Expat & Travel Resource Guide
Hi Everyone,
We’re currently working on a new design for the Exploring Uruguay site, so this week we won’t have any new blog posts.
We plan to have the new design live by next week, and we’ll resume posting then.
Have a great week,
Brian, Chrystal, Zoë & Kaylee
When we decided to leave the US and live abroad, we sold off everything we had worked so hard to acquire. The expensive furniture, the brand new 52” LCD TV with full-blown entertainment system, mountains of books, every kitchen gadget you can imagine… I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
When we told people why we were selling everything, we got two reactions from people. It was either, “Wow, that’s so cool, I could never do that.” Or, “Why would you want to get rid of all of your belongings?”
Our answers were, “Yes you can. All you have to do is just do it.” Or, “they’re only possessions, they just weigh you down… life experiences are so much more important than material things.”
We were always surprised by how shocked people were when they heard our story. I can tell you this from first hand experience… selling all of your possessions and moving across the world is a life changing and liberating experience. No matter where life takes us, it is something that I wouldn’t change for anything.
If you’re one of those people who “wishes” they could do what we did… you can. I recently came across a blog, Almost Fearless, that is all about redesigning your life so you can travel the world. They have some really great articles – I wish I had discovered this blog sooner.
If you get a chance, check it out. The best place to start is on the About page, where she has listed some of the most popular posts to get you started.
What’s holding you back from traveling or living abroad?
Are you interested in sharing your experiences with Exploring Uruguay? If so, submit your story to us and you could be selected as a guest blogger for the Exploring Uruguay Blog.
Some questions to consider when writing your story:
We also welcome well-written restaurant reviews, attraction reviews and other articles that would be helpful for our readers. Pictures, especially for restaurant reviews, are helpful. If you have some you'd like us to consider for your article, let us know when you send us your submission.
To submit your story, click here, fill out your contact information and submit your story to us for review.
After we review your submission, we’ll contact you with any questions about your story and let you know if it has been accepted for publication.
The readers of the Exploring Uruguay Blog thank you in advance for your contributions!
We get a lot of questions about how young people can afford to live the expat life, especially in a country like Uruguay where wages are very low. Even without a retirement income, there are many options that allow young people to live abroad as expats.
There are people with online businesses and people that telecommute for companies in their home countries. Then there are people like our friend Lyle, who make their living playing online poker professionally.
Originally from Canada, Lyle currently lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but is planning to move to Punta Del Este, Uruguay next May. He spends his days playing poker and enjoying life as an expat.
He just launched his website and blog, which tell the story of how he makes his living playing online poker. If you enjoy playing online poker, or just want to explore another option for making an income online, check out his website and blog.
Thank you to all of our blog readers for asking so many great questions about Uruguay. The number of questions we’ve been getting has increased significantly, so we decided it was time to create the Exploring Uruguay Forum.
We’ve been working hard on getting the forum ready over the past several days and we’re excited to announce that it’s finally live.
So, come by the Exploring Uruguay Forum today and post a question about Uruguay. Or, share your experiences with living in Uruguay, or visiting Uruguay.
Thanks in advance for contributing to the community!
Another Uruguay Expat blog we frequent is Total Uruguay. It is run by “Lee from Pocitos” and in addition to a blog, the Total Uruguay website also features forums and other information on Uruguay. If you aren’t familiar with this Uruguay blog, check it out.
Lee is also responsible for organizing the Sunday Expat meeting that has traditionally been held at Old Maz in the Pocitos area of Montevideo. However, Old Maz is moving to a new location, under a new name, and will no longer be open on weekends. So, a new location for the Sunday Expat lunches has been chosen.
Starting August 30, the Expat lunch will be held every Sunday afternoon at 1 pm at the following location:
Fellini Ristobarette
Jose Marti 3408 (corner of Benito Blanco and Jose Marti)
1 block from the corner of Av. Brasil and Benito Blanco
Pocitos, Montevideo
You can find more information about the weekly Expat Meeting in Montevideo on the Total Uruguay website.
We’ve eaten at Fellini a couple times and it was great. One time we got lasagna to go (it had ham in it like almost all food in Uruguay) and the other time we had gnocchi. Both were great. We’ll definitely be checking out the new location for the Montevideo expat meeting in the coming weeks.
Another Uruguay blog we follow is, “Wally in Uruguay.”
This Uruguay blog follows Wally and Denise, who are retiring to Uruguay from the States.
We’ve never met Wally or Denise, but through Wally’s Uruguay blog we feel like we know them.
When you visit his Uruguay blog, start from his first post and read through to the present. It follows them purchasing a home (a fixer)… and going through all of the trials and tribulations of renovating a house here in Uruguay.
In a post from a little over a year ago on his Uruguay blog, Wally touched on a topic that I never thought I’d want to write about until now. But he did such a great job on the topic that I’m going to recommend you read it instead of me writing another blog on the topic, Ode to Bidet.
Wally kind of reminds me of my Uncle Dave… He’s full of energy, ready to take on anything head on, quite funny… and sometimes a little clueless (as you can read on his latest post, Denise’s Special Day).
If you are considering retiring to Uruguay, Wally’s Uruguay blog is full of invaluable information… from hiring contractors and dealing with them, to a lot of “do it yourself” work around the house.
If we buy property in Uruguay after the new baby is here, we’ll be referencing Wally’s Uruguay blog on a regular basis. Or, if you just want a neat story to follow, his Uruguay blog provides that as well.
When we were preparing to move to Montevideo, we starting reading several Uruguay blogs. One Uruguay blog we came across shortly before the move was http://www.urmovingwhere.com.
Brad and Lisa, a couple a little bit older than us who have a daughter just five months older than Zoë, Geneva, started the blog after they moved to Uruguay. We traded emails with them several times before our move to Montevideo, and keep in contact with them now that we’re living in Uruguay. Zoë and Geneva love to play together.
Picture of Zoë and Geneva enjoying a homemade taco dinner
If you like our Uruguay blog, we thought you might be interested in learning about their experiences in Montevideo. Their life here is just a bit different from ours and may be able to give you another perspective on life in Uruguay.
Here are a few of the differences between our families:
We hope you like Brad and Lisa’s Uruguay Blog!