Author: Michael Kardos

Handheld, On a Boat, At Night

The sight and sound of fireworks colorfully blazing across the night sky has dazzled audiences since the Chinese first devised the explosive concoction as far back as the 7th Century. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a little kid or a old sea-salted buccaneer, on the 4th of July throughout America you want to find a good seat for the fireworks extravaganza that’s sure to be a big part of the evening’s entertainment. And while some fireworks shows may be bigger, last longer or come with a full symphonic orchestra, there is one vantage point in Southern California that is like few others. read more

Once You’re Gone, Does Big Brother Care?

The notion of a lifestyle that is perpetual travel begins to take shape once you start putting pins in a map. It’s a nice map as you can see and the first leg of our planned meanderings will take us about a year. We’ll end up in Rio, where we plan on a cruise reposition to Barcelona to put us on the European continent.

Once pins start finding a home then planning questions start popping up. “How long can I be gone? How much does the U.S. government care? The IRS? How about the countries we plan to live in? How many more people like us are already out there?” read more

Giving Credit Where It’s Due

The idea for A City A Month arose out of an article in the Wall Street Journal in October of last year. It featured Lynne and Tim Martin and how they were living “Home Free.” For our plans, we consulted their webiste, http://www.homefreeadventures.com and it offers loads of terrific advice. The following is a post I sent.

“Dear Lynne, Tim,

It took only a moment’s conversation between my wife, Kay and me to decide our life’s retirement, and we have you two to thank.

She brought home the October 2012 WSJ on Home Free living and left it on the kitchen counter. A few days later I picked it up, read it and immediately called her at work. “This article in the Journal,” I said. All I got was a wary, “Yes?” “This is an amazing idea and that’s what we should do!” Words of joy poured out of her and we haven’t looked back since. read more

What is A City A Month?

Travel is one of life’s great adventures. We seek places that are exciting and different. We welcome the stream of sensory overload that comes from the sights, sounds, tastes and sensations of new places and people. Whether it’s the warm sun as you loll on a park bench or the taste of an incredible food or wine, it’s the glimpses and moments that can become some of the most enduring memories of our lives.

Instead of taking a trip “here” or a spending a week “there” and then heading “home” we decided to make “there” our permanent home. We will spend about a month in cities around the world. Our plan is to stay out for years before returning to the U.S. read more