about the rooms and took a peek, and they were only about $20 night, so saved it in my Maps, and made a point to return sometime in the future. I walked on and came to one of the few attractions IN Sidemen; their famous rice terrace. For $1.50 admission I decided to go in, and I just followed the path as it skirted the perimeter of the fields. I’ve been through rice fields before, like them, and this was especially beautiful. Between the overcast skies that let out a few little droplets, and warm sun, the wind never stopped blowing and I walked for an hour. And it was heavenly. Imagine my surprise when I came upon a little waterfall flowing into the irrigation canal, so stopped for that picture worthy moment, and then around the next corner was a little stand, run by a solitary woman selling coconuts. Coconuts are incredibly healthy, especially when you’re dehydrated, so how could I not support this local woman? Once again I had to stop and just be. Sitting in the middle of a rice plantation in Bali, once again I drifted off into Lala land. Here I was in Bali for the third time in two years. How many people can say that??

The path continued, a few raindrops fell off and on, but nothing to make this saunter through my life troublesome. Finally I came to the end and found a little warung, which is Indonesian for “café,” a place to grab some food or a drink. It started to drizzle more heavily so I grabbed a stool and just sat, mesmerized by the rain droplets falling onto the rice field paddies. Three times over a few hours I had reflected upon my life and how I got there. So, is that doing “nothing?” or is this something we don’t do often enough?

This little side trip taught me a pretty valuable lesson, a simple as it was. So much of our lives-- so much of my life—has been spent going and doing, and sometimes we forget to just stop all that bullshit and just be. So this day which had no specific plan or agenda, ended up being a magical one.

No matter where you are in life--physically, spiritually, mentally, or emotionally-- I think it’s healthy to occasionally just stop and do nothing. Reflect on WHERE you are, what you’re doing, and ask yourself, “Is this what I want from life?” Some of us have less time left on our clocks that others, but maybe my experience will give you pause and allow you to just—

Be.

If only for a minute.

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If you’ve followed us for a awhile, you know we love Asia, and we love scooters and motorcycles. I’ve written about this many times, and since we left the US in 2019, we have rented bikes in dozens of countries. As a “biker” for decades in the US, and learning on pretty small, low horsepower bikes, I had a 25-year gap until the early 2000s, when I got my first bike in three decades. Bikes had certainly changed! They were MUCH faster, handled better, and were much more comfortable. Between then and 2019 I had several bikes, but when Kat and I left the US, bikes were not a topic of conversation until we were on our very, very first trip together (2 months after we met, mind you!) when we were in Nice, France. We were sitting along the waterfront mid-January, but still quite warm, and a bike rental place nearby caught our attention. Long story short, I found out she liked bikes, but only as a passenger, and we rented a scooter and rode along the French Riviera for several hours, going south into Monaco. I felt like Cary Grant with Audrey Hepburn on the back! Even so, the idea of living abroad was never a topic of our brief, new relationship, but the seeds of bikes was planted.

But wait, scooters?? Most of my life they were looked down upon in the United States. For decades they were used by students or young kids with no money, and bikers laughed at them. Ah, but Europe was a different story! They were everywhere, and even a smallish, low displacement bikes, say 125 cc, had enough umph for two people to breeze along at highway speed. They were light, had storage, and the most important thing? They were automatic transmissions, ie, no shifting. You get on, lift your feel off the ground to a comfortable little floorboard, twist the throttle, and off you go. Easy, peasy. Plus they were gas misers.

Now we’re back in Asia, where big bikes are rare, but scooters? They are everywhere. (see stats below) Our very first Asian visit in 2020 was Bangkok, Thailand, and we didn’t rent there or in any big cities, but we did in a small beach town about two hours south of us. Over several days there we encountered little traffic and were able to access small roads and paths that cars couldn’t. Or bike bikes, either. What motivated me to write this is because as fun and adventurous as bikes and scooters are, there is a hard fact that cannot be ignored.

They are dangerous.

In Bali recently the social media was abuzz about this young Australian mother of two who got into a bike accident. There was lots of talk; some good, some critical, and many questions came up. Was she an experienced rider? Did she have a helmet? Was she intoxicated? And the one that came up a lot: did she have travel insurance. Her family put together a Go Fund Me campaign, and some were critical of that, too! Social media can be a blessing or a curse.

Over the last few days I rented a bike myself, but when I think back to our first time here, two years ago, I said—and Kat agreed—NO WAY would we get a bike here!! There are far more bikes than cars, and they can be a bit crazy driving. But, and this is a BIG but, the locals know their stuff. Many have been riding since they were infants and grew up on bikes. We see lots of riders who look under 10 years old, and in many, many cases, they don’t wear helmets. And the police pay them no mind. What looks like “crazy” driving to us, is part of their life.

I put some thoughts together for anyone who rides in Asia or is thinking about it.

• First off, this is NOT THE PLACE to learn. I have seen tourists in their teens of both sexes riding scooters in Asia, and I bet that many never rode before. Unless you have skills, and especially, confidence, take a taxi instead. Our first year here we found a driver who advised: “Save your life, not your money,” and that is good advice.

• Go with the flow. As a rider for half a century, I rode defensively, since American bikers have every right to be paranoid. Many car drivers do not respect them, and more important, they don’t “see them.” Drivers and riders don’t know what to look for, speeds are faster, and so many accident victims have heard, “I never saw them.” In Bali and most of Asia, riders have a “hive” mentality, and they watch out for each other and have a lot of trust in fellow riders.

• Be mindful of traffic! One of the biggest advantages of scooters is avoiding traffic issues. SO many times we have been stuck in a horrendous traffic jam, but on a bike, you can pass traffic—CAREFULLY—and save time. BUT, another big but, DO NOT think YOU have right of way. Be on the lookout for oncoming traffic and give them their respect.

• 

• NO Alcohol or drugs, please. I don’t need to dive deep on this one, but many scooter accidents by tourists are caused by the (usually) younger crowd renting bikes, then drinking, and believing they are sober enough to handle Asian street traffic. Not a good idea.

• Helmets? I hate the damn things, and on the very small island of Nusa Ceningan (Bali) where we stay, I don’t wear them. Hardly anyone does. Is that smart? Probably not, but the island is less than 10 miles square, and even though there are lots of bikes, traffic is not a big problem. But road conditions ARE. Ruts, potholes, gravel, and wet pavements, can all be deal killers. Also, keep in mind that locals get ignored by law enforcement, and there is little chance of them being stopped for no helmets. But a foreigner? Much more likely. In the small town of Ubud, I saw non-stop lines outside the local police station where (usually) twentysomethings paid their fines for not wearing helmets.

• A subset of that: shoes, please. Flip flops or sandals are pretty much the only footwear that anyone uses, and they would’t help you much if you fall on a scooter. But many ride barefoot, which compounds the problem.

Some other facts courtesy of Gemini AI:

Highest Volume of bike: Indonesia by a landslide and are the vast majority of traffic. Approximately 84% are automatic scooters, making them easy to ride and cheap.

Highest Usage Density: Vietnam is often considered the most “scooter-reliant” nation. Roughly 96% of all passenger vehicles in Vietnam are motorbikes or scooters. In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the sheer density of bikes per square mile is among the highest in the world. LOL, I laughed at this one because it is SO true! After I rode in Vietnam I thought I could handle anywhere.

Highest Household Penetration: Thailand and Vietnam are neck-and-neck, with roughly 86–87% of all households owning at least one motorized two-wheeler. That is why they respect each other: they are almost all riders.

Just for kicks I compared Household Penetration with the US and Europe (Don’t go there!) In Asia, bikes are primary transportation, and in most of the world, they are leisure vehicles. In the US, less than 10% own a bike (probably not a scooter), median age is 50, and I’ll bet the majority are Harleys. In Europe, Italy tops the list with just over 25% being riders, usually for commuting and leisure, followed by Greece.

In Asia gas is cheap and scooters can be filled for peanuts. And insurance? I truly don’t know if they carry any! Outside Asia, bikes are bigger, insurance is a must, gas is high, and the masses cannot afford to use them as primary transportation.

Let me know if you ride in Asia, think about it, or would never!

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Ya’ gotta’ love social media and artificial intelligence. They both get a bad rap, and yes, they can be used in harmful ways, but it’s like a hammer: you can use a hammer properly to work for you, or you can smash your thumb and curse up a storm!

As we have been in Asia just for a short while, I am recognizing that this MAY in fact be where we want to permanently stay. I wrote about that recently and rhetorically asked, “Will Asia ‘stick’ this time?’ and the answer is, “I’ll get back to you on that!”

As much as I love and have raved about the Balkans… Between the amazing weather (humidity notwithstanding), and even though we did just get a bunch of rain because, after all, it is rainy season, the people and the beauty and the opportunities and options here are pretty intoxicating.

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I recently put out a Facebook post to several groups that are primarily composed of full-time nomads, and asked them, “where in Southeast Asia can we find midsize cities on the beach, without a lot of coral or high tides. I don’t want to deal with either of those deterrents.” As you can see, my needs were very specific. And I got a great response from dozens of people willing to help, and many of the same cities in different countries came up several times. I pulled all that data out and put it through my AI program, in my case, Google Gemini, and broke it down by countries, and also added in the affordability factor, asking the list to be summarized by price. How amazing is it to be able to do that!!

Now we have a very nice list to choose from, with several of those cities proximate to each other, and maybe we can find all of those creature comforts that I was looking for. So our job for the foreseeable future will be to investigate them! How horrible can that be? It’s like trying to find the best of the best, and I’m betting that even the worst of them is still pretty damn good! I did this same thing in Albania when I rented a bike for two different five-day trips, and checked out every city that might be worth visiting or living in. About a dozen of them. My conclusion was that Tirana was number one by a mile, but there were several notable contenders.

Many people ask us (and others) about the “details” of nomadic travel: how to get started, how to know where to go. How to understand the visa process, and to find rooms, and restaurants, and a host of different details. Well, we have had—and continue to have—the same questions! When we begin the process, we usually cast a very large net, since the world is a very large place. As I’ve shared before, we have eliminated much of the planet for OUR purposes based on different factors, like weather, customs, expenses, and so on. Now, after seven years of doing this, we pretty much know what we want.

• Kat and I both like “some type” of nature, like water effects, or maybe a lake, or even mountains. BUT we are not necessarily Adventurers, so don’t usually hike those mountains, or swim in those waters.

• Since I don’t go in the water as much as I used to, I need the right conditions. I don’t want to stumble on coral or rocks or jeopardize my health getting in or out of the water.

• Living in Southern California for forty years, and dealing with surprisingly cold Pacific Ocean temperatures, I like it on the warmer side—but not so warm as to get jelly fish or sea urchins.

• I’m not the strong swimmer I used to be, so as much as I enjoy watching big waves, I don’t want to fight with them.

• We don’t want to be too isolated, and want to be near shops and restaurants, and maybe malls and movie theaters. That eliminates virtually any island that is too far or remote, and there are loads of them in Thailand and many other countries.

• And last, because we ARE looking for longer term stays, affordability is a big deal if we planned to stay for several months.

Are lists like these too much to ask for? Is the Goldilocks Zone a REAL place or just an endless quest for miracles?

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Truth is, I’m not sure, but the Universe does tend to bring us what we ask for, and unless we ask or seek, we’ll probably never get what we want. For seven years Kathleen and I have been going through this process, only we didn’t have any Artificial Intelligence to help us. But we did have Google, expat groups comprised of tens of thousands of members, and a host of personal friend’s whose minds we have probed for half a dozen years.

Right now we’re in Sanur, Bali, and finishing up our 60 days visa here. Between this city and the islands of Lembongan and Ceningen, we both agreed that THIS place may be more appealing to us than where we planned to stay in Vietnam for a year. It’s eminently affordable, and we have scores of places to eat within minutes, staffed by some of the most sincere, genuine people we have found anywhere in the world. Add to that the sounds of tropical birds all over, mostly temperate weather, plus plumeria and scads of foliage and plants, and the beauty is all encompassing.

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As we continue our Deep Dive, are you curious to know what we find?

I will share the results as they get revealed, but the only thing I ask is that you not follow us. I mean, don’t we all want Paradise for ourselves without crowds of people? But I will, out of the kindness of my heart, share the results as we find them. THIS will take more time than what I did in Albania, since it involves much longer distances and several different countries. And if you’d really like to seek out similar places such as what I just described, hit me up with a personal note and I’ll see what I can do!

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Be sure to get your copies of my books, Nomadic Life for All Ages, and The History and Magic of Northern Greece, both free, and included in Travel Younger membership.

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But, when we left Los Angeles airport that Sunday morning and landed in Barcelona 11 hours later, we knew our lives would never be the same. And we were pretty damn sure this was a ONE-WAY trip, and we would not return. We did our homework, researched places to visit, possibly places to live, and spoke with many nomads who lived Life on the Road. We went so far as to apply for residency, first in Portugal (changed our minds), then Spain, which didn’t pan out. We “kinda’ knew” what to expect, and many who had done it before said “five years was a common burnout period,” and many give it up and settle someplace, or even return to where they started. Well, we’re a couple of older radicals who bucked that trend, and as we start year eight, we KNOW we’ll never return to the US to live, but we are looking for places (plural) to more or less settle down.

Seven is such a MAGICAL number!

We have seven continents, seven seas, and seven colors in the rainbow, and throughout history, lists have been compiled of the various Seven Wonders of the World. And of course we have seven days of the week, which go by all too quickly!

It’s the largest prime number with single digits, and when asked to pick a number between one and ten, put your money on someone picking Lucky Number Seven. Considering Kathleen and I just entered our seventh decade (with more to come, we pray!), overall the number seven is significant in our personal lives and how it relates to the rest of the world.

What did we learn in seven years?

Well, I could write a book, which I did, and a lot has changed since then, and life on the road is forever evolving, and truthfully, getting better. Considering I was a naive novice back in 2015 when I took my second trip to Europe for 19 days, the learning curve was exponential and has been that way for the past decade. I reflected on “lessons” we learned on the way, and some of them are not lessons, per se, but more insights to the Reality of living this way. Many people we knew in our prior life have been amazed that we’re still doing it, but our newer friends who we’ve met along the way—they get it.

And maybe you will too.

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Things We’ve learned

• Insight #1: It’s easier to do traveling than it is to think about it sometimes. WHY? Because of that word that many times stops us in our tracks: fear. We’re born with an innate sense of fear from day one, and eventually overcome fears of heights, water, spiders, rejection, making mistakes, etc… The cliché reads, “Overcome fear by facing it,” and that is true when it comes to contemplation of leaving our native countries and living without a home. It’s scary as shit! But it really isn’t when you realize that many things we took/ take for granted BEFORE, are also scary!

Driving the freeways of Southern California is not for the meek, and buying a home can be risky, too. We start new jobs, get into relationships, maybe get married, and oh my God, is that scary, or what!? And children?? Big time scary. Life is full of frightful propositions, but logic can overcome a lot of subconscious fears. Were Kat and I afraid of what we started seven years ago? Yes, but only a little, since we had so little to lose, and oh so much to gain. We had no kids, grandkids, elderly parents, or pets that create emotional connections, so it was just us, taking on the world.

• Insight #2: We really don’t need the things we think we need. I used to joke about going into Costco and spending MUCH MORE than I expected to, since I always saw something I HAD TO HAVE, and prior to entering their doors, I had no idea it even existed. Want, want, want; need, need, need. Americans, and most first world citizens, have everything at our disposal, and if you have the money to afford it, we buy a lot of stuff. My divorce in 2013 eliminated 90% of all the stuff I had for decades, and I intentionally became a Minimalist. I was never happier. I also enjoyed renting and not facing the expenses of owning a home.

With that said, if you decide to travel more, my suggestion is to pack LESS than what you think you’ll need. You would be AMAZED at what you can live without, and we are not the only ones who carry their worlds on our backs. Most of us carry too much, so scale it down.

• Insight #3: We traveled much more early on than we do now, mostly because we’ve seen so much after 43 countries, and it’s easy to get jaded and take things for granted. We are also half a dozen years older, and I know our energy levels and enthusiasm is not what it used to be. Before we visit a new place, we do our research and try to figure out what we REALLY want to do, but at this point, it has to be really special to get our attention. As much as we sometimes want MORE NOW, sometimes we need to slow down and not try to eat the whole elephant at one sitting.

We also know what parts of the world work for us and which ones don’t. We have little interest in Latin America anymore, and since we’re driven by finances and weather, we know we like Asia and the Balkans in Europe.

• Insight #4: If you’re traveling with a partner, make sure you spend time away from each other.

Being together 24/7 can be stressful under the best of situations! Kat and I reflect on our eight years together as a couple, and probably 90% of that time has been spent traveling without a full-time home. Our first year together, late 2017-early 2019, we lived in Southern Orange County (CA), but otherwise, we’ve been out of the US ever since. We calculate that equates into several DECADES together as a “real world” couple with jobs and such.

We like a lot of the same things, but have our own interests, and that’s good since it gives us time to do our own thing. She likes writing at the local coffee shop and can hang out there for hours. She likes wandering the streets, looking at stores; comparison shopping, neither of which interests me. I work from the house, usually in my gym shorts, and have access to everything a few feet away. I go to the gym more than she does, and many of my walks are hikes, especially if I can find a similar minded group. I like to ride motorcycles with more adventure than her, so those trips I do solo. It all works.

• Insight #5: Sometimes going back to a place that you really liked makes more sense than exploring new ones… I like making and keeping lists and crossing stuff off. Part of my OCD, I guess. When we left, I made a list of all the places I wanted to visit and have been checking them off ever since. That list is down to about a dozen now, and a few more of them in Asia will be done this year. The only major part of the world I want to see is the Nordic countries, and that has to be done to accommodate the weather, crowds, and high season pricing. And if I don’t make it, that’s OK, too. We’ve been to a lot of amazing places since 2019 and have revisited many of them. It makes more sense to US to stick with what we know works.

• Insight #6: The sooner you figure out what you DON’T want, the easier it will be to find the things you DO want. This kind of goes along with some of the above and is a big time and money saver. Before we left in 2019, we knew that we would be driven by affordability, warm weather, and Mediterranean climate. From the get-go we ignored visits to northern Europe in winter, and since “roughing it” only goes so far, we put a lot of Africa on the back burner. The ONE country that we’ve been the most indecisive about has been India, and as of now, it’s probably a “no” for us. Again, it’s the age thing. If we were 20 or 30 years younger, and knew we had that much more time, we’d probably be a lot more adventurous. But now we’re both really careful about things we took for granted, like our balance, strength, and night vision. Hey, it is what it is.

So, cheers to you who live on the road, or not, and we hope you find happiness wherever that may be.

PS: I saw this very interesting post recently, so wanted to share. Can you relate?

Welcome to the First World…

The biggest heist in history isn’t The Great Train Robbery. It isn’t The Lufthansa Heist. It isn’t Ocean’s Eleven.

It is a Costco Membership.

They have convinced 130 million people to walk into a warehouse, hand over $400, and say “Thank you.”

They dazzle you with the Hot Dog.

They hypnotize you with the $4.99 Rotisserie Chicken.

These are the “Loss Leaders.”

They lose money on the chicken to lower your defenses.

They are buying your trust for a couple of bucks.

Because once you trust them, you stop doing math.

This is Stockpile Psychology.

We tell ourselves we are buying 48 rolls of toilet paper to “Save Money.”

Science says we are lying.

Research shows that when you buy in bulk, your consumption rate increases by 25% to 50%.

• If you have 6 sodas, you ration them.

• If you have 48 sodas, you drink them like water.

You aren’t saving on the unit price.

You are just eating the inventory faster.

The real heist happens the moment you pay the $60 Membership Fee.

Behavioral economists call this the Sunk Cost Fallacy.

Once you pay for access, you feel a psychological pressure to “make it back.”

• You ignore sales at the local grocery store.

• You ignore Amazon.

• You drive 20 minutes out of your way to spend $300 on things you didn’t need, just to justify the $60 you already lost.

Costco doesn’t have aisle signs.

This isn’t laziness.

It is design.

They want you lost.

They want you wandering past the 85-inch TVs to find the milk.

They know that for every minute you stay in the maze, you spend roughly $1.50.

Yup, I can relate.

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As a Travel Younger Founder these are the things you get:

The eBook of “Nomadic Life for All Ages,” as well as “The History and Magic of Northern Greece,” which describes our 31 day tour we did to 15 different cities in Northern Greece a few years ago, and all the history we experienced.

Nomadic Life shares our story from Day One, as we prepared to leave the US after six decades of living there, sell everything, and say goodbye to friends and family. The departure involves so much more than just getting on a plane, and the emotional, mental, spiritual, and financial aspects are all covered. The book offers tips and hints, and guidance on how to travel within Europe, deal with the nefarious “Schengen Zone,” along with lots of shortcuts and time savers. We spent time on six continents, so except for the Poles, we have you covered!

Our Northern Greece book shares the “less visited” areas and is in full color, so you can see some of the amazing and historical places we visited.

Here’s a few other freebies!

One is called “COVIDstories,” and it shares the journey of 19 people who benefited from that once in a lifetime pandemic. Even though COVID virtually shut down the globe, almost destroyed the world of travel, and did personal damage to so many, the unfortunate event actually helped some people adapt, grow, and change for the better. I am one of the 19.

Book number two is a fantasy fiction book called “The World Series of Oz,” and that story was inspired by a dream that woke me and I turned into a novella. If you are a fan of The Wizard of Oz, baseball, or both, I think you’ll enjoy it. If that doesn’t interest you, I also offer a more sci-fi type novella called “Alien Gifts,” about a young man, Sammy, who is given three different superpowers over three years, from his former best friend. Who happens to be an alien. That story came out a conversation I had with Kat about, “What super powers would you like the most?” and you can get a copy of that one instead. Here’s some more details.

Would you like to know HOW to Manifest Your Travel Dreams?

Then you can join me in my one hour webinar with that title as I walk through some of the processes involved when contemplating a nomadic lifestyle. This webinar was first presented in 2019, but SOOO much has changed and it is now fully updated.

Going somewhere?

How about… a 10 day small yacht cruise off the coast of Croatia, leaving from Split, going south to Dubrovnik? Or maybe a motorcycle tour of some of the most magnificent countries I have ridden: Romania? Vietnam? Ecuador? I have traveled all three, but also have Sri Lanka coming up this April. Or maybe you’d like some adventure on a 10 day safari along the plains of Tanzania?

What’s your fantasy trip??

These tours will be offered to you at seriously great prices in a few months, and will be limited to small groups of 10 or less. Please take a moment to tell us which one you like the most!

And finally, you will also get a FREE video call with Travel Younger (that’s me) every calendar quarter, and you can ask your specific questions and address your particular needs.

Is that all worth $50 to you?

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a look-back and a possible look-forward...

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Our first trip to Asia in January 2020 was a bit random and unplanned in advance, and started just as COVID was surfacing. We spent our first nomadic year (2019) in Europe between Spain, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, and several European countries, but as winter was nearing, neither of us looked forward to doing that in Europe, since no place seemed warm enough for us warm weather wimps! With that deadline approaching, we left Athens for Thailand on New Year’s Eve, 2019-2020, and rang in the New Year with several hundred of our closest fellow passengers on Scoot airline. But since Kathleen’s son hastily decided to marry in March 2020, we only had about 10 weeks to explore Asia.

And explore we did, as we found several Thai cities to visit, besides Bangkok, including Chiang Mai and Chumphon, along with leaving the country to check out Halong Bay, Vietnam, and Siem Reap, Cambodia. Those 10 weeks were enough for me (at that time), but neither of us expected to spend the next two years banned from Europe and most international travel. Our COVID time was spent in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, and we could have been in many worse places than that, as the area had little impact or deaths, and I was still able to travel back and forth to the US. Europe was off limits for quite some time, as was most of Central and South America.

Two years later, by 2023, we had many more countries under our belt, and Kathleen wanted to “try Asia again.” Mind you, our first trip there was not a success in my mind, as I did NOT like our two months in Bangkok, even with our out-of-town getaways. Between the crowds, smog, and noise of Bangkok, it all totally overwhelmed me, and this was one of my first experiences like this which allowed (forced?) me to do some introspection on how my mind works. Over the years I recognized that I am “on the spectrum,” and certain things affect me quite strongly. Including Big Towns and crowds.

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So we mostly stayed in Europe and western Asia and spent time in Turkiye and Albania, which worked out great for seven month stays each. But sometimes things take unexpected turns, and a visit to the US, including Hawaii, was followed by our first Repositioning Cruise, which took us back across the globe to Sydney, Australia, and continent number six. Aside from wanting to check out Oz, it was also a gateway to Asia Part II, which lasted 17 months, and took us through Bali, the Philippines, Malaysia, and back to Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. But Part II was much better than our first 10-week dip in the water, and our fears of humidity and mosquitos were mostly unfounded. We loved most of the places we visited and had the first AHA realization of, “Asia COULD work for us long-term.”

But I wanted ONE MORE long motorcycle trip in Europe, which didn’t work out last April, so we spent all of our time in Albania, which we actually did love, too, and we had many conversations about Tirana being, “The One.”

As Kathleen just turned 73, and me approaching 72 in June, we repeatedly talk about “The Future,” and try to figure out where that might be. With that agenda, we left “winter and kitchen” items behind in Albania, so that we could return with less luggage, and we just came back to Asia again, with the intention of seeing if we CAN live over here more or less full time. The Plan is to have some (major, ie, heavy) items remain in each place, which would allow us to travel with less baggage.

So that’s where we are now.

Southeast Asia, with about seven countries to choose from, offers a lot of convenience when it comes to staying for a long time or semi-longtime. Ninety-day visas are easy in Vietnam and Malaysia, and several of these countries offer Retirement Visas or multi-year visas, which would mean less traveling. And that is our goal: Less travel, longer stays, and a base that offers the ability to visit other areas.

Our plan is to stay in Asia until spring, 2027, mostly in Vietnam, and do quarterly visa runs to Japan, Taiwan, China, and Laos, all which we’ve never been to. We understand that three of those are much more expensive, but when averaged with the cost of lodging in Vietnam, it’s still very affordable. And we understand that Asia is not perfect: storms are an ongoing concern and can cause significant damage, and Asia is a hot spot for unusual bugs and skin issues, both of which we’ve experienced. We understand that NO PLACE IS PERFECT, just as no people or person is, either. We had to make critical decisions and judgments as we debated about living as a nomad or staying in the US, and we concluded that the pros vastly outnumbered the cons.

Will Asia “stick” this time, and will this part of the world be our final resting place? Stay tuned as we find out for ourselves, too!

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Pretty much everything is included, from bikes/ gas (Royal Enfield 350 bikes) to rooms (plus all meals), to a support vehicle tagging along to carry all your gear and deal with any mechanical issues. Airport transfer to start the ride is also included, and all support staff speaks English. The tour will be 9 days/ 8 nights and cover 803 km, about 500 miles, which means not a lot of “long rides” each day, and the roads will be 80% paved with 20% a little rough. The price is under $5000 USD and $4000 USD for extra riders (4287/3500€), which is a great price! And, make a note: this are single occupancy rooms in top notch hotels!

Travel Younger followers get a 10% discount, too, and the fun starts April 21-29, 2026. Here’s a web page with particulars:

https://tinyurl.com/ridewithNorm

The 350 cc size is great if you are short in stature or not an experienced rider. It has enough power to carry you but keep it under control. For ladies that might want to test the waters, this might be a great way to enjoy a safe guided ride, not have to worry about mechanical issues or lodging, nor carrying any excess gear. Plus have lots of fun on the way!

Here’s a Facebook link if you want to share: https://www.facebook.com/rideonlk, and this will be a great place to start if you’ve not done anything like this before.

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Kat and I both enjoy motorcycle touring and have taken three long (90 days) rides over the past three years, and have toured Turkiye, Greece, Romania, Italy, Sicily, and many other Balkan countries.

Sri Lanka is an amazing country, and on the route you will probably see wild animals, and literally ride through safari type scenes! If you’ve wanted to do an African safari but were intimidated by the environment or expense, this may offer you a better option to immerse yourself (safely!) among the native wildlife. The web site has a full day 9 day agenda, so contact Simone directly through that link, mention us, and if you have specific questions about long distance touring, hit me up!

Oh, and if you have ever thought about going to India, it’s right next door, just a ferry ride away. In the other direction, Southeast Asia is a quick flight, great if you need some medical testing in Malaysia, or want to check out Thailand or Bali.

Thanks, and hope to see some of you in Sri Lanka!

A few questions, please:

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1) stay where you are, and create a home, or

2) you move on to a new frontier—or possibly an “old frontier.” There’s no in between.

For people who think about nomadic travel, but have never done it, these options probably seem CRAZY! I mean, for me, living the life I used to in California, I would have thought that anyone living with no sense of “permanence” was daft.

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And I probably am, along with the hundreds of thousands of people like us who move around the globe, country to country, continent to continent, never knowing with a lot of certainty when/ where it will end. Or IF it will end!

Happy 2026 to ALL of you, no matter where you are, and regardless of which country you call “home.”

As for Kathleen and myself, 2025 was pretty interesting, and actually, a pivotal year. Last New Year’s Eve we were watching what little festivities there were, from a small Indonesian island called Ceningan. It is only accessible via a bridge which almost adjoins a larger island, Nusa Lembongan, but only via foot, bicycle, or motorcycle. The small “Golden Bridge” which connects one with the other, is only six feet wide and cannot accommodate motor vehicles. What few there are got there via a ferry around the far side of the island, and they are mostly used as taxis (if that’s what you can call them since they’re really only open bed pickup trucks with bench seating!), or as delivery vehicles for supplies. But Ceningan has almost all the things you need to live there, though it does not have complete medical services, ie, no hospital. There are doctors and clinics in case of emergency, as well as food stores, but they’re kind of small, and they have most of what you need. The really cool thing is that you can motor scooter around the entire island in no time at all, since it is only 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometers), which is bigger that it might seem! The connector island, Lembongan, is not much larger, at 3.35 square miles, eight square kilometers, and it DOES have vehicles, but traffic is a non-issue. Both these islands are a quick “fast boat” ride of just over 30 minutes, from the main island of Bali.

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So that’s how the year STARTED, and after three weeks there we returned to the mainland Bali town of Sanur, which is one of our favorite locations in the world. Since we were limited to 60 days on our visitor visa, we left Indonesia mid-February, stayed in Asia, and moved on to Siem Reap, Cambodia. (By the way, we are returning to Bali Jan 17 for another 60 day stay and will do the same thing).

After almost 60 days there we returned to Europe. WHY? Because Norm wanted “one more long motorcycle trip in Europe,” so we made plans for a five-month ride through Greece, Italy, Sardinia, and several Balkan countries. The plan started well but lasted only 42 days, as our BMW GS750 (Hermes) was stolen in Sicily. For anyone who’s been following us for a while, you know that I had a really HARD TIME dealing with that. But it is what it is, and it worked out well, keeping us in Tirana, Albania, for seven months instead of the planned 30 days.

If you are interested in learning more about Albania, and Tirana in particular, many of my newsletters since summer have shared a lot, so please look back on my library.

So, back to the melancholy, which is something I’ve spoken on before. Living in a new city is a double-edged sword since, when you start, everything is new, exciting, and maybe a little scary, and you ask yourself, “will I ever fit in, or be comfortable?” During our stay here I did both, and met a wonderful assortment of friends that I think we will have forever. Albania, and Tirana specifically, is a very popular expat site, and even though I took two, five-day motorcycle trips to explore pretty much any city in the country worth visiting, trying to see if there is “something better,” I never found a single candidate. Even though Tirana is inland, it’s only a 45-minute bus ride to the beach, and there are two major bus terminals in town. One will take you to almost any regional city in Albania, and the other is only for out of country buses, which go to half a dozen different places.

I’m a writer and I noticed that there was a writer’s WhatsApp group, so I joined that and helped it grow as I took over the reins for a few months. But what really made me feel at home, and helped develop a TRUE sense of community, was the Tirana Hikers & Walkers group. During the hot summer there’s really no substantial hiking in town, but when I became an Admin in September and helped it grew, we went from a few dozen people to over 100 now, and some of these folks have become true friends.

But now it’s time to move on, although Tirana, like a few other noteworthy cities in the world, is a true Nomadic Footprint for the Balkans, and many people rotate just among the almost dozen or so countries that make them up.

I know we will return, and Kathleen and I bought three large suitcases, and will leave two behind with some cold weather gear and “kitchen things,” so there’s a big incentive to come back. The third suitcase will carry summer items that we bought here, and go with us to Asia, and the end game is to have items stored in Tirana, and others in Da Nang, Vietnam, where we will be mid-March. That should lessen the load of these long cross-global trips.

For a year, or at least, that’s the plan.

As much as we love and have loved so many things here, the cold temps have been tough to deal with. New Year’s Eve dipped into the low 20s, and made our transition to warmer temperatures even more inviting.

Life is full of compromises and choices, whether you live nomadically, or have lived in the same house for decades. For the next 15 months we plan to be in Southeast Asia, and to possibly find our “forever stop,” if such a thing exists

If you have travel questions and want to know more about places we’ve been, tips on packing or choosing locations, or maybe even taking an extended leave from your country, let us know. You know where to find us!

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I’m already feeling melancholy. We still have a month to go before we leave Albania, but I’m already missing it, which saddens me, yet, at the same time, I’m still embracing the excitement I feel to be heading back to Asia. Such conflicting emotions…

In two more months (Feb 17) we will celebrate seven years on the road, and one of the major topics of conversation that comes up regularly is where we want to “settle.” Is it one place? Is it two places? Maybe more? We’ve pretty much concluded that we like the Balkans a lot, so that would be Destination A, and we also like Southeast Asia, so that would be Destination B. But is there one place, ie, one singular place that is everything we need? So far we’ve not found it, but I’ve been doing some research into that mythical one place on the planet that could work for us, and southern Spain may be a contender. We’ll save that conversation for another day and get back to my feeling of melancholy about leaving Albania, since it truly is/ was a wonderful stay here for all of seven months. The town of Tirana has embraced me and vice versa, and I have developed friendships with expats as well as locals, and integrated myself into the community probably more than any place we’ve been since 2019. That is very special. And as much as I/we/Americans love Albania so much, the feeling seems to be mutual, and that love affair has been nurtured for more than a century.

Here’s a little bit of history for those who are not aware, and I’ll bring you all up to present day.

A while back I was at a little convenience store and struck up a conversation with another tourist, a Russian. He said that he was not the most popular tourist out there, and I’m guessing because of the war. I told him that sometimes I feel that same way since many things that we (Americans) do as a country is not always positive or well received by the rest of the world, either. The counter person overheard our conversation and said, “Are you kidding? We love America, and we love Americans!” I’ve heard this many times, and seen evidence of it, and so I did a little bit more research as to “why.”

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It actually started over a century ago at the end of World War I, and the man behind it was our then President, Woodrow Wilson. (By the way, our apartment is located AT Wilson Square, which is actually a roundabout, and has a statue of Wilson in the center, with his trademark top hat). Albania ended the war in the geographical thick of things and could have easily been absorbed by other countries, but Wilson stood up for the country’s independence and their borders at the 1919 Paris Peace Treaty. Wilson’s support was invaluable since the nearby countries of Italy, Greece, and Yugoslavia all tried to infringe on those borders and for several decades the country was in chaos and confusion.

Prime Minister Ahmet Zogu later came to power and for almost two decades ruled the country with an almost dictatorial fist. He unfortunately got a lot of financial help from Italy, and as World War II approached, Albania was sucked into the fascist power hole started by Italy. In 1939 Italy invaded Albania, ousted King Zogu, and annexed Albania under its power. Things went from bad to worse after WWII as Enver Hoxha took the role as Prime Minister, and until his death in 1985 isolated the country from the world, and ran the country as the People’s Republic of Albania. As the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Albania he ruled with Communist direction, yet treated the country as his own fiefdom.

In 1991 Albania reestablished diplomatic relations with the US, who tried to support a democratic and capitalistic economy to get them on their feet. Secretary of State James Baker was enthusiastically welcomed, and symbolized the country’s desire to align with the West and its hope for American support. The approaching Bosnian War (1992–1995) did not directly involve Albania in the fighting, but nearby Kosovo and Serbia battles brought Albania into the mix. For much of that decade the Bosnian War impacted Albania by creating a highly volatile region, raising lots of fear over Kosovo, and Albania was concerned about conflict on their northern border. Like President Wilson, former President Bill Clinton was also a staunch ally of Albania, and many feel that he saved lives due to America’s support throughout that decade.

Current Albanian Prime Minister Rama has said, “Bill Clinton has taught us to believe that there are only bad regimes and governments, never bad peoples, “ and said that if Clinton had not made the decision to intervene in Kosovo, no one knows what the future of the region would have been like. Presidents Bush, both father and son, were also big supporters of Albania, and I had coffee in a shop where George Bush enjoyed coffee as well. They have chairs and plaques memorializing that visit.

Many Albanians saw (and see) the U.S. as a beacon of democracy, freedom, and economic opportunity, and there are large populations of former Albanians (diaspora) living in the United States. They have also played a role in fostering strong ties, maintaining connections with their homeland, and advocating for U.S. engagement in Albania.

Americans are not embraced everywhere in the world. Comedy movies and humorists make fun of France and how they are rude to Americans. It is not just hearsay, but it is NOT universal. Even though we have a controversial President, America always stood for freedom, democracy, and independence, and some countries are jealous of that—and show it in how they treat visitors.

Kathleen and I have visited 43 countries since 2019, and there is probably no place that embraces us as much as this country. Being able to stay for one year—visa free—is a blessing, and one that many Americans are discovering.

So yes, as much as I look forward to warmer temperatures, I will dearly miss Albania.

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Nomadic Life shares our story from Day One, as we prepared to leave the US after six decades of living there, sell everything, and say goodbye to friends and family. The departure involves so much more than just getting on a plane, and the emotional, mental, spiritual, and financial aspects are all covered. The book offers tips and hints, and guidance on how to travel within Europe, deal with the nefarious “Schengen Zone,” along with lots of shortcuts and time savers. We spent time on six continents, so except for the Poles, we have you covered!

For anyone who likes Greece, or would like to know more about the “less visited” areas, this book covers our 31 day, 15 city motorcycle journey we took in the summer of 2022. This is in full color, so you can see some of the amazing and historical places we visited.

Join us and get a free call every quarter so we can help you plan your travels!

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