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Most people still believe that they are dependent on what Government pension plans or their previous company will provide for them when they are ready to retire. Or that they have to work until 65, 68 or even until they drop dead to the floor. That debt, cost of living and steady consumerism and expenses will never allow them to live a more relaxed life and enjoy their day – with whatever comes to their minds.
Do you belong to them?
If so – fret not. There is help on the way. It just takes a bit of mental exercise to make a plan for changing your life. Almost everyone can survive in a more relaxed and joyful surrounding than your present cave and state of mind.
Don’t believe me?
You can do something to get out of your current misery, the never-ending cycle of working, endless purchasing and consuming and making your way to the Bank. I bet you have asked yourself many times already, if what you currently do is normal?
Let me assure you – it’s not!
Maybe you still need more reasons to live a simpler but more fulfilling life with less consumerism?
Don’t be a Pretender any longer! Money alone can’t buy you happiness!
So what can you do to break the cycle, to retire early and probably live like a modern, traveling Nomad for the rest of your life with less money, but also less responsibilities? Here is how:
‘1st Secret’
Basically the idea is to live more with less. Start with Downshifting. How?
Don’t spend so much on useless things you might never need to live a fulfilled live. De-clutter your life!
Sell all your useless crap to someone more stupid on sites like eBay, use your Free Local Advertising Paper, do a Garage Sale or ask around friends and family, if they need some of your Electronics, Suits and other Clothes, Furniture, Apartment Accessories or other things, which keep you from being mobile.
This way you’ll get at least some money back from what you wasted it on.
It could literally even be your Flight Ticket out of your high-cost country. Give away what nobody wants to buy, donate to the Red Cross or other Charity Organizations. You will feel much better without it and with the peace of mind of having helped someone in need, who will need and appreciate it much more than you.
‘2nd Secret’
Secondly it helps a lot to move to a country with cheaper Cost of Living than your home country. Even better – if it has a weaker currency too. So if you come from a colder western country in Europe, North America or elsewhere, why not thinking about to move somewhere close to the Equator?
You won’t need heating, a house built for eternity and other expensive expenses and with cheaper Cost of Living you will save a few dollars more every day.
If the situation changes, you can always move on to a different place. Rent, don’t buy.
Did I mention that the climate near the Equator is warm all year round? 
There are plenty of friendly countries to chose from, check out Guatemala, Paraguay, Honduras, Nicaragua in the Americas – or Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam or the Philippines in Asia.
The Philippines for instance have the great advantage of having a population which can speak English fluently and who have adopted the American Way of Life to a great extend. Still you can live there on a budget of about USD 500-1.000 per month with a higher standard of living you could enjoy in the US of A on that money. On top of that, the Philippines just relaxed their Visa Regulations for Long-Term Visitors. So it’s really a great place to start, to get out from where you are now and to jump in with less risks than almost anywhere else.
Don’t want to take my word for it or need more information? Checkout for instance these sites here, here and here about living and retiring in the Philippines or here, here and here about living in Thailand. Use Google to find similar sites for other countries which interest you!
‘3rd Secret’
To finance all that you will need your income in hard currency (Euro, Yen, Dollar) but your expenses (and point of living) in a country with weaker currency (peso, rupiah, dong, baht), probably even in a country with high inflation. Then you can make it with little money for a long time.
Existing assets or income is necessary of course. You have to make your income independent from your labor power, as this is the most limited resource. You won’t earn what you earn now in a low-cost country anyway. And after all you want to retire, right? So try to invest your current money in secure and conservative products, which bring you passive income, like interest, rent, dividends. If you still want or have to work with your bare hands besides that; check out your options in the country you are interested in.
Things get much easier, if you can manage to open up new streams of income; for instance owning a house in a high-cost-country which you can rent out to someone, trading Stocks, Funds, Options or Currencies online, earning interest or dividends from other conservative investments.
You can work via the Internet as well; by doing surveys, buying/selling via eBay, or other Online businesses, which pay out best case via Paypal or others. Even blogging could be an option, if you can write in your niche and can attract enough readers.
Reliable Online Income is tough though, I’m still working on it and so far it just covers the costs and maybe a coffee or beer once in a while.
—
That’s basically it. The best thing – it really works! There are plenty of foreigners living in Island Paradises around the world and enjoying it.
Do you really believe they are sooo much smarter than you? I have good news for you – they are not!
How *you* do it – depends on your interest and current situation. Think it through!
Find something what you like and try to make money out of it. Read more books about this topic. Calculate your needs. This website can only help with some ideas, but of course they don’t apply to everybody. You have to make it your way. After all it’s your own life you decide upon.
So, what do you think? Sounds doable or not? Still plenty of questions left? Need more input?
Some additional information you can find in these posts:
- Essential Tips For Self-Sustainable or Permanent Travel
- Is a Nomadic Lifestyle for you?
- How much money do you need to retire?
- Living an Independent Life
- 88 Tips to save Money
or save article to your Facebook with 1 simple click:
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:14 am
That is an encouraging post. I am getting ready to make the jump. Already making online income, and want do online investing from the beach.
Host country already presents many business opportunities in telecom, solar and wind energy, electric vehicles and more.
Been there twice already.
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:44 pm
This is great. I am already working on the downsizing. I am selling stuff online and all that. I love doing it! No matter what the ultimate outcome, I will have less stuff cluttering up my life! It feels like freedom.
October 27th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
[…] Looking to escape the ratrace? Nomad4Ever dishes up The 3 Secrets of Early Retirement. […]
October 28th, 2007 at 5:37 am
Here here! I love de-cluttering and am about to do it all again after 5 years living in London. I’ve loved my time here but it’s time to be a nomad for a while. I’ve got no debts and have a good income (for living in Asia) coming in from the net which I hope will grow as I dedicate more time to it. First stop is the Philippines, actually! I’m 30 now and don’t plan to work for the ‘man’ ever again unless I choose to.
October 29th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
[…] There is a great post here on three simple ways (depending on how you define simple!) to live a great life, and more posts here on personal development subjects. […]
October 30th, 2007 at 5:01 am
Ha, ha! I’m already living in a country where $500 is considered my most part of the population as a good salary. Actually this is what allowed me to downshift without having to change the country. Plus, having my own apartment, I don’t have to pay rent
October 31st, 2007 at 4:45 am
Great article! I’d love to retire early and will once my children are through with school. Perhaps our paths will cross in the future.
Joe
October 31st, 2007 at 7:17 pm
[…] 3 Secrets to Early Retirement (and Life like a Nomad forever) […]
November 3rd, 2007 at 8:25 pm
[…] 3 Secrets to Early Retirement (and Life like a Nomad forever) posted by Chris. […]
November 8th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
i know a friend, he from us and his wife from indonesian. They move their business to bali because the cost for rent space in US too exspensive. Now they run their business from bali.. since its a online business they just need internet connection for voip and browsing.
What a good life.. ^_^
Dexno
http://www.dexno.com
November 13th, 2007 at 3:44 am
Thanks again Chris for another inspiring post, and a reminder that my aspirations to become a mobile professional are practical and logical. I’m leaving England on 1st January 2008!
November 13th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
It really is simpler than most people realise. I can’t quite persuade my partner to a developing country, but we have at least moved to a decent climate, even though Australia isn’t exactly cheap to live in. The upside is he’s happy to keep working in a well-paying job for the moment. Spend less, spend less, spend less – invest don’t consume – think outside the square!
November 14th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Interesting read, Chris. Though I don’t have any idea yet how I can retire to a nomadic lifestyle
Let’s see then…
November 19th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
[…] Nomad4ever presents 3 Secrets to Early Retirement (and Life like a Nomad forever). […]
December 27th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
[…] 3 Secrets to Early Retirement is about the pressure of consumerism and not falling for it. It touches what you can do to save money and escape the Rat Race earlier than anyone else. The secrets might be unconventional and not for everyone, but it might push the button for some. This month saw as well a redesign of the website with a new theme and the Restructuring of the Google PageRank algorithm, which resulted in a downgrade for this site from 5 to 3. I still don’t know for sure, what or why it happened, but Google obviously wants to punish bloggers using TextLinks to earn some money besides using Google Adsense only. […]
January 17th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Great Info! Hope everyone after reading this great article can retire early.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:51 pm
[…] can read many tips and tricks on this site on how to plan ahead and retire early to enjoy what life really has to […]
February 5th, 2008 at 10:47 am
[…] presents 3 Secrets to Early Retirement (and Life like a Nomad forever) posted at […]
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 am
You cannot be serious…..Nicaragua??
April 4th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Why not?
It’s a beautiful country with low Cost-of-Living. But then – maybe not for everyone.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:57 am
Yeah, Nicaragua is great.. I work for an English NewsPaper there
Cost of living is low.. And besides… Every country at the moment has their turmoil.. I’d rather be warm in turmoil than freezing my arse off!
April 15th, 2008 at 10:54 am
That’s a good one! :D
November 6th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
@Chris –
I linked to this article on my blog.
November 6th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Thanks!! :D
March 31st, 2009 at 11:29 am
Nice post.
Chris, can you please let me post this article of yours in my website as a guest post. I have you as one of my links. This article really fits my website theme as an expat worker we eXpatpinoys must one day be out of the rat race.
Thanks in advance.
March 31st, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Ben, thanks for the interest!
However, I would like to ask you not to copy my article on your website, as Google would punish us both because of duplicate content. That would mean, that we both move lower in search results and that doesn’t help any of us.
The way to do it, would be to simply quote only the first paragraph or so, add your own thoughts and then simply link back to my original article.
This way you can show your own readers what’s it all about, without creating duplicate content on the net. The whole idea should be to produce your own, unique content.
Thanks for your understanding!
April 1st, 2009 at 12:54 am
I understand, and thanks for teaching me that.
August 12th, 2009 at 7:40 am
I am 21 years old, and I have no money. the only thing I have is a student loan to pay off :((! I do however have a job where i make about $400 a week. IT SUCKS!!! Iv always dreamed about Moving to Guatemala of Indo and retireing yung, but i dont know how to make enough money to do so! I know nothing about investing. and i dont wont to get a loan and be in debt. what about getting a cd at a bank? if any one can give me some advice, It would be greatly appreciated. I just want to be the “fisherman” in that other topic.
August 12th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Kevin, I’m afraid you’d have to work and save at least some funds for some time. The earlier you start the better and more likely you can retire also earlier. The alternative is probably that you’d work for food and lodging in a low-level, no-effort job only – but I doubt it would make you happy in the long run.
Make a plan to earn as much money in the shortest time (i.e. in Sales or Finance jobs), move to a low-tax country, save as much as you can and get out not too late. It took me about 14 years, but then I didn’t start to plan ahead until 5-7 years after I started my working life and I wasted lots of money along the way; so it definitely is possible in much shorter time. You will still be young and fit and able to live the best part of your life your way.
August 25th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Chris has made a very straightforward advice. The keys:
1) Save up
2) Get out of rat race asap
3) Ascertain a sustainable income that can be generated from savings and live within that budget in a low-cost country.
I have to admit I was slower to realize this. It took me 8 years. In the first 8 years of my working life I never saved much. So it takes some sort of enlightenment and maturity to appreciate that if we don’t get out of the rat race, we will still be a rat.
Some people never realize. So, it’s still a good thing if you realize this before 40. Once you have this plan and desire, it actually may take 10 years or less (if you are in a job like finance and sales like what Chris says) to accumulate enough savings.
August 25th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Another common trap, especially applicable to bright students, is to take a huge loan. While it is true that a university degree does push up your starting salary, the expensive private university costs may not be justifiable considering that the difference between a private university and an ordinary university education is not big. So, get a degree, but not an expensive one. And, reduce your debt. If you can study in a public university of through distance learning, do it, because they are least costly. Else, investing the cost in mutual funds is better.
August 26th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Right, Sunny! Avoiding debt is a good way to start to keep expenses and financial obligations low, although there is good and bad debt. Good debt would help you to finance to build other income streams, while bad debt simply sucks you dry monthly without any passive income to show.
Also I would emphasize to invest at least 50% of your salary during your work life into investments that will bring you passive income streams in the future – like rent, interest, dividends.
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:28 am
Hi Chris,
I just read a book about Warren Buffett’s investment strategies again. I thought of 1 very practical idea that aspiring nomads could use. Years ago, Buffett bought the shares of Coca Cola when its prices was exceptionally low. His reasoning is simple. Coke’s business model is easy to understand. It sells syrups which it has been selling for donkey years. Nothing fancy, but the revenue is predictable. When we were children, we drank Coke. Today, we still drink it. 10, 20, 30, 40 or even 100 years later people probably will still drink it. So, stocks like Coke and McDonalds are really predictable in terms of earnings, so the dividends yield should be consistent. The reasoning for McDonalds is the same. Decades ago we ate in McDonalds. Today we still eat its restaurants and decades later we probably will still eat there. So, how does this help us? If we are still working and saving up for our retirement, we can wait for the right price to buy these stable stocks during financial crises. For example, when the prices are at Price:Earnings ratio of below 12:1. The dividends should be around 4%. On top of this, there is a good chance that over the long term when the market recovers the stock prices will rise. So, beside enjoying a good dividend to pay for our expenses, our nest egg invested in these stocks should also grow over time. Of course, we should have some diversification. Perhaps 5-10 good stocks like these bought at low prices that form about 50-75% of our portfolio, plus bonds and cash forming the rest (25-50%). When we retire, we should stay invested to prevent depreciation of our purchasing power. Yet, we want more predictability, so such predictable businesses are ideal. In this way, we have both higher predictability of the consistency of good dividend yields plus a margin of safety. The bond/cash portion can help us weather the rainy days when the stock market underperforms due to recession or financial crisis.
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:39 am
My personal view is that when we want to retire and live a stress-free nomadic lifestyle, the last thing we want to worry about is our savings. So, I’d choose stable stocks like these.
When the stock market crashes or when there is recession, do people stop eating in McDonalds or drinking Coke? Unlikely. People still need to eat and to drink.
When there is a subprime crisis, do people stop eating in McDonalds or drinking Coke? Unlikely. People still need to eat and to drink.
When there is a recession, do people stop eating in McDonalds or drinking Coke? Unlikely. People still need to eat and to drink.
I think when it comes to planning for retirement income, we need to go back to the basics and invest in what we know. We eat and drink McD and Coke. They are not hard to understand. They are here to stay, and it’s unlikely that they will close shop in our or our children’s lifetime.
When I retire, I want a retirement savings portfolio that I don’t have to worry about every now and then. I want to sleep soundly every night. If I wake up every morning and see the same number of people eating their breakfast in McDonalds and all other restaurants and shops still carrying Coke, I know I can sleep soundly every night.
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Sunny, I agree with you on this one more than 100%. Compound interest is one of the greatest inventions and will definitely make you rich in the long term.
Value stocks are also a good way to save and generate passive income streams. People will always eat and drink. I even had some McD and Coke shares a few years back, but then discovered other vices. I believe that people will always drink alcohol and smoke also, if they have a chance; that’s why I would also add alcohol/cigarette/tobacco stocks, if you can agree that with your conscience. They pay good dividends every 3 months (5-7% per year), the stock prices are stable (buy during lows to maximise dividend effect) and their shareholder value is exemplary. There are many other great stocks out there, but with everything – it depends on what you think is right for you.
Some more risky moves: even banking stocks were very cheap in March, after all – bought some BofA, but who knows how long that rally goes….. :D
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:53 am
I think the relevant authorities have already stipulated laws on how alcohol and cigarettes companies should conduct their business. For example, in Singapore’s all cigarette boxes must carry a scary picture (eg. showing cancer tumor that resulted from smoking) to warn people of the potential health risks. Also, you can’t smoke in clubs and all air-con offices and shopping centers. People below 18 cannot buy alcohol drinks and cigarettes, and shop-keepers have the right to ask buyers to show their ID card. All these have already defined the business ethic (standards of conduct) for these businesses. So, I don’t think I would feel guilty by buying their stocks. The companies are already doing what these laws says they can do. If these companies aren’t allowed to do any business even by following these laws, then it is the the lawmakers’ responsibility to ban them and close them down.
I agree that cigarettes, alcohol stocks may be good. Of course, the rule is to always buy at a value price. Other stocks that are stable include utilities, consumer goods (eg. shavers) and foods (eg. breakfast), sports (eg. football clubs), etc. No matter how bad the economy is, people don’t stop eating, drinking, shaving, smoking, and watching soccer matches. All these have become part of modern days’ necessities. Whether the economy is rosy or in recession, you can still see people eating in McDonalds, drinking Coke and smoking their favorite brands of cigarettes.
Of course, we must also diversify. And hold assets like bonds and cash with little correlation to stock market, so that when the later plunges due to market fears (eg. financial crisis, which does not stop people from eating McDonalds but still pushed the stock price downwards anyway !), our savings and income is still cushioned with the bonds/cash. And such difficult periods may be good time to buy these quality stocks at bargain prices.
I also prefer stocks and bonds to property (rental). To rent a property, you need more effort to find the tenants, maintain the property and collect the rentals. But stocks’ dividends or sale proceeds can be credited to your bank account easily wherever you are. Similarly, if you buy mutual funds that are invested in stocks and bonds, you may also buy and sell their units easily on an internet platform wherever you are. For these reasons, pre-nomads should consider to sell their property (at a good price, which may be years or months before you become a nomad) before becoming a nomad, and convert the proceeds into stocks, cash, funds, annuities and bonds which pays you wherever you are without requiring your special efforts.
Another important consideration is to hold a few ATM cards that offer the best rates for cash withdrawals in those countries you expect to visit. Some banks charge much less. From your brokerage account (holding your stocks and funds) you can transfer the funds to any of these or vice versa. Of course, in developing countries, it’s always good to hold some local and US notes in case the cards can’t be used in some remote places. US$ is usually preferred because it’s accepted anywhere in the world. You may hold a few US$100 or US$10 notes in case you run out of local currency. Usually, you can exchange these for the local currency easily. During emergency (eg. medical treatments), these US$ notes will be very useful. Hospitals usually need some deposit. You may not carry a lot of local currency, and your cards may not be accepted in remote areas. US$ notes, however, are almost always accepted.
By managing your finances this way, you can enjoy a more hassle-free nomadic lifestyle.
September 3rd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Hi Chris,
Awhile back, you asked Rusty Ferguson about Bantayan Island and mentioned that you might try living there. How did it work out for you if you don’t mind me asking? Are you still living in the Philippines?
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Sunny, I really enjoy reading your inputs on investment. Thanks for explaining the pros and cons in such easy to understand and in detailed fashion. =D>
Having said that, will it be possible for you to give us an ideal portfolio and asset allocation for a person like me, who is in his mid 30s, married and have kid who goes to school? You don’t have to be stock specific, sector/industry specific is also fine with % of money allocated against each? + gold + bond + cash % etc?
Thanks…
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Gary, true I did. In fact I live here on Bantayan for the last 6 weeks already.
So far it’s been quite pleasant, the beaches are lovely and the whole island has a very laid-back atmosphere. Internet (Smart 3G) works fast and reliable enough. Costs (food, rent, transport) are still moderate, although there seems to be like a beer cartel in the restaurants (run by foreigners), keeping the prices high. Happy hour with normal prices are from 3pm-5pm. Ehhhh, what is that?
But then, you can always buy at the local market for normal prices. There are some brownouts every few days or so, but nothing one can’t handle. I live in a small apartment just by the beach, which costs 8.000 Pesos/month, including electricity.
It’s certainly more quiet here and no Boracay activity-wise – but then, if that’s what you’re looking for you know where to go.
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:56 pm
I can’t. You must ask your financial planner to do an assessment.
There are many considerations. For example, your income, expenses, debts, insurance level, nature of income sources, tax status, risk appetite, time frame for investment, knowledge of investment, retirement age, dependents’ expenses.
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Makes sense. Thanks.
September 4th, 2009 at 1:38 am
Chris – Thank you very much for replying and the information. That sounds like a perfect place for myself (Bantayan Island) and it is what i am looking for. The beer situation is no problem as i am a very light drinker anyway. Sorry to go off topic here as i did not know where else to reach you. –gg
September 4th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
September 5th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Hi Chris,
May I have your opinion about renting out property for income. Do you have any property that you rent out for income? How do you manage the property? Do you hire a property management company to do the maintenance and collect the rental? Why do you rent the property instead of keeping your assets in the form of stocks or bonds that are easier to manage for a nomad?
September 6th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Diversity is always a good thing. Having several passive income streams is better than having only one, as you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. I’m all for rented out property, preferably debt-free. The trick is to buy property in high-cost-hard-currency countries and let them manage by a property management company, like you said. You (in your low-cost-soft-currency country) can then easily enjoy the fruits of your hard-working money,
September 6th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
I understand that diversity is good. But I was just wondering why you would want to keep a property rather than buying into REITs (property fund). In this way you can diversify to a few properties, and you don’t have to hire a property manager since REITs are already managed by a manager.
September 7th, 2009 at 12:03 am
REITs sound interesting for the reasons you mentioned, Sunny. For me it’s just another market instrument I don’t know nothing about. So following Warren Buffets philosophy, only to invest into things you understand, I decided so far against it. But maybe I just have to educate myself better, because on papers it sounds much better than owning real property….
September 7th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
The only problem with renting out a physical property is it’s harder to manage. Time consuming to look for tenants, collect rental, etc. So, my personal preference is, if I become a nomad, I will dispose of physical properties, convert them into liquid assets. For example, the McDonalds’ and Coco Cola shares we discussed about would be ideal if bought at a bargain price. They offer dividends, and it is unlikely that people will stop eating or drinking their products in the foreseeable future. Other than that, mutual funds are also able to help us diversify into government bonds (eg. US, European govts).
September 27th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Chris and Sunny – Great exchange on investment strategy. I am 39 yrs old and after 15 years of hardwork I believe I am very close to retirement. Thinking about settling in southeast asia, probably Bali to start with since I am a surfer. I am married and have a six yr old son, so I have to plan for the family needs as well !
I agree with you two 100%. If I may, I would only add to avoid investing your money in banks products. I mean own a stock share instead of investing in stock funds … buy and rent property instead of buying property funds and so on. This way you secure that if a bank goes bankrupt you don’t lose all your money ! I look forward to joining a normal life soon, as you already do !
All the best, Andre
September 28th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Andre Paes, yup – everyone should fine his/her own investment strategy. Your idea is generally right, although some lost their money even with that version, just think Madoff. But mainly you are right, they can’t usually take down your assets if they go down…
September 29th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Hi Andre:
Your fear may be unfounded. According to law in, say, the USA and Singapore, the banks who act as the Fund Managers or Trustees cannot touch the assets of the Fund they are managing. The banks’ assets and the funds’ assets are in different balance sheets. Even if the bank goes bankrupt, its creditors cannot touch the mutual funds, because the latter belongs to the unit holders. For most investors, investing in individual stocks may not give you the opportunity to diversify internationally. For example, you may need to open several accounts in order to invest in stocks in Switzerland, Thailand, China, USA, Korea, Japan, etc. You may need to remit money to these accounts also when you want to increase your investment or receive the profits. It’s too troublesome. If you have a son, you must think of his education. I know of a couple who are traveling full-time with a child! One idea would be to enroll him into a distance learning school. If you are an American, you might consider a nationally accredited school like Ashworth University which offers accredited high school diplomas, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees online. Exams may be taken wherever you are in a local exam center. If you are a European, you might consider the National Extension College in England which offers GCSE or GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ Level courses. After passing these internationally recognized school-leaving exams, your child may study a University of London External Programme degree. The UOL is an internationally renowned, old British university with many colleges being ranked in the worldwide top 100 leagues. It has been offering external degrees which you may study anywhere you are for many years, probably around 100 years! So, either way, you son may receive quality education while you travel. Fees are much lower. The quality of these qualifications are comparable to that offered by typical public universities in the USA and Europe on- campus. Moreover, you and your wife may spend a few hours a day providing personal tuition to your son based on the study materials provided by these institutions. In this way, your son would be able to learn better. It also helps you to learn while your son does. You may even want to register for the same courses and sit for the exams with him so that he feels he is not alone. With the advent of internet, education needs not be a problem to nomads. In fact, you can get your master’s degree from UOL or Ashworth, and even a doctorate from University of Phoenix in USA. If your son wishes to go to traditional on-campus universities at any stage, with these online-studied qualifications, he can qualify for admission to the traditional on-campus unis easily.
October 1st, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Hey Chris! Where did you disappear to? I was about to send a search party! Are you still in the Philippines? I got here 10 days ago, our baby was born 5 days ago; all fine. Drop me a line if you are going to be in Zambales during October?
October 1st, 2009 at 5:55 pm
I’m currrently on Bohol together with my father and a friend from my home town. I know, the lack of updates is disturbing to say the least, but my computer crash 3 weeks ago left me without my draft posts and without access to the internet. Have a new Netbook now, slowly rebuilding – but still have to be Travelguide until early next week. So you can expect updates to the sites some time next week, when I’m online and up and running again. Sorry for the inconvenience!!!