It is easy to envy those fortunate people who divide their year between winters in the tropics and summers in North America, but what I find more intriguing is the several people I have encountered here in Nicaragua who manage to live in two places at the same time.
Jennifer, for example, is an American engineer who works for a large company in San Francisco, where she owns a house. Yet for at least half of every month she lives here in San Juan del Sur, telecommuting to her job in the States, surfing and enjoying the funky, laid-back vibe. A week from now she will be back in the US, enjoying all of the amenities and conveniences of big city living, but later in the month she will return to San Juan and be making an appearance at poker night.
Her friends assume that Jennifer's lifestyle must be extremely expensive, but she insists that this is not the case. The moment she lands in Nicaragua her cost of living drops dramatically, enough to more than pay for her airfares. An evening at a restaurant that would cost $120 in San Francisco is less than $20 here. She is actually able to live in two places simultaneously for less than it would cost her to live full time in California.
Jennifer has a home, friends and business relationships in both locations, maintaining all of the social and practical aspects of her life in Nicaragua and the United States. Her situation is not unique. Inexpensive, ubiquitous telecommunications and the Internet combined with cheap, infinitely flexible travel options are making it possible for people to reshape how they live in remarkable ways. The best part is that you don't have to be a movie star, trust fund kid or dot com billionaire to be able to do it.
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