I ditched the grind working two jobs in the US for a cheap, comfortable life abroad

The memories of my first encounter with the California desert are so clear and intense that sometimes I wonder if I invented them, but I don’t believe so. I was hitchhiking across the States — it was the 1970s — and I was a young Englishman ‘on the road’, having read too much Jack Kerouac. My lift dropped me at a gas station near Barstow, a city in the Mojave Desert, in the south of the state. The car was air-conditioned and as I got out, I was hit by a wall of heat as strange and thrilling as anything I’d ever experienced. 

Beating out even famously scenic states like Alaska and Utah, California boasts more national parks than any other state. The Golden State's 10 national parks show off the diverse range of landscapes you can find on the West Coast, from the towering redwoods of NorCal, the arid deserts of SoCal, the iconic flora of Joshua Tree and the surreal geologic results of past volcanic eruptions and glacier paths.

If there’s a better place for seafood in California than the Mendocino Coast, I haven’t found it. And right about now is high season for Mendo’s crown jewel: Dungeness crab.

The perks of credit cards, such as The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, are the benefits that come along with the card. Despite a hefty annual fee of $695 (see rates and fees), the card's statement credits often exceed the annual fee.

Mark your calendars: On April 8, 2024, a rare total solar eclipse will cut a path across the continent beginning with Mexico, passing through the US, and exiting through Canada. The line of totality for this celestial phenomenon will cross through 13 US states with some areas seeing a maximum totality of over four minutes (including Bloomington, Indiana, and Mesquite, Texas). So, there are plenty of chances to observe the eclipse as it arches from Texas to Maine, hitting Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire on the way.

While traveling in a country as big as the USA can be daunting, you have to start somewhere. Why not a weekend getaway?

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There’s no better way to get to know a city than by ambling down winding roads and cobblestone streets, popping into restaurants and art galleries along the way. Unfortunately, in the many car-centric metropolitans of the US, a leisurely stroll from your hotel lobby might just lead you to a parking lot instead.

For frequent flyers the varying amount of legroom on airplanes can be difficult to navigate.  A recent study analyzed the amount of available legroom on varying airlines’ most popular routes, and ranked them in order of most legroom to least legroom. The clear winner was JetBlue while Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines tied in 7th place, according to the study from Upgraded Points.  The full ranking for the airline seat legroom is:

While we were growing our family, my husband and I raised our kids in the Middle East, starting from when our oldest child was a toddler up through her middle school years. Since we were already on that side of the Atlantic, halfway around the world from our native United States, we seized the opportunity to travel and experience nearby locations.

Loneliness has become a big concern in post-pandemic America, and on TikTok people think US attitudes towards socializing are part of the reason why.

Some people are choosing to live in cheaper cities or close to family and still make it to the office hundreds of miles away. Enter the super commuter, or those willing to travel three or more hours to work.