Sample Magazine Archives

A word of warning about traveling in Thailand: unless you are very lucky indeed, you will end up having to listen to someone telling you, at length, about how much nicer it was 10, 20, or even 30 years ago. Those stories should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt.

Five minutes after I had rented a little Kawasaki 175 enduro bike for about $20 per day, the police stopped me for cutting a yellow light a bit too closely for their liking. I thought the 200,000 Kip ($21) fine was a bit heavy for not actually violating any law, but the police in the Laotian capital of Vientiane weren’t giving me any breaks.

I’m rooting around in one of my cantinas looking for my harvest clothes. We have three of these rock-built rooms that were essentially wine cellars. One we still use for that purpose, a just-the-right-temperature space with brick ceilings and bottle racks to hold our vino. Another, below the terrace, is our woodshed.

Hollywood should shoot more films in Lisbon. The city enjoys about 2,800 glorious hours of sunshine a year. Its rolling hills and vintage tram cars could double for San Francisco. Colorful homes line the city’s cobblestone streets, offering an ideal backdrop for any romantic film...

Time and again, I get asked the question, “Can I take my U.S. Medicare coverage with me when I move overseas?” It’s a simple question, but the answer is a little more complex. In effect, the answer is: Yes. But to figure out how, we need to look at things in a bit more detail...

Maybe it was Treasure Island, or perhaps Robinson Crusoe, that put a picture of the tropical island into our collective imagination. Or more probable still, Hawaii 5-0. Whichever it was, there’s something about a tropical island that calls to the soul. Coconut palms, soft acoustic music, cold cocktails on the sand...

One of Barbara Hoyle’s first memories of her first visit to Mexico almost 20 years ago was the singing of birds. “My first impression off the plane was that the airport was a good size, the people were friendly, and driving away from the airport at 5:30 a.m., how wonderful the sound of the birds was,” she says...

You, my friend, are the very definition of a man living the overseas dream.” Steve Dowler laughed, but he didn’t disagree with me. Tanned and smiling, he skillfully steered his gleaming black motorbike at a snail’s pace down Sanur’s quiet backstreets, as I strolled alongside. The sun was beating down and cheery shopkeepers called out friendly hello's as we passed by...

You might think that moving away from the U.S. lets you off the hook for U.S. state taxes. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Some U.S. states still want your tax dollars, even when you don’t live there anymore. With some planning, however, you can avoid these additional U.S. taxes...

Mike Gagne pretty much grew up on skis. Born and raised north of Ottawa, Canada, he spent his childhood in Edelweiss Valley, ski racing both on the Québec ski team and later as a professional for a short stint. That led to a position as the director of a ski school for several years, until he settled into what he calls a real job in the wood-flooring industry...