How about a Boat?

Now that we have a plan on how to make money, we'll need a boat.  But what kind of boat?  I didn't realize just how many types of boats there are out there.  There are fishing boats and speed boats,  sailing boats and pontoon boats. Boats for sleeping in and boats for skiing behind.  There are catamarans, house boats, jet boats, row boats and yachts.  If you can dream it up there's a boat for it. Our dream boat needed to be big enough that we could comfortably carry multiple passengers at once plus we needed a platform on it where people would easily be able to get into the water.  After sifting though tons of images online I've narrowed it down to two. A yacht or a catamaran.

 A yacht has plenty of room for passengers and a lot of yachts have observation decks up top. That would give a nice spot for people to look out over the Caribbean and possibly see some fish during the ride to our snorkeling destination. Yachts also have sleeping quarters which will come in handy seeing as how we'll have to put all of the money we have into buying the boat and won't be able to actually purchase land. Instead of waking up each morning and walking down the beach to the water with my cup of coffee I guess I will be dipping my toes in the water from the back of the boat. It's a compromise but not a bad one. I do worry a little bit about not actually having land under my feet to call home. It would be temporary though and once the business starts making money we could hopefully be able to buy a piece of land.

 Catamarans can be either sail powered or motor powered. We don't know how to sail so for us a motor powered one would be the best bet. They have very large decks and sleeping cabins. The draw back in a catamaran is getting the people into the water. Most of them I've looked at don't have swim platforms. I found some where people have put custom platforms on theirs and we could do the same with ours. I don't want people struggling when they try to get into the water, I want their experience to be an enjoyable one from the time they board the boat until the time they set foot back on land.
 Another thing to consider is where would we dock the boat? Our customers have to be able to board the boat somewhere! We would need a permanent location that was easy to find. Once we have our own property and dock it won't be a problem but until then we will have to look into renting a slip somewhere.  
  Did you know there are websites out there giving away free boats?  Most of the boats are from people who either don't have the time or don't have the money to restore them. They want them to go to a good home where someone will take good care of them. In most cases you need to be able to come pick them up  It's almost like a boat adoption.
If you can't find the boat your looking for on www.free-boat.com here's one that might interest you.

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Flippers and a Mask

After searching for property it became clear to me that we need to figure out what type of job we wanted to do. I think we're pretty set on island life. About 80% sure. I don't want to say 100% because I still have a lot more research to do but for now island life it is. So we asked ourselves "What would be the ultimate island-life job?" Our answer, buying a boat and doing guided snorkeling trips. What screams island-life more than sailing around on the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean Sea and diving into an under water world of exotic fish and coral? We figured if we're going to take untrained tourists out into the waters of the Caribbean we should probably get scuba diving certified. Better to be safe than sorry. We wouldn't want anyone getting hurt on our watch.
   We live in Michigan so we're already surrounded by water. To obtain a diving certificate won't be challenging at all. For 500 bucks a peice we can start our first class and learn to dive in the great lakes. A local dive shop offers world class diving certificate classes as well as advanced training and rescue training classes for an additional cost. Perfect, we can do all our training where we are now and be ready to open shop as soon as we move.

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The Great lakes have many sunken shipwrecks to explore. Here is a great book to find out the history of the ships that sailed the Great Lakes.


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The good old U.S.VI?

The United States Virginia islands. U.S. V.I.

The U.S. V.I. is made up of three main islands.
 St. Thomas the main island has more of a city life feel than the other two. It is known as the gateway to the Virginia islands.  The cost of living in St. Thomas is cheaper than the other two islands because its where all the ships and plains come into. It's capital Charlottesville Amalie is a busy cruise ship port. Places to see include Blackbeard's Castle, Fort Christian and Paradise Point.  You can spend your day out sight seeing or shopping at the Havensight mall and the many other duty free shops. There are guided snorkeling trips and plenty of beaches to relax on. Life here is a little more hustle and bustle than the other two islands which is why it's not the island for me. Just to the south of St. Thomas is a small island called Water island. I found a 1 acre lot for $225,000. This piece of land could work for me.
 St. John is the closet to St. Thomas. The cost of living is little higher here. St. John is the smallest of the three but makes up for it in natural beauty. With countless snorkeling spots and pristine beaches it's my personal favorite.  Beach front property under 300k is hard to find. In fact as of right now the cheapest I can find on St. John is 695k us dollars. There is a 2 bedroom 2.5 bath home on the 0.5 acre property for sale but man that's way out of my price range. For 895k you can get a 1 acre lot in an upscale neighborhood ready to be built on.  If I had the money it would be a breathtaking property.  If you don't mind having just a view and no waterfront there are 23 homes for sale under 290k us dollars. Unfortunately, my dream includes waking up and greeting the day with a cup of coffee in hand and my toes in the water. So that brings me to St.  Croix
 St. Croix is the largest of the three but the furthest away from St.  Thomas. Because everything has to be flown or ferried from St. Thomas it's cost of living is the highest. Things like groceries and gasoline will cost a little more. As far as life style, my opinion is that St. Croix is a mix between St. Thomas and St. John. There are two main cities on the island Christiansted, and Frederiksted. Kinghill is a settlement kind in the middle of the island and home to the University of the Virgin islands. There is also a lot of national park area and nature reserves. Unspoiled land in all its beauty. It's just what I've been looking for. I've been able to find some smaller beachfront properties for under 350k. The draw back is that most of them are in residential areas and in order for me to make my dream work I'm also looking for somewhere I can start a business. I'm going to have to have some sort of income. The money form the sale of my house in Michigan isn't going to last for long.  In fact with these prices it won't even make a dent in the purchasing of property.  I need to take a look at what types of things I could do for income.



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Roatan

I started looking at island life. The more I read the more I wanted to live it. Waking up each morning, breathing in the salty air and smiling at the days potential. My someday husband (I call him that because we've been engaged for 4 years now and still haven't set a date) and I are growing eager and look forward to the exciting thrills our new life will hold. Who knows what kind of life we could have in store for us! Our conversations are a buzz with businesses we could start and properties we could buy. I found an island off the coast of Honduras that is beautiful.
  Roatan is one of Honduras's Caribbean  bay islands. It is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. There are many wonderful dive sites to explore and marine life to watch, including whale sharks. Coxen Hole is it's capital and a Cruise ship destination with lots of  tourists. I have reached out to About Roatan Realest and had a lovely woman searching for properties. She found me a bakery only 85k U.S dollars, however it's only the business and not for the property. The problem in Roatan is if your not a native you can't own more than a .74 acre lot. There are ways to purchase more land but you must form a Honduran corporation.  I'm not sure at this time if I'm willing to do that. Something to come back to at a later date. There are some beautiful homes available at very reasonable prices. This would be a great retirement place. The cost of living is fair and the easy laid back island life style would be an inviting escape in your later years.
You can find a very handy relocation guide here.
http://www.aboutroatanrealestate.com

   

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Why stop with the U.S.?

Now the possibilities seem endless.
Why stop in the U.S. when I could live anywhere in the world?
Where is that perfect place for me?
Does a perfect place even exist?
If your truly happy, couldn't you be happy anywhere?
Can you make the most of where you are and what you have?
Isn't it just the same life in a different location?
 I've asked myself these questions many times. Each time I come back to the same answer, NO! I'm not currently in my happy place.
   There has been many studies done on living in paradise and how it effects your health, your mental well being and your life span. There is a reason for this feeling of unrest in my soul.  I haven't found my happy place yet, my Shangri-la. For me paradise is  a tropical warm place. Websters defines paradise as a place or state of bliss. I think paradise can mean many things and is unique to each individual. For some a big city or a mountain top might be their paradise. In any regards there are benefits to decluttering your life. To getting back to a simpler way of living. Leaving the stress of this 9 to 5 world and living, really living. Not just existing in this cycle of eat, sleep, work, pay bills, repeat.
 I know! I know!
Where ever I go there will be bills to pay and work to be done. It's the way the world is and there is no where on this planet to hide from it. I do feel that there has to be at the least a better place to do it from.  A place where breath taking views greet you in the morning as your eyes struggle to focus. A place where energy flows through the ground and gently moves you forward through your day. Where colors and sounds excite your senses and lift your spirits. There is a reason people go on vacations to tropical destinations.  I don't want to live in a place that each year I can't wait to get away from. I want to live in the place that people go to get away from stress. So I'm setting out to find my shangri-la.


 https://www.livescience.com/37819-health-benlefits-living-near-ocean.html

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California

As a child I dreamt of being a beach babe. You know, the ones the beach boys sang about. Big wavy hair, tiny bikini's and perfectly tan bodies.  I wanted to spend my days sunning on the beach, drink in hand, watching my man surf and maybe even trying to catch a wave myself. In the evenings we would start a fire on the beach surrounded by other beautifully tanned beach babes and surfers and life would be one endless relaxing day at the beach.  Sounds great right?  I planned to head to California as soon as turned 18 and never look back. Even back then I knew I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in this frozen tundra.  Fast forward 22 years and here I am still chilled to the bone a minimum of 6 months out of the year. What happened?  Well, life happened!  I started working in a bakery and I  loved it. I had found my calling, a baker for life i would be. I met a man, got married, had children, got divorced  (he wasn't the right man for me) and continued to bake.  During which time all the excesses of why I couldn't leave started to pile up and an avalanche of "can'ts" crashed over me. Those excuses are what hold us back. They stop us from living, from being who we want to be or even who we should be in order to be the best we can be as an individual.

So, here we are. In my 40's and back to the California  dream, minus the big hair and little bikini. I could still have the relaxing beach life just a little more conservative.  With California comes a lot of options. Do I live up in the hills or down on the beach. The northern part of California or the south? San Francisco is known for its great sour dough bread, maybe I should consider opening a bakery there. You have Hollywood  where the actors are but I'm not an actor and although it would be cool to mingle with the celeb's I don't think it's where I should be. How about Napa Valley?  I found this beautiful Vineyard for sale.  Correction a gorgeous,  breathtakingly beautiful Vineyard for sale with mature vines, lavender,  olive trees, everything you could hope for in a Vineyard and more. The home it's self styled after a villa in Tuscany.  Only 5.9 million. What? That's crazy? Well unless it produces enough wine to pay the bills then maybe. I'm sure it does but who would give me a loan for that amount? Especially when I don't know the first thing about making wine or lavender or even olive trees. Guess I have to cross the dream of swirling my wine around in my glass and saying things like "nice bouquet " off my list of places to buy. On to the next.

   

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Louisiana

The big easy. That would defiantly be a change of pace. A new way of living. There are festivals going on all most all year round with the biggest being Mardi Gras. For any of you who have been hiding under a rock the last 100 years Mardi Gras is  a giant carnival leading up to fat Tuesday. People celebrate in the streets, beers in hand, wearing masks and beads. There are parades to watch and music that fills the streets with the sound of joy and possibilities. My heart I started to beat a little faster and i felt a tingle in my soul, I dove in head first and see what else New Orleans had to offer.  I found some beautiful  homes and I even spoke with a bakery down there. They offered me a position. I had a job! I figured i could start off doing what I'm good at and change once i settle in if i want to. Things where starting to come together. A plan was forming. There are 17 wards in New Orleans each one offering up its own vibe and way of life. By simple driving to the other side of town I could experience new and exciting things each day. Of course the French Quarter was my favorite. Not only because it's the center of all things Mardi Gras but because of its beauty and charm. I have found in my research that it costs to live in paradise.  It costs a lot! Unless you have millions of dollars sitting in the bank (which I do not) finding a place in the French Quarter is out of the question. We will put a pin in New Orleans for now and look somewhere else.  Maybe......California?

Www.neworleansonline.com

   

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Where should I live?

I have decided to move but where should I move to? The obvious answer is someplace warmer. I could simply move down three or four states and be happy. The trip back to my home town would only be a few hours drive or at the most a day. So which one should it be?  I researched Georgia first. I had passed though there a year ago while taking my oldest son to college. We stopped for the night in Summerville, Georgia. Even the name says warmth. Any town named after my favorite season had to be the place for me. Its a small town in Chattooga county, population 4,534. Don't get me wrong I'm a small town girl but Summerville is just a bit to small for me.  Maybe i want to try a big city like Atlanta? I started googling every village, town and city I could find on Google maps.  I looked at everything from Abbeville to Zebulon but couldn't find one that sounded like me. I looked at the price of houses, what kinds of jobs where available (I'm a bakery production manager where I live now) after all I'm changing where I live I could change what I do for a living as well. Still nothing fit. It all sounded like the towns around here in Michigan. I did the same thing with South Carolina,  Alabama and Mississippi.  That's when I realized , if I'm changing were I live and what I do why not change my life style as well?

   

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It's only September 18th

I love the changing colors of the trees but it's only September 18th and already the cold is threatening to creep in. In only a short time the frozen white stuff will come.

   

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Why move.

How did I come to this decision? Well I was born and raised in Michigan.  I've spent winter after winter sliding off the road into snow banks. I've piled so many layers of clothes on at once that I looked like the stay puff marshmallow man. I've even had my jeans Freeze into a solid mass around my boots and I'm sick of it. Now there are plenty of people out there that love the snow and all it brings with it. They go skiing or snow boarding in the white stuff. You can find them on the frozen lakes ice skating or ice fishing and there are countless snowmen dotting the front yards as you drive through town. I am not one of those people. When the snow starts falling I will be under a blanket hiding in my house for the next 6 months. Over the years the thought of living someplace that stays warm all year round has crossed my mind many many times. There is always some excuse that i give myself as to why I can't leave. Like I would miss my family or Christmas wouldn't be the same if it wasn't white, I couldn't up root my children and move them someplace where they had no friends or relatives.  Well in less than two years my youngest child will be on their way to college and I can always fly back for Christmas. I have no more excuses.

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I'm not crazy!

I'm not crazy! I promise. Unless you consider selling all your belongings, quiting your job, leaving your family and friends and moving to an island paradise crazy? If so, than my children would agree with you and I'm crazy.
 This is where my story begins. Like so many others out there I dream of living in a year round tropical paradise.  I want to wake up every morning look out over the ocean. I want to walk down the white sandy beaches, cup of coffee in hand and dip my toes in the warm blue waters. I want vibrant tropical flowers scattered around my yard and towering palm trees swaying over head. I want to breath in the salty air and I don't want to wait until late I'm to old to enjoy its beauty.  I want to be able to hike miles back though the lush vegetation to that secret waterfall that only the locals know about. If I wait until I'm retired I'm afraid I won't have the physical ability to do that anymore. So regardless of what my family thinks I'm going to take a leap and I'm going to move.

   

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