There is No Perfect Time. There is Just Now.

Time and time again, I meet people and hear stories that reaffirm my belief that it’s never too late to live your travel dreams. When I was travelling around South America last year, I met Hal recently in Costa Rica. Hal is in his early forties and was laid off from his job when the depression hit. Now he lives in a small beach side bungalow in Costa Rica. How did he do it? He re-mortgaged his house, and used the money to travel the world. Was he scared? Absolutely, he said. But he decided an opportunity would present itself. And it has. He now runs his own business from Costa Rica and he earns enough to pay his mortgage at home as well as keep his business running.  Was it easy? Of course not. But nothing that is worth doing is.

It all comes down to the simple fact that if you want to travel, or live abroad, you don’t have to create a plan so you can do it in ten or fifteen years. You can do it now. In fact, the only way to guarantee that you will get out of that job you don’t like, or the town you can’t stand, and go see the world, is to quit the job and leave that town. You’d be amazed what you can do when you don’t have any other choice. It’s hedging and waiting for the perfect opportunity that results in stasis and a stagnant life. There will never be a perfect opportunity. So you might as well go now.

If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica this summer, I found this website that helped me found hotels near international airports in Costa Rica. A great guide to find accommodations for you South American adventure.