by Tim Axelsen

So what are the motivations of those of us who pack up and move indefinitely to a land as contrasting as possible to that in which we currently reside? What makes us want to discard a comfortable life and head on down the road to apparent oblivion?

While the impetus of the young might be obvious, the rationale of those of us of a more mature nature are more mystifying. Is it merely a matter of boredom and an over adequacy of cash? It would seem not as many who have the means to travel are content to simply venture to a tourist resort for a couple of weeks a year. Possibly the thought of repeating our youth makes us think we can recapture it. It is not until we jam into planes, scramble in and out of buses, haul ourselves on and off boats and comb foreign streets in an enduring search for good value hotels and restaurants, that we realize there are distinct disadvantages.