Take the Drink

Travel Advice For The Spring

by Kelly Godbey | kellyg@ideal-living.com

It’s time to live the good life. This issue focuses on things you could be doing to improve your quality of life. We hosted the Ideal-LIVING Real Estate Shows in Long Island, NY, New England, Chicago, IL, Northern New Jersey, and Northern Virginia in January and February. I was fortunate to meet and speak with many Ideal-LIVING magazine readers at these events who were seeking lower taxes and a better quality of life. Some people were looking to move within the next year, but many were just beginning their search. Regardless of when you plan to relocate, I encourage you to move sooner than you plan and to start enjoying the life you want.

This spring is the perfect time to get out and visit areas you might be considering. You can take advantage of Discovery Tour packages (“Stay and Play” packages) offered by communities in this magazine, where you enjoy three days and two nights and experience what it’s like to live there. It’s really important to visit. “You won’t know until you go” is a slogan we use at Ideal-LIVING because it’s true. I’ve interviewed thousands of people over the years for this magazine, and almost everyone has told me that it’s a feeling you get when you visit and know it’s the right place.

While I live where many retire or want to live, I’m still interested in seeing other places. If you have ever heard me speak at our real estate shows, you know that I love adventure. My husband and I have been very interested in visiting Ecuador, so we recently took a trip to stay with some friends who have a home there. I have a few words of wisdom for travelers, and this applies those at home or abroad. If someone offers you a drink, TAKE THE DRINK. I can’t tell you how many times this has opened amazing experiences for my husband and me. In Ecuador, my friend took us to many places that we wouldn’t have experienced without her. But one of our favorites was after taking a museum tour, a family that none of us knew invited us to a baptism party for a three-year-old from an indigenous Ecuadorian family. This family asked if we would like a drink, then fed us a fantastic meal. As we danced with this family to celebrate their child, I reminded of how small the world is and how wonderful, warm, and inviting human beings can be.

My hope for you is that when you travel this spring and summer, TAKE THE DRINK. Enjoy the people you meet, talk to them about their lives, and know that you can improve your quality of life when you relocate.

Please share your adventures with me at kellyg@ ideal-living.com. I’d love to know how your search is going.