Comments on: Why We Left http://expatalley.com True Confessions of an Independent Expat Sun, 06 May 2012 23:39:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Claus http://expatalley.com/why-we-left/comment-page-1/#comment-815 Claus Thu, 13 Jan 2011 10:46:13 +0000 http://expatalley.com/?page_id=106#comment-815 Tom, this is a great article. I have read T. Ferris book and other. And as I am dealing with a lot of people that are "on the move" from one country to another I am always interested in their stories. Thanks for your story. Really like it. Tom, this is a great article. I have read T. Ferris book and other. And as I am dealing with a lot of people that are “on the move” from one country to another I am always interested in their stories. Thanks for your story. Really like it.

]]> By: admin http://expatalley.com/why-we-left/comment-page-1/#comment-428 admin Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:06:34 +0000 http://expatalley.com/?page_id=106#comment-428 Hi Carl, thanks for your comments. Yes, as the world currency markets fluctuate the mantra will change! Hi Carl, thanks for your comments. Yes, as the world currency markets fluctuate the mantra will change!

]]> By: Carl http://expatalley.com/why-we-left/comment-page-1/#comment-427 Carl Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:15:49 +0000 http://expatalley.com/?page_id=106#comment-427 Hi, Just discovered your site and I love it. I'm an American living in China and have had many of the same thoughts as you. I love the mantra "income in dollars, expenses in pesos." You can substitute many currencies in place of pesos, in my case, renimbi. On my blog, I recently wrote about outsourcing your cost of living, using Bali as an example. We visited the father of a friend and learned that he's paying US $3000 a year for a 3-bedroom house with a swimming pool! Hi, Just discovered your site and I love it. I’m an American living in China and have had many of the same thoughts as you. I love the mantra “income in dollars, expenses in pesos.” You can substitute many currencies in place of pesos, in my case, renimbi. On my blog, I recently wrote about outsourcing your cost of living, using Bali as an example. We visited the father of a friend and learned that he’s paying US $3000 a year for a 3-bedroom house with a swimming pool!

]]> By: admin http://expatalley.com/why-we-left/comment-page-1/#comment-419 admin Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:21:24 +0000 http://expatalley.com/?page_id=106#comment-419 Thanks for the comment Jo. Well, "expenses in pesos and income in dollars" was a good mantra and one I still believe in though with the weakening of the dollar I may be required to change it in the not too distance future! You may want to contact my wife Maya Frost, author of <em>The New Global Student</em> for an expat author interview. She is the published writer in the family! Thanks for the comment Jo. Well, “expenses in pesos and income in dollars” was a good mantra and one I still believe in though with the weakening of the dollar I may be required to change it in the not too distance future!

You may want to contact my wife Maya Frost, author of The New Global Student for an expat author interview. She is the published writer in the family!

]]> By: Jo Parfitt http://expatalley.com/why-we-left/comment-page-1/#comment-417 Jo Parfitt Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:26:13 +0000 http://expatalley.com/?page_id=106#comment-417 Wow! As author of Career in Your Suitcase and Expat Entrepreneur and devourer of the Ti, Ferrises of this world, I thought I knew this stuff. But income in dollars, expenses in pesos was new to me. Thank you VERY much for giving me a wake up call. Jo Wow! As author of Career in Your Suitcase and Expat Entrepreneur and devourer of the Ti, Ferrises of this world, I thought I knew this stuff. But income in dollars, expenses in pesos was new to me. Thank you VERY much for giving me a wake up call.

Jo

]]> By: admin http://expatalley.com/why-we-left/comment-page-1/#comment-394 admin Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:26:01 +0000 http://expatalley.com/?page_id=106#comment-394 Thanks for the comment Joel. Sometimes Tim Ferriss' 4HWW comes off as a bit too egotistical--or at least that is what I thought. I could not make it through the first time but about a year later I picked it up again and really appreciated it. Check out http://soultravelers3.com/. They started out when their daughter was 5 and have been traveling since though they tend to stay each winter in the same place in Spain. Very nice people. Once we made the decision to go, everything else fell into place and the excitement overwhelmed whatever worries we might have had. In the end, none of the worries ever transformed into reality and it has been a thoroughly enjoyable process ever since. Thanks for the comment Joel. Sometimes Tim Ferriss’ 4HWW comes off as a bit too egotistical–or at least that is what I thought. I could not make it through the first time but about a year later I picked it up again and really appreciated it. Check out http://soultravelers3.com/. They started out when their daughter was 5 and have been traveling since though they tend to stay each winter in the same place in Spain. Very nice people.

Once we made the decision to go, everything else fell into place and the excitement overwhelmed whatever worries we might have had. In the end, none of the worries ever transformed into reality and it has been a thoroughly enjoyable process ever since.

]]> By: Joel D Canfield http://expatalley.com/why-we-left/comment-page-1/#comment-393 Joel D Canfield Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:02:50 +0000 http://expatalley.com/?page_id=106#comment-393 My wife and I have been planning a move to Ireland with our 6-year-old for over five years. We've realised recently that Ireland isn't enough; we want the whole world. A friend pointed me to this post; 4HWW just doesn't resonate with me, but your writing does. Reading the first chapter of "Global Student" right now, and we'll be picking up the book as soon as possible—and picking up and going as soon as possible after that. My wife and I have been planning a move to Ireland with our 6-year-old for over five years. We’ve realised recently that Ireland isn’t enough; we want the whole world.

A friend pointed me to this post; 4HWW just doesn’t resonate with me, but your writing does. Reading the first chapter of “Global Student” right now, and we’ll be picking up the book as soon as possible—and picking up and going as soon as possible after that.

]]> By: admin http://expatalley.com/why-we-left/comment-page-1/#comment-390 admin Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:11:15 +0000 http://expatalley.com/?page_id=106#comment-390 Hi Didier, thanks for the comment and question. It was actually quite easy to jump and one of the most exciting periods of my life! Initially I had an import business, jewelry from China, which I made virtual. Employees worked from home, shipping and warehousing was done on from a fulfillment company, bookkeeping and banking done all online. My sales doubled during my first year abroad--it really paid to outsource services to professionals as they did them much better than I did when I ran the business in the US. A few years later due to the poor economic conditions of the US I closed the business and sold off some of the assets. Luckily by that time my cost of living was very low due to living in South America. So now I am in the process of exploring other possibilities--all web-based. It is much less scary not having a regular income when my daily costs are low! We also have a couple of small online info businesses that we are still developing but bring in some income. Unless you have a huge pile of money, my advice to anyone taking the leap to move abroad would be to familiar with, and set up as many online business functions (banking, databases, websites, merchant credit card account, home base address account) so that you can continue to do business in your home country while living abroad. Yes, so far each country in which I have lived has used the peso--but they are all so different! Un abrazo, Tom Hi Didier, thanks for the comment and question. It was actually quite easy to jump and one of the most exciting periods of my life!

Initially I had an import business, jewelry from China, which I made virtual. Employees worked from home, shipping and warehousing was done on from a fulfillment company, bookkeeping and banking done all online. My sales doubled during my first year abroad–it really paid to outsource services to professionals as they did them much better than I did when I ran the business in the US.

A few years later due to the poor economic conditions of the US I closed the business and sold off some of the assets. Luckily by that time my cost of living was very low due to living in South America.

So now I am in the process of exploring other possibilities–all web-based. It is much less scary not having a regular income when my daily costs are low! We also have a couple of small online info businesses that we are still developing but bring in some income.

Unless you have a huge pile of money, my advice to anyone taking the leap to move abroad would be to familiar with, and set up as many online business functions (banking, databases, websites, merchant credit card account, home base address account) so that you can continue to do business in your home country while living abroad.

Yes, so far each country in which I have lived has used the peso–but they are all so different!

Un abrazo,
Tom

]]> By: Didier Daglinckx http://expatalley.com/why-we-left/comment-page-1/#comment-387 Didier Daglinckx Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:45:23 +0000 http://expatalley.com/?page_id=106#comment-387 Gracias Tom, It seems so easy to jump ... Could you tell us how you've build a business that made this possible ? Parece que ustedes estan mas al Sur ahora. Por suerte, la moneda todavia se llama Peso. ;-) Gracias Tom,

It seems so easy to jump …

Could you tell us how you’ve build a business that made this possible ?

Parece que ustedes estan mas al Sur ahora.
Por suerte, la moneda todavia se llama Peso.

;-)

]]> By: MaryWitzl http://expatalley.com/why-we-left/comment-page-1/#comment-277 MaryWitzl Wed, 12 May 2010 19:35:15 +0000 http://expatalley.com/?page_id=106#comment-277 Well, this blog is definitely a find -- and especially this post! My husband gets those financial terror wake up calls too. I'll be back to show him this. Well, this blog is definitely a find — and especially this post! My husband gets those financial terror wake up calls too. I’ll be back to show him this.

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