Thinking about retirement?

[Timcognito]

I'm not sure what this is supposed to tell us.
I think some people here are confusing Western Europe with Europe.
It's not the same thing.

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This all started about US vs EU educational acumen and standards so when we add western Europe do we get that same percentage of the highly educated? Because just like most anywhere, as the demographic make up, proximity to urban centers/resources and income vary so does life experience and education. Further what is necessary, taught and expected for knowledge and skills are different and so are the expectations and judgements by others. I will say that documented US education level has been steadily dropping in the last few decades and that is a shame.

 

[respice finem]

Educated people are inconvenient... Nothing new. In the "dark ages" (and much later) "peasants" were not supposed to learn.

 

[Berwhale]

Educated people are inconvenient... Nothing new. In the "dark ages" (and much later) "peasants" were not supposed to learn.

 

[rdenney]

The statement I made was that Germans can visit 10 countries as easily as Texans can visit 10 states. 800 air miles from Austin or less can take one to the capitals of New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, and Florida. The same 800 air miles from Berlin would reach the capitals of the following countries: Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Lichtenstein, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Norway, and the UK. And I'm sure I'm missing several principalities in there. It's just a game we are playing to compare the scales of things, for fun.

The point is that the transportation and housing density strategies that work in Europe might be impractical in many parts of the U.S., and vice versa. Back to topic: Retiring in Europe is going to demand a different lifestyle than retiring in some parts of the U.S., which will be more like Australia than Europe. And "being well-traveled" is easier in parts of the world where so many distinct cultures shared the same relatively small end of the Eurasia continent.

Rick "who didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition" Denney

 

[Audionaut]

 

[Berwhale]

Rick "who didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition" Denney

Well since you tee'd it up for me...

 

[Salt]

I'm confessing being guilty of derailing this thread, but now back on topic. Please...
(Btw. Living in Central Europe gives a large amount of exploring different countries and their culture at the same distance you are just through/still within Texas.
Different Dimensions.)

 

[GS430man]

Retirement has been great! 15 months and counting. I knew it was time to retire when my savings were growing at a far faster rate than my annual income from employment.

Having grown up in Texas, and later traveling (for work or fun) to dozens of countries on 5 continents plus all 50 US states, I can definitely relate to the folks in this thread talking about the extreme distances many in the US (and other countries) must deal with.

I went to college on the East Coast USA. The majority of my classmates had never been West of Pittsburgh. Ironically, some considered me a 'country bumpkin' even though at that point I'd already been to multiple countries and visited most of the US states.

The USA is large enough and diverse enough to have micro cultures in almost every region, and many Americans travel extensively to visit those unique pockets of culture without ever leaving the confines of the USA. In that regard the USA is much like Canada or China or India or Indonesia or Russia, each a vast land with many places to see, many languages, cuisines and cultures.

The internet and modern media has made it possible for many to learn of far away exotic places without ever leaving home.

My experience with the French (in France) is much like my experiences with Americans in the USA, Chinese in China, etc. If you walk up to them and start blabbing away in a foreign language, they consider you to be crude/rude. One must try to fit into the culture! If you make the effort the people will invariably be kind.

 

[001]

Apologies for being off topic. The mercator project is interesting.
IF I get the Himalayan 450 I'll go for a lil' drive around Western Australia. It should take me..... aaaaages. It's humungous.

Hhmm, that's not an equitable comparison, here's the other way around. A lot more accurate I think. Looks like they're about the same size. Wow..

 

[JeffS7444]

Wondering how I might enjoy occasional indulgences such as a trip on Japan Railway East's "Shiki-Shima", or closer to home, a trip down the Mississippi River on a Viking river boat.

 

[rdenney]

Wondering how I might enjoy occasional indulgences such as a trip on Japan Railway East's "Shiki-Shima", or closer to home, a trip down the Mississippi River on a Viking river boat.

During my trip to Tokyo, I've never felt so helpless trying to navigate transit. I can usually pick out the meaning of words in other languages, even if all I need are placenames. But everything in Kanji script utterly defeated me, and I was completely unprepared for that. Fortunately, my host predicted this and provided a guide, else I'd have never made it back to Narita.

I admire anyone willing to tackle that challenge, and you'll have more space to do it in without me invading it

Rick "totally understood their freeway management signs, however" Denney

 

[respice finem]

Augmented reality in modern smartphones can be very helpful - point the camera at a sign and you see the translation.

 

[Salt]

During my trip to Tokyo, I've never felt so helpless trying to navigate transit. I can usually pick out the meaning of words in other languages, even if all I need are placenames. But everything in Kanji script utterly defeated me, and I was completely unprepared for that. Fortunately, my host predicted this and provided a guide, else I'd have never made it back to Narita.

I admire anyone willing to tackle that challenge, and you'll have more space to do it in without me invading it

Rick "totally understood their freeway management signs, however" Denney

Citymapper helped, years back, to navigate through Stockholm a lot, but now I refuse to use it as they are to track you everywhere...
There are Open Source alternatives, but on some you have to pay for it, but they do run locally after downloading area informations.
"Not wanting to be tracked" Salt

 

[respice finem]

I've given up countering the tracking, there are so many ways to do it... Even if you travel without the personal tracker (smartphone), at least in cities you are recognized in seconds by cameras. With your smartphone, and/or with your car, even before reaching the city. Bought anything with your card? Gotcha.
The Matrix has us. In Poland, you can drive without having your license/insurance documents (as a citizen), they know anyway...
I do, however, generally not allow any sensible data on network enabled devices.

 

[Timcognito]

I've given up countering the tracking, there are so many ways to do it... Even if you travel without the personal tracker (smartphone), at least in cities you are recognized in seconds by cameras. With your smartphone, and/or with your car, even before reaching the city.
The Matrix has us. In Poland, you can drive without having your license/insurance documents (as a citizen), they know anyway...
I do, however, generally not allow any sensible data on network enabled devices.

Me too they know they can find me at the hardware store and lumber yard where I know everyone by name in my only ,social network

 

[respice finem]

"the Sting method"

 

[ahofer]

During my trip to Tokyo, I've never felt so helpless trying to navigate transit. I can usually pick out the meaning of words in other languages, even if all I need are placenames. But everything in Kanji script utterly defeated me, and I was completely unprepared for that. Fortunately, my host predicted this and provided a guide, else I'd have never made it back to Narita.

I admire anyone willing to tackle that challenge, and you'll have more space to do it in without me invading it

Rick "totally understood their freeway management signs, however" Denney

In my last few trips to Japan most signs have had roman letters. I lived in Japan when I was 19, but it seemed like in Tokyo, at least, you can completely get by in English.

 

[rdenney]

In my last few trips to Japan most signs have had roman letters. I lived in Japan when I was 19, but it seemed like in Tokyo, at least, you can completely get by in English.

Boy that wasn't the case when I was there in the 90's. Nothing in the main train station used Latin characters, and I didn't even see an airplane symbol. Maybe it's changed since then.

I did not have a problem, however, at Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant, Tokyo branch, even though nothing on the menu resembled much of anything in the original version in Miami Beach.

Rick "enjoyed the food but did not ask what it was" Denney

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

Wondering how I might enjoy occasional indulgences such as a trip on Japan Railway East's "Shiki-Shima", or closer to home, a trip down the Mississippi River on a Viking river boat.

On our way to Japan now, on Oceania. Coffee at Hubbard glacier this morning.

 

[Timcognito]

Boy that wasn't the case when I was there in the 90's. Nothing in the main train station used Latin characters, and I didn't even see an airplane symbol. Maybe it's changed since then.

I did not have a problem, however, at Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant, Tokyo branch, even though nothing on the menu resembled much of anything in the original version in Miami Beach.

Rick "enjoyed the food but did not ask what it was" Denney

I had the same experience in the late 80s when my wife worked for Hitachi. While she had meetings I was bound and determined to go to the Stereo District in Tokyo. Well some course corrections and helpful people I got to see some of Tokyo and a few train stations. I returned in time for the dinner festivities with a great story. To this day have not once been to Tokyo's Stereo District.