The 7 Best Places To Live Rich Without Much Money (So You Can Bring Your Dreams To Life)

1. Alicante, Spain

Alicante is a city that has mastered the art of frugal living. They’ve done it without sacrificing any beauty or quality of living. It’s a beach city on Spain’s Costa Blanca and is famous for its wonderful climate, great food, stellar entertainment, relaxing lifestyle and lack of significant tourism. It’s a place that won’t disappoint. Renting a one bedroom apartment in the city’s center runs you about $550 a month. Public transit is around $40 a month. A good bottle of wine is $5 and a good domestic beer is a dollar. Spain’s minimum wage is $5.82 an hour.

2. Mendoza, Argentina

Right smack in the heart of Argentina’s wine country is the beautiful city of Mendoza. The local economy is strong and there is much demand for fresh, new businesses. If you’re looking to start a business, Mendoza is the place to do it. A one bedroom apartment in the city’s center runs you about $380 a month. To buy a one bedroom apartment is about $60,000. A good bottle of wine is $4 and a good bottle of domestic beer is $1.40. Argentina’s minimum wage is $8.35 an hour.

3. Bali, Indonesia

This is a low-cost living heaven located in Asia. Bali has a hopping nightlife, vibrant tourism economy, and is a great place to set up shop. Rent on a one bedroom apartment in the city’s center is $300 a month. A good bottle of wine is $12 and a good bottle of domestic beer is $1.60. Minimum wage is $1.20 an hour.

4. Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai has one of the nicest climates in all of Asia. It’s a mountain town rich in culture, good food, and friendly neighbors. It’s a place where you can make your dollar stretch pretty far too. A one bedroom apartment in the city’s center is $250 a month, a good bottle of wine is $13 and a good domestic beer is $1.30. Thailand’s minimum wage is $2.87 an hour.

5. Corozal, Belize

This is the city for folks who want to kick back and relax. It’s a hot spot for meditation and yoga, has beautiful beaches, delicious restaurants, and it’s very affordable. A one bedroom apartment in the city’s center runs you $190 a month. Buying a two bedroom apartment costs around $115,000. A good bottle of wine is $12 and a good domestic beer is $1.50. The minimum wage in Belize is $2.92.

6. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Mexico has many little gems of places to live on the cheap, but Vallarta beats them all in my book. It’s naturally beautiful, very romantic, but has heavy tourism. Renting a one bedroom apartment in the city center costs $450 a month. Buying a traditional townhouse costs $55,000. A good bottle of wine is $7.50. A good domestic beer is $1.25. And the tequila is dirt cheap. Mexico’s minimum wage is $.89 an hour. Good luck.

7. Ojen, Spain.

Back to Spain! Ojen has multimillion dollar villas and also incredibly affordable living. Renting a one bedroom apartment in the city’s center runs you $330 a month. A traditional townhouse costs $100,000. A good bottle of wine is just $4 and a good domestic beer is $1.25. Spain’s minimum wage is $5.82 an hour.

These cities are beautiful, fun, and affordable! Each one brings its residents something a little bit new and exotic. Have you visited or lived in any of these cities? Let’s hear about it in the comments below!

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Is A Passport More Important Than A College Degree? A Student Of The World Says Yes

When I look at my degree and all the effort and time that went into producing it, I’m damn proud of that expensive piece of paper that defined so much of my being.

But still, my degree is a product and summation of years of dedication and studying.

Some of my greatest friends and mentors came from Baker University and my study abroad experience, so really nothing could ever replace my college degree.

Growing up, we’re told that a college degree makes you stand out from the bunch. It’ll give you the upper hand in the rabid pool of American job seekers.

It’ll put you in the elite group of distinguished college graduates who studied (and drank) their way to that hard-earned degree.

What they didn’t tell me back in 2000 is that 15 years later, a college degree would basically be equivalent to a high school diploma.

With more universities and programs catered to helping first-generation college attendees succeed, college degrees now come a dime a dozen, and no longer put me in front of the rat race.

And, let’s not get started on the jobs that require two-to-three years of working experience straight out of college and never mind the fact that this is the exact experience you’re trying to obtain.

You need to first find experience elsewhere before bringing that experience over here… because, post-grad life. Because America. Because what even?

The number of people who can find a direct correlation between their degree and their jobs are slim.

Unless you’re going into specific fields of teaching, law or medicine, that business or communications degree will work at just about anywhere that’s hiring.

And the reality is, you might get stuck working next to the guy without a GED, yet making the same minimum wage.

Nonetheless, my degree did get me my first job abroad in the UK at the number-one study abroad institution in America at Harlaxton College.

But to be honest, it was my experience that landed me the position, not my degree.

Since I was there as a student, I developed a relationship with the staff. My skill set in design, media and photography were desirable assets for the position they were looking to fill.

Having a degree was a requirement for the job ad, but any degree would’ve sufficed because it was more so my experience they were interested in.

So, because I had been abroad previously (oh hey, thanks, passport), and had gone through the same courses and had the same experiences future students would, it helped solidify me as a suitable candidate.

And now, a year later, the jobs and work I do are solely from the hustle and grind I developed outside of the classroom: photography, basketball, blogging and teaching English.

My degree was in interdisciplinary mass media and arts because whatever it is I thought I wanted to do in life, I thought this degree could be all-encompassing.

I love to write, design, create and do photography. But, what kind of job or label did I fit under?

Therein lies my “problem.” I’ve never felt I was ever defined by one title or label, which is why a degree was merely a ribbon on an already-boxed package ready to be shipped.

My degree makes me look better on paper. Maybe I appeared more sophisticated and educated in the eyes of employers, but the better part of me was formed and shaped from traveling the world.

Entrepreneurship is a curvy yet narrow field that some pursue and others look down on. Often, we’re told to “get a real job,” which, I’m still not sure what it means.

Get a real job and complain about it every day when I have to wake up? Get a real job and waste my life away working 40 plus hours for someone who half the office doesn’t even respect?

Get a real job and convince myself that 50 years in the workforce will guarantee me all the savings I need for a comfortable retirement?

But let’s cross our fingers that my health, able body and circumstances will allow me to do all my heart’s desires once those glory years come.

Again, when I was younger, I was given this clean-cut list of top-earning professions as if that would motivate me to pick what made me money instead of what made me happy.

The thing is, when you’re told to go into a career for the money, you lose sight of your purpose along the way. I truly believe the love of money is the root of all evil, and if you spend your life chasing it, you’ll never have enough.

One of the scariest traits a person can have is greed; once he or she starts loving things and money more than people, he or she has lost the human touch. Own your money, but don’t let it own you.

If I haven’t ruffled enough feathers by now, allow me to dive face-first into the bird’s nest with this list of differences between a degree and a passport:

- A degree opens you up to a job.

- A passport opens you up to the world.

- A degree costs you years of debt/payments/savings.

- A passport costs you $110 (in America).

- A degree makes you think four to five years is enough to decide on a career.

- A passport makes you think four to five years is enough to figure out your life.

- A degree completes your résumé.

- A passport puts a stamp on it.

- A degree puts you at the disposal of employers.

- A passport puts the world at your disposal.

- A degree teaches you how to finish your business in school.

- A passport teaches you that there’s unfinished business in the world.

- A degree shows you’ve taken lots of exams.

- A passport shows you’ve taken lots of risks.

- A degree will fill your pride.

- A passport will fill your memories.

- A degree will help get your foot in the door.

- A passport will help keep you in the room.

My point is this: If I had to choose one, I’d pick my passport over my college degree.

Having possession of both has allowed me to see the advantages of what one can get me over the other. My passport has afforded me a life I never thought my wallet could grasp.

My passport has changed the way I see the world; my passport has taught me to love harder, feel deeper and think wiser.

I have compassion and understanding for people, religions, customs, traditions and lifestyles I never gave a second thought to prior.

A passport has opened me up to a world of discovery, adventure and knowledge.

My passport has single-handedly changed my life for the better, and if you told me to give up one or the other, I’d practically thrust my degree into your arms (along with a slew of debt), and bid thee farewell as I took off on another adventure.

Confession: I’m a college graduate, but I’ve used my passport more than my degree.

If my passport cost as much as a degree, it would still be the best investment I ever made.

The most important things to know about life are learned outside of the classroom.

Love, compassion and open-mindedness are curriculums in the school of travel, and as far as I’m concerned, this kind of education is on a whole other degree.

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5 Reasons Why You Should Travel The World

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

― Mark Twain

Why Travel The World

We all have that one friend on Facebook that occasionally pops up offering up an opportunity for us to live vicariously through their experiences. They post up photos of sunsets in highly desirable locations on the other side of the world and at first it amuses, then promotes wanderlust, we have a little daydream about our next vacation and then the jealousy sinks in. Although, I just made that generalisation up so if that resonates with you in any way then you’ve come to the right blog post.

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”
― Seth Godin

It’s a big decision. Even leaving your comfort zone for a brief 20 minute jog once a week is a struggle for some and in those cases a life shifting experience like travelling may be the key to breaking that way of thinking, the way that promotes retreating, the withdrawal back to unhealthy routines. This leads us on to reason number one:

1. SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR COMFORT ZONE

By not taking risks, you never really discover your true self. It’s only ever about doing what is safe and easy but how will you ever know what really makes you tick if you’ve never tried it. Travel will push you into a flurry of seemingly uncomfortable situations like forcing you to meet new people with completely different lifestyles and cultures or navigating your way around a mountain where no one speaks your native language...

We could only hope the Tuk-Tuk driver understood our intended destination, as he drove us nearly two hours through remote Thailand as it started to get dark.

2. TIME SLOWS DOWN

A regular routine builds strong neurological connections that over time allow for us to automate activities almost seamlessly. Think about that journey to work where not a thought is spared on the direction, forced into the present only by an obstruction. “I’ve been working here 10 years and I don’t know where the time has gone” – that’s not for me. An ever changing horizon continually breathes new experiences and with in those we truly live in the moment, we are gifted with the present.

Beautiful sunsets over the ancient Angkor Temples

3. GAIN IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVES

With nothing but your backpack filled with essentials you venture out into new cultures without access to the usual facilities and material objects you might usually take for granted. Many people live in the type of poverty that is truly unfathomable until you experience it first hand. As a westerner I will never forget the first time I drove through Brazilian slums and without going into detail, I can assure you that television is not the same. Statistics are numbers and individual stories remain unheard. A culture shock can only positively affect you, it compels you to give back, to help out and to appreciate in innumerable ways the lifestyle upon return.

Cambodia is a beautiful country but a far cry from what we consider ‘luxury’ in the west.

4. WE ARE NOT GUARANTEED OLD AGE

Travelling is often postponed with the intentions of ‘becoming a responsible adult’ or ‘building up a real life’ in the mean time. Some even say they are savouring the opportunity for retirement. Without injecting too much personal opinion, that’s just the views of society’s norm being expressed by those who are already deeply conforming. It is your choice to live how you wish. But, if I don’t live to my forties, fifties or sixties, I can safely say that I have no regrets. Choosing to buy experiences over external objects has transformed me in so many way that I am sincerely grateful for.

You won’t feel like getting lifts in the back of a pickup when your 70 as the sun sets.

5. AND THIS…

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” 

― Eleanor Roosevelt

TELL US YOUR TRAVEL EXPERIENCES

Have you been travelling and want to share your reasons to travel?
Are you thinking about seriously travelling but have some doubts on a certain topic? Let us know below.

Thanks for reading


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30 Magical Photos Of Children Playing Around The World

No matter their cultural background, no matter their economic situation, kids will always find imaginative ways to have fun. Their wild imaginations and magical childhood moments, when captured on camera by talented photographers, can make for truly wonderful photos. These 33 images we collected will prove that childhood can be wonderful no matter where you go.

Many in the Western world fear that technology is making today’s children lose touch with nature and with their own creativity, and while there are arguments to be made for the intellectual stimulation that apps and programs for children can bring, there’s also something to be said for simply playing with a stick in the mud or chasing dandelion seeds though an open meadow.

For better or worse, the children in these photos seem entirely content making their own fun. For us adults, it’s important not to let our world-weary and jaded experience stifle our childish hopefulness and imagination!

Indonesia

Image credits: Ipoenk Graphic

Image credits: Agoes Antara

Image credits: I Gede Lila Kantiana

Image credits: Gede Lila Kantiana

Russia

Image credits: Светлана Квашина

Image credits: Elena Shumilova

Burkina Faso

Image credits: Òscar Tardío

Myanmar

Image credits: Chan Kwok Hung

Tajikistan

Image credits: Damon Lynch

India

Image credits: Sandee Pachetan

Image Credits: Sudharsan Ravikumar

Image credits: Mukund Images

Vietnam

Image Credits: HT KëñShï

Ghana

Image credits: Terry White

Estonia

Image credits: Elika Hunt

Thailand

Image credits: Sarawut Intarob

Image credits: Sarawut Intarob

Image credits: Sarawut Intarob

South Africa

Image credits: Muhammed Muheisen

Source: tinosoriano.com

Peru

Image credits: Enrique Castro-Mendivil

Ethiopia

Image credits: Csilla Zelko

Italy

Image credits: Michael Potyomin

Israel

Image credits: Dima Vazinovich

USA

Image credits: Jake Olson

Indonesia #2

Image credits: Rio Rinaldi Rachmatullah

Image credits: James Khoo

Image credits: Hendrik Priyanto

Image Credits: Mio Cade

Uganda

Image credits: John Van Den Hende

Romania

Image credits: Elena Simona Craciun

Russia

Image credits: Elena Shumilova

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11 Untranslatable Words You Didn’t Know Existed

The relationship between words and their meaning is a fascinating one, and linguists have spent countless years deconstructing it, taking it apart letter by letter, and trying to figure out why there are so many feelings and ideas that we cannot even put words to, and that our languages cannot identify. 

The idea that words cannot always say everything has been written about extensively - as Friedrich Nietzsche said,

“Words are but symbols for the relations of things to one another and to us; nowhere do they touch upon the absolute truth.” 

We've illustrated 11 wonderful, elusive, words - which have no single word within the English language that could be considered a direct translation. We will definitely be trying to incorporate a few of them into our everyday conversations, and hope that you enjoy recognising a feeling or two of your own among them.


1 | German: Waldeinsamkeit

A feeling of solitude, being alone in the woods and a connectedness to nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson even wrote a whole poem about it.

2 | Italian: Culaccino

The mark left on a table by a cold glass. Who knew condensation could sound so poetic.

3 | Inuit: Iktsuarpok

The feeling of anticipation that leads you to go outside and check if anyone is coming, and probably also indicates an element of impatience.

4 | Japanese: Komorebi

This is the word the Japanese have for when sunlight filters through the trees - the interplay between the light and the leaves.

5 | Russian: Pochemuchka

Someone who asks a lot of questions. In fact, probably too many questions. We all know a few of these. 

6  | Spanish: Sobremesa

Spaniards tend to be a sociable bunch, and this word describes the period of time after a meal when you have food-induced conversations with the people you have shared the meal with. 

7 | Indonesian: Jayus

Their slang for someone who tells a joke so badly, that is so unfunny you cannot help but laugh out loud. 

8 | Hawaiian: Pana Poʻo

You know when you forget where you've put the keys, and you scratch your head because it somehow seems to help your remember? This is the word for it. 

9 | French: Dépaysement

The feeling that comes from not being in one’s home country - of being a foreigner, or an immigrant, of being somewhat displaced from your origin.

10 | Urdu: Goya

Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, but is also an official language in 5 of the Indian states. This particular Urdu word conveys a contemplative 'as-if' that nonetheless feels like reality, and describes the suspension of disbelief that can occur, often through good storytelling.

11 | Swedish: Mångata

The word for the glimmering, roadlike reflection that the moon creates on water.

We hope you enjoyed exploring the inventiveness of language while reading these 11 words. If you feel so inclined please share this post to any linguistic friends who you think might enjoy it too.

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