regardless of the "I said" "I meant" "You said"'s blah blah...

NorthShore? What are you thinking?

Thanks for the book recommendations and additional comments.

To reduce the planning task and allow us to get a greater depth of exeprience, we are thinking it will only be Italy and France the first year. Rome and Paris will be our anchor cities with shorter stays in several TBD locations.

I found this on another thread where the same topic came up.It may be helpful.

Author: Bob
Date: 07/26/2000, 06:53 pm
What a wonderful thing to do. I took a half a year off several years back and travelled and studied. Businesses, etc. don't realize the benefits they get when their employees return from such travels. An interesting book on the topic for those thinking of such a trip is TIME OUT - HOW TO TAKE A YEAR (OR MORE OR LESS) OFF WITHOUT JEOPARDIZING YOUR JOB, YOUR FAMILY, OR YOUR BANK ACCOUNT. It is by Bonnie Miller Rubin, Publ. by W. W. Norton and Company. It covers just about everything you could imagine. For all of you out there thinking about doing this - go for it! You will never regret it.

Thank you for the tip. I am starting the search for it. It seems Amazon may have only used copies.

I am using Retiring Abroad – A Survival Handbook by David Hampshire and The Grown-Up’s Guide to Retiring Abroad by Rosanne Knorr. Although I am not planning to retire there, these books have interesting tips on several countries.

We are looking at:

Europe: May-Oct

Thailand: Nov-Jan

Mexico: Feb-Apr

Oh my, oh my! Do you two need an assistant, baggage wrangler, laundress, personal chef...secretary?
Go for it. This all sounds as if a dream coming true.

SuzieC,

What do they say? A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step?

Last week we donated 250 books to the library, took old clothes to Goodwill, had a huge garage sale and even sold/gave away all our house plants. We are also going to Bangkok this month
for business, but will also do some scouting.

Kinda scary. This thing is in motion.

Did somebody say garage sale? I'm always looking for leisure suits.

Good for you. Sounds like a grand adventure. Do it and then write a book - I'll promote it for 30% of the gross?

Seriously, Lyon and Florence might be candidates for France and Italy.

Best of luck.

degas, I saved one lime green xxxx-large for you. How about 10% instead of 30% for the book promotion?

Yes, Lyon and Florence look to be good short stay options.

What a wonderful thread. Planted the seeds for when I might be able to retire in about 20 years! Until then, I'll take 10 day trip every 18 months and spend half of the previous time planning and dreaming. I may not post much, but I've enjoyed reading what others have written. Thanks for being there and sharing thoughts and experiences. Robin

ahotpoet - here it is
http://www.holiday-rentals.com/index.cfm/property/1322

#1322 on holiday-rentals.com

Hi NorthShore
Several years ago, My husband & I bought an old campervan and spent 10 months in Europe. We had relatives to stay with in Paris which was fantastic.
To overcome the winter issue, we drove down through Spain to Morroco all the way to Agadir and camped about 15 miles north of Agadir for two months. THere were stacks of Germans of all ages getting away from the cold as well as English and lots of other Europeans. Also a lot of Australian surfers. This was a long time ago, but I'm sure it has really developed since then & you can rent a condo. Just a thought.
Luckliy we had no problem with the length of time we spent in Europe. We did have to get a visa for Spain while we were in Paris.
All the best and enjoy yourself. I am envious.

Starrsville
Thanks for remembering me. Did you actually stay there? What did the bathroom look like? What time of year? How long ago? I'd love to hear your experience!

I am still planning this adventure. Will be going to Europe this summer on a "scouting trip" of sorts.

Main issue seems to be the actual selection of cities/towns to give us a good mix of different experiences and create a nice pace.

Contine to downsize and sell off excess possessions - very liberating to be free of all that stuff.

Hi NorthShore. We could be twins! We're planning a similar adventure and have decided that 2006 is the year we make things happen. It was great to see your post brought back to life and hope to hear more.
Follow your dreams. ((R))

Comment. Tourists are tourists are tourists. We simply observe. A year in Europe! Choose a goal. Perhaps, visit and record particular schools. Try children's hospitals or hospices. How about visiting all the cemetaries with American war dead!. Sign up with the Peace Corps...Visit a major city in each country and find an American expatriate. Practical, visit a city in each European country and get the recipe for their favorite dish.

It might help avoid problems with immigration authorities if you have some way to prove you're going back to America at the end of your stay. Certainly in the UK, there's a catch-all provision that allows immigration officers to get suspicious - and act on their suspicions - if they come across evidence that might be read as suggesting you plan to stay longer than you claim. Don't go telling them you've sold your house, for example. But it might well help if you can demonstrate that funds at the level of your proposed budget are coming from a US-based bank account.

Cutting to the chase for future visitors to this thread:
Visa information for France from www.info-france-usa.org
"If you are a U.S. citizen and would like to travel to an Overseas Territory, an Overseas Territorial Unit, or New Caledonia for a short stay (between one month and three months)

You DO need a visa.
Please submit:
- 1 application form for a short stay visa
- a valid passport + 1 photocopy
- round trip airline tickets with confirmed reservations + 1 copy
- a proof of travel health/accident insurance with worldwide coverage + 1 copy
- according to the purpose of the trip, one of the documents listed below:

For tourism : Hotel reservation, proof of registration with an organized tour, attestation of accommodation, etc.+ 1 copy
For business : official business invitation letter from a company in France + 1 copy
For private visit (family or friends) : Attestation of accommodation + 1 copy Your host in France can obtain this document free of charge at the City Hall, the police station or the gendarmerie squad office, by showing a proof of identity and 2 proofs of lodging (rental contract, and phone bill or power bill...)
- proof of sufficient funds to cover the cost of your stay : 2 last bank statements + 1 copy, travellers checks if visiting the United States, 100 dollars per day are suggested
- for business trip, a letter from the employer guaranteeing the travel expenses +1 copy
- for a minor, if travelling alone, a notarized parental authorization signed by both parents or guardian. If the minor travels with 1 parent, an authorization signed by the 2nd parent is required + 1 copy
- visa fee"


United Kingdom (www.britainusa.com)
Change to visa requirements from 13 November 2005
From 13 November 2005 all those who are not British or EEA nationals – except for British nationals without right of abode in the UK - will need a visa or entry clearance for all stays in the UK over six months."

Basically, everyone will want to know (and prove) that you have funds, health insurance, etc.
I got all this by starting with AAFrequentFlyers:http://travel.state.gov/travel/livin...ding_1235.html just follow the info trail.

Wow, what an ambitious plan and yes you can look forward to a wonderful adventure. I see you posted this last July and rebooted it in December. I do agree as a retiree who has traveled both before and after retirement that you should see the world while you can if you have the health and financial reserves. Incidentally, we feel as do you...that we have contributed to family and society in meaningful ways and have no guilt about treating ourselves! (Could go on but that might be a sermon and I'm a retired minister).
So we have been overseas ten times and have done lots and lots of RVing, camping, Elderhostels, festivals.

I do think there comes a time when you are travel weary and would urge you to examine that aspect. The advantage in what most conventional travelers do, coming home after a couple of weeks, is that it allows you to absorb what you have seen and treasure it more. I like to read up before and after trips, including histories, novels, dramas. For instance, a tour of Scandnavia got me reading Ibsen and one to Central Europe to encounter the once-dissident Czech & Hungarian writers.

How many museums can you stand and how many castle steps do you want to climb and how much poking around in markets will be interesting and how many restaurants can you endure. So the question I would raise is simply overload and maybe focus, meaning specific goals. I wonder if you couldn't enroll in some purposeful programs as university courses, conferences, designated tours.

ozarksbill
[email protected]

ozarksbill, you bring up some very valid points, many of which we have also started now to ponder. "Endless travel" sounds great, but might not work in reality.

We are considering alternating extended travel periods with work on educational projects and stints with charities and relief organizations.