Go Ahead, Reinvent Yourself

“I have an opportunity to live in China… and I’m not coming back.”

I held the phone in shock as my favorite co-worker explained she was giving up her US publishing job, effective immediately, and taking a teaching post overseas.

At fifty years old, with her children grown, Ashley leapt at the opportunity to reinvent her life… and do what she’d always dreamed of—live abroad.

Today, I follow her adventures with no small amount of admiration. During her 13 (!) weeks of vacation, Ash gallivants all over Asia and Africa. (At the moment, she’s hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.) As a teacher in China, she earns a great salary… lives near the beach… and receives “incredible” low-cost healthcare. (Read her story here.)

It’s easier to reinvent yourself abroad than it is at home. When you step away from the lodestone of everyday expectations, you’re likely to find many other “selves” waiting for their chance…

In this month’s issue, we bring you stories of reinvention… on the temperate shores of Lake Chapala, Mexico… in Argentina’s untamed Calchaquí Valley… in a lush volcanic valley in eastern Bali… and in a Riviera village that’s long captivated British gentry.

EL Salvador, too, is reinventing itself… Its new president—the “Philosopher King” — has introduced tempting new “freedom” and digital nomad visas that make it easy to go as an expat. Nature-lovers and beachgoers report life in this once-turbulent nation is serene… and half the cost of the US.

The Dominican Republic is another nation on an exhilarating “Path of Progress.” On the eastern coast, says Ben Murnane, “they’ve built utopia—a master-planned ‘city’ on a portion of the Caribbean seaside twice the size of Manhattan.” If you’re in the market for a luxurious yet affordable long-term residence, or just a smart investment, the DR is a frontier on the cusp of something BIG…

“Wealth,” as global diversification expert Ted Baumann says, “is anything that gives you options.” And when you live in places the dollar stretches further, options are what you gain. You’ll be amazed at the sun-filled, wine-spilled, carefree life you can create when you’re open to opportunities beyond our borders…

How might your next chapter play out?

Turn the page…