Category: retirement
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Wherever We May Roam: A Practical Guide to Longer Travel
Most people treat travel like a map problem, but Jim and Rita Santos argue it is really a style problem. After 16 years on the road, living abroad, and testing everything from short breaks to full-time roaming, they land on a simple idea: there is no single “right way” to travel longer. Long-term travel planning…
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Wherever We May Roam: Finding Your Travel Style — Now Available
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After years of traveling, learning, adjusting, and sometimes getting it completely wrong, I’m excited to finally share something that has been a long time in the making: My new book, Wherever We May Roam: Finding Your Travel Style, is now available. Why I Wrote This Book Travel has never been a one-size-fits-all experience. Over time, my…
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Ditching the 9-to-5 for Wide Open Roads: Is Full-Time RV Living for You?
Ever dreamed of saying “see ya!” to the daily grind and hitting the open road? The idea of living full-time in an RV or camper has definitely captured the hearts of many, promising a life filled with freedom, adventure, and a whole lot less stuff. But is it all sunshine and scenic overlooks? Let’s dive…
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Learning Italian and Buying a Villa
The second season of “Travels with Jim and Rita” continues with an inspiring conversation with travel writer Linda McCarley, who shares her remarkable journey toward establishing a home in Italy. Linda’s story begins with her earliest travel memories at just three years old, when her Scottish-born parents took her from Canada to visit relatives in…
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A Pleasant Surprise – Seville, Spain
When we were originally planning our spring 2025 trip, we were not thinking about Spain at all. Our primary goal was the UK and Ireland, but our late-March start meant it would be a little too cold to enjoy. So instead, we decided to stay a couple of weeks in the Algarve region of Portugal…
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Why Not Take a Cruise?
Cruising represents one of the most versatile and value-packed ways to explore the world, offering travelers the perfect blend of comfort, convenience, and adventure. While cruises sometimes get dismissed as superficial travel experiences, our recent conversation with veteran cruiser Babs Dearmond revealed why these floating resorts might be the smartest way to see multiple destinations…
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Three Nights in Lagos, Portugal
Well, we are finally on the road again! Our trip started off smoothly enough. No problem getting an Uber to the Knoxville airport, and we were there in plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely dinner before heading to our gate. A short flight to Dulles, a long walk to our new departure gate, and…
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Paradise Found in Panama
When Roy McGinnis and Julie Tallman first visited Panama’s Azuero Peninsula in September, they had no idea that they would soon be wiring money to a builder named Roy for their future retirement home. Their journey, shared on the Travels with Jim and Rita podcast, offers a fascinating glimpse into the process of choosing an…
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Retirement Podcast – Knoxville, TN
I’m proud to announce that you can now listen to a podcast interview I did for the good folks at Retire There with Gil and Gene. Although I have written over 200 articles and a couple of books about living and retiring overseas, Gil and Gene and I discussed something a little different – Knoxville, Tennessee as…
