Travel

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Book Review -- "Boomers in Paradise" -- Retire in Mexico, Retire in Paradise

These are real stories.  That's what is so great about this book.  It has details of real lives of Boomers who decided to live in a warm, sunny place.

Robert Nelson's Boomers in Paradise: Living in Puerto Vallarta, profiles fourteen "baby boomers" who now reside in Puerto Vallarta.

A new retirement model can be seen among Boomers living in Puerto Vallarta.  Living in Vallarta has meant working for most.  Nelson gives "the good" & "the bad" -- which is good -- it's not overly romanticized.

Some boomers says they remain in "PV", as the locals call it, because the people are so "nice and friendly".  Nelson covers their struggles, and their zig-zag paths:  marriages end, mates pass away.  Many were vacationers with "time shares" who decided to stop "sharing their time" in Vallarta and simply move there.

Here are some of their stories:

Buy a Hacienda and Fix it Up into a "B&B"


Debra Old, a widow, grew up on a Saskatchewan prairie farm. She and her husband Jim began vacationing in Vallarta in 1982.  In 2002, now a widow, Deb moved to Vallarta, "based only on an emotional connection".  She desired a quieter place with less traffic.

On one of her visits to a little mining village in the mountains east of Puerto Vallarta, she saw an old hacienda ("fixer-upper"), bought it and opened " Hacienda Esperanza de la Galera in January  2008.  (I'd love to be sitting on that veranda now, how about you??)

~~~~~~~~~~

Open a Real Estate Agency

Harriet Cochran Murray -- born in Louisiana -- went to art school, taught art.  Entered field of real estate.  Vacationed in Puerto Vallarta.  Then moved there.

She entered the time sharing business in PV.  However, it differed from real estate she knew and she threw in the towel after 4 months.  Friends encouraged her to open her own real estate firm, Cochran Murray Real Estate -- she did and she flourished!!  The firm sells beautiful homes & villas.


Puerto Vallarta pros & cons

Pros:  Advantages:  foothills of Sierra Madres. gorgeous weather (same latitude as Hawaii)
Culture:  art community, ecotours, whale watching
Education:  University:  Centro Estudios Universattarios Arcos, affiliated with Polytechnic in Mexico city.  Only $45 per month!! (yikes that's great)
Economical:  Winter apartment rentals as low as $800 per month

Cons:  For those on a tight budget in Mexico, some people say you have to head inland, away from the tourist areas, away from Paradise, and can expect a totally different life style. For the money, Vallarta is extremely hard to beat, but it’s certainly not cheap!

Current Webcam of Puerto Vallarta:

(a picture is worth a thousand words)


Order book, click below:


 

"If you're flexible, adventurous, a risk taker, this paradise may be the place for you."


Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Shooting for the Stars--the NASA Missions: Celebration #9

"When We Left the Earth" 4 DVD Collection Giveaway--Perfect Gift for Space Buff

Sally-ride I dreamed of being an astronaut, even when school counselors routed me to secretarial courses. I was a failure in typing classes and never really learned how. But my fantasies about going into space are still strong.

I still dream of space travel and think I might be an oral historian for the 20th century on a new planet. The opportunities for women in space came Women in Space came too late for me, so I have thrilled to women in space in addition to the men who went to the stars.

When Sally Ride became our first woman in space, I thought it couldn't get any better. But that was before I got to meet her at Gloria Steinem's 50th birthday party,  Gloria Steinem's Birthday Party .

If you want to  relive all these fascinating events, go to the Discovery Channel http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/nasa/nasa.html to see the whole history.

We are giving away a set of these DVDs.

This is a perfect gift for a space buff and especially for that little girl you know who wants to go into DVD-set space.  PREVIEW THE FILM HERE:  DVD Preview

We will pick a winner at random.  To enter email us:

  contact@boomermade.com

Thursday, July 03, 2008

July 4th Savings: With Gas and Other Expenses So High, Many Companies Are Offering Special Deals

From computers: Gateway@email.gateway.com , to Los Angeles on a budget, LA Budget , the high gas prices are pushing other prices lower.

Automobile AA estimates that fewer will travel this July 4th (weekend), but there are still millions who will. If you are driving, make sure your tires are fully inflated, you have cleared out the junk in your trunk--less weight less gas. Well that's true for human behinds as well, no?!? Look for cheaper gas, but not at the expense of driving around a lot looking for it.

Seniors are being offered special deals as well:  AARP Travel  Students as well as families can get discounts, ie, incentives, due to mile high gas (AKA) oil prices. Student Travel

AARP has a deal for a romantic trip to Sandals in the Caribbean--usually this resort is identified with nubile young-uns or newly marrieds, but now they want us boomers as well.

The State of Vermont is giving away a $100 tank of gas to potential visitors this summer.You can enter contest here: Vermont Gas $100

Lowe's is offering a 10% discount up to $5,000 in purchases to all military  Lowe's Offer If you are going to take advantage of discounts and sales, do so with a critical eye. Like some airlines which started charging for checked bags, offering free baggage checking is hardly a savings--it's just back to service as it was a few months ago.

So, think before you buy, do you really need that purchase or is this a GREAT, I CAN SAVE MONEY!!  Well, of course you haven't really, you have still spent money -- just maybe a little less.