The Best Place to Buy Plane Tickets (and Medicine…Wine…Cameras….)

Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008

Read more about retiring overseas in International Living Postcards—Sunday Edition

Buy your medicine in Argentina, glasses in Singapore, plane tickets in London, and cameras and computers in the United States. Buy French wine in France, Spanish wine in Spain, and Argentine wine in Argentina. Don't buy any wine at all in Thailand, where the government taxes the stuff at 400% or so.

We perpetual travelers learn pretty quickly to take advantage of a deal here…of an opportunity there. Buying in the wrong country could cost you money—or worse. Years ago I was going to Koh Chang, Thailand, near the Cambodian border. Because of the malaria problem in Cambodia, before leaving the United States I got a prescription for 30 malaria pills. But at the last minute I decided to spend 40 days in Koh Chang, instead of 30. So, when I went to the pharmacist in the U.S. to get the pills, I asked for 40. He said, “You can't have 40.” Not, “I can't give you 40” or, “The prescription calls for 30,” but, “You can't have 40.” I've done something wrong, I'm being punished, I can't have the medicine I need. I tried explaining the circumstances, but I might as well have been talking to a cow for all the good it did me. The system had spoken: better I should get malaria than work around a minor glitch in the paperwork. What a health-hostile attitude.

Eventually, I told the pharmacist to forget the whole thing. Upon arrival in Bangkok, I went to a pharmacy and bought all 40 pills, quickly and easily, for a fraction of the cost in the U.S. I was new to the game back then. Now I buy the medicine I need when and where I need it. In fact, I tend to buy everything when and where I need it; why haul a lot of stuff around the world?

Many U.S. companies are using the Internet to find cheaper products and workers to carry out tasks overseas. We perpetual travelers have been there, done that. We do our outsourcing in person, in the host country, rather than online. And we get the same results: better, cheaper, faster, prettier, lighter…and more fun.

Paul Terhorst
Roving “Retire Early” Editor, International Living

Editor’s Choice: This Week’s Recommended Reading

International Living magazine

Paul and his wife Vicki are constantly traveling the globe, experiencing new cultures and learning new ways to cut cost on their travel expenses while enjoying a comfortable standard of living. I’m sure you all know by now about Paul’s legendary story of retiring at 35. For more inspiring in-depth stories from our “retire early” editor, sign up to receive International Living magazine.

The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program

If you like the idea of perpetual travel and are willing to visit faraway islands, meet new people, and get wined and dined in five-star hotels, a career as a travel writer could be for you. You could spend the rest of your days traveling the globe, all expenses paid, plus a steady income every week.

How to Get the Best Deal Every Time You Travel

Do you ever wonder how seasoned travelers afford to see many different countries, stay in high-class hotels, and fly first class? No, they are not millionaires. They are just like you and me. The difference is they know the secrets to outsmart airlines, where to get the best hotel rates, and how to keep the additional costs low. If you would like to cut costs on your travel, How to Get the Best Deal Every Time You Travel is an essential guide for you.