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Greg Ellifritz

Best and Worst Cities for Expats

Best and Worst Cities for Expats 1259 530 Greg Ellifritz

Wonder what cities you might want to live in if you move out of your home country?

 

“InterNations has released its ranking of the best and worst cities for expats to live in, based on surveys on 25 aspects of urban life, such as Leisure & Climate, Local Friendliness, Housing, Transportation, Job & Career, Finance, Health & Environment, Work-Life Balance, Safety & Politics, and more.”

 

Here is their list.

 

The best and worst cities in the world for expats in 2020

 

 

I’ve been to four of the top 10.  I think I could live in all four (even if Buenos Aires is a bit sketchy in places).

 

I’ve also been to four of the worst 10.  Of those four, there is only one (Santiago) that I would consider moving to.

 

I’ve stayed in 12 of the cities in the middle.  I could probably live in a couple of them, but none would be at the top of my list.

 

Check out the article and find your future residence.

Travel Tips

Travel Tips 1000 750 Greg Ellifritz

Mitch has been traveling non-stop since October of 2015.  Here are his 50 best travel tips.  Pay attention here.  There is a lot of useful knowledge in this post.

50 Epic Travel Tips from 5 Crazy Years on the Road

 

 

 

Health Care in Mexico

Health Care in Mexico 748 420 Greg Ellifritz

Mexico is a prime destination for American expats.

 

My favorite Mexican ex-pat blogger recently posted an incredible resource for people living in or visiting Mexico.

 

Great Site to Find Doctors in Mexico, Check Reviews, Compare Prices and Schedule Appointments

 

This will make finding and booking good medical care much easier for those of you spending time in Mexico.

Best Onward Ticket

Best Onward Ticket 221 54 Greg Ellifritz

Some countries won’t approve your visa application if you don’t already have your flight home booked in advance.  That makes it difficult for travelers without a fixed schedule or people who don’t know exactly how long they want to stay in a particular country.

 

Previously, if you needed a return ticket, you had to book a fully refundable flight (very expensive) and then cancel the flight as soon as you clear immigration in your target country.

I recently learned of another option.

BestOnwardTicket is a service that books a legitimate and valid airline ticket for onward travel to the country you desire in your name.  You choose the ticket departure date.

 

The ticket they send will be valid for 48 hours.  They will then do the work of cancelling the ticket.  They charge $12 for this service.

 

I have no personal experience with this company, but I would use them in a heartbeat if I needed some real (fake) onward tickets to show an immigration official in another country.

 

A Funny Travel Narrative

A Funny Travel Narrative 790 489 Greg Ellifritz

I  laughed as I read this story and thought you folks might enjoy it as well.  I could easily see something like this happening during one of my travels.  So far I’ve been lucky.  I’ve slept in some nasty places, but I’ve never booked a room in a brothel before.

 

Sleeping In An Ethiopian Brothel. By Accident.

Burning Man

Burning Man 2560 1920 Greg Ellifritz

For many people, Burning Man is the ultimate bucket list travel destination.  The physical event was cancelled last year because of the Coronavirus.  With hope, the event will be open for 2021.

I’ve been lucky enough (or maybe foolish enough) to attend Burning Man on five different occasions.  It takes a tremendous comittment and a lot of enduring brutal weather to have a successful burn.

 

If you are thinking of going to the event (the week before Labor Day) in Nevada, you should probably start planning soon.  Getting tickets is difficult in the lottery system.  Renting RVs that week is insanely expensive.  The tent might be a better option (probably 2/3 of burners are sleeping in tents and 1/3 are in RVs).

The following articles provide good information for any of you planning your first burn.  Photos taken from my Burning Man adventures.

 

The Beginner’s Guide to Burning Man

 

How could I pass up a flame thrower shooting gallery?

 

First-Timers Guide To Burning Man (Everything You Need To Know)

 

Some of the amazing art before it gets burned to the ground.

 

The Ultimate Survival Packing Guide for Burning Man

Fireworks before the man burns

 

First-Timer’s Guide

 

The man on fire

 

Everything you’ve been wanting to know about Burning Man, the wild 9-day arts event in the Nevada desert frequented by celebs and tech moguls

 

The man looks different every year

 

Surviving Burning Man

You’ll need a bike to get around. Be ready for daily sand storms.

Can You Find a Country That is Both Cheap and Safe?

Can You Find a Country That is Both Cheap and Safe? 1172 375 Greg Ellifritz

The Nomad Capitalist attempted to address this issue in an article and video.

 

The Cheapest and Safest Countries to Live In

 

A lot of their suggestions are in Eastern Europe.  I have zero experience in that area (hopefully rectified soon), so I can’t weigh in there.

With regards to places I’ve visited, I think I could live safely for less than $2000 a month in the following countries:

Mexico

Colombia

Ecuador

Peru

Panama

Uruguay

Thailand

Vietnam

 

I’d also consider Costa Rica, Chile, Singapore, and Belize as safe locations, but they may require a little more money to live a lifestyle similar to what you may be used to.

Check out the article for another take on the issue.

 

 

Best US Hiking Trails?

Best US Hiking Trails? 1000 667 Greg Ellifritz

I’ve long enjoyed hiking.  I’m getting reacquainted with longer hikes now that I’m retired and have more time.  I’ve been averaging hiking about 25 miles a week so long as the weather cooperates.

 

I regularly use the AllTrails app on my phone to suggest good nearby trails.

 

The App owners tallied the ratings on all of the trails in their system and listed the favorite trails by each state.  Check out the article below.

Best hiking trails in every US state

 

All of the listed trails in my home state (Ohio) are more than a two-hour drive away from me.  I haven’t hiked any of them.  I wonder if there is a location bias.  All of the Ohio trails are near a large population center (Cleveland/Akron).  More people probably means more ratings.

I would guess that some of the remote trails in SE Ohio that get less traffic may even be better experiences than the listed trails.

 

 

 

Faked Covid-19 Tests

Faked Covid-19 Tests 670 300 Greg Ellifritz

Check out the two articles linked below.  There seems to be a cottage industry producing paperwork for fake negative Covid-19 tests.

Passengers Are Faking Negative Covid Tests In Order To Travel

 

95% Of Passengers On One Flight Faked Their Negative Covid-19 Tests

 

I predict that in the future making faked Covid-19 test results and vaccinations will be a profitable enterprise.

 

Besides the fraud, there are lots of other reasons why requiring testing before boarding a flight would be a really bad idea.

Environmental Medicine

Environmental Medicine 200 181 Greg Ellifritz

Interested in a summary of the best practices for practicing environmental medicine? Those skills are important when you are spending time outside in austere environments.

Here’s a link to papers covering best practice medical treatments for heat injuries, hypothermia, and altitude illness.  This is really good knowledge to have.

 

AIR Series: Environmental Module