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by Robert and Theresa
Life becomes different for those who experience later-in-life challenges. Living The Could Life offers tips adjusting your life so that you can still travel and do all the things that you love. No toxic positivity here, just lived experiences from hosts and guests.
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What should you expect from a dental tourism experience in Mexico? We’d heard of several people who traveled to Mexico for dental work, but never learned much about what the experience is really like. So we did the research, took the trip, and now we’re sharing it all to save you time and help you feel confident about dental tourism in Mexico or anywhere else. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to arrange dental care in Mexico, from first contact to the day of your visit How clinic price estimates compared with what we actually paid Why so many Yuma snowbirds head to Los Algodones for dental work What it was like to fly in, rent a car, and fit the trip into a tight schedule How a “just checking” visit turned into a crown replacement How does dental tourism in Mexico work? We walk you through our experience from start to finish so you know how the process usually works before you plan your own visit. We can only speak about the clinic we visited, but we suspect the experience is similar elsewhere. Most clinics post their prices online, and ours sent a written estimate before we arrived, so there were no surprises. They noted that prices could change after their examination and recommendations, but our final costs stayed very close to the original quote. Even with flying, we saved thousands of dollars compared with having the work done at home. Our experience in Los Algodones Three of us made the trip. One of us went expecting to have nothing done, but since we were already there, he got checked out and chose to replace an old crown that had been recommended in the past, rather than waiting until it became urgent. In Yuma, there is a large community of snow birds, many take advantage of dental tourism in Mexico during their stay? And why not? They are already there. In our case, we had to fly, but we still saved thousands of dollars. Clinics do display prices on their websites. We found those to be similar to what we paid. Our clinic gave us estimates prior to our arrival, so we weren't surprised. They did note that the prices could change depending on their examinations and recommendations. Is dental tourism in Los Algodones, Mexico something to consider? Overall, we would do this again. And we had to fly and rent a car. Our trip was a whirlwind because we had a small window to leave work and not miss other events. Have questions about dental tourism in Mexico? Send them our way. We’re happy to share what we know. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Robert: Welcome back to Living the Could Life. Real travel for real bodies. If your body changed before you were ready, but you still want to see the world, this is the place for you. We talk accessibility, mobility, energy, and joy. Because traveling isn't over, it's just different. There's still so much travel you could do. I'm Robert. Theresa: And I'm Theresa. Today we're continuing our adventure with dental tourism in M
Planning the Experience Have you gone for a cleaning at the dentist and left paralyzed hearing the cost of the work that needed to be done? In this episode, we are sharing our personal experience with traveling to Mexico to get some work done. There are definitely a few things that you need to know about Dental Tourism in Mexico. We will share our experience from planning to our return home. Is it Worth It? There are definitely pros and cons. We live nowhere near a Mexican town where we could simply drive to a dental clinic. But, even with having to fly and having to find lodging, we still found it a good value for us. Listen to the show for all of the details. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Robert: Welcome back to Living the Could Life. Real travel for real bodies. If your body changed before you were ready, but you still want to see the world, this is the place for you. We talk accessibility, mobility, energy, and joy. Because traveling isn't over, it's just different. There's still so much travel you could do. I'm Robert. Theresa: And I'm Theresa. Today we are talking about our personal experience, and what could be yours too, about traveling to Mexico for dental work. Robert: Let's start with the why. Many patients consider Mexico for dental treatment because procedures can cost significantly less than in the United States, while still offering access to modern clinics and experienced dentists. What would you do if you could save thousands of dollars on major dental work while enjoying a short getaway? Theresa: Well, we considered just that, and there were three of us who needed dental work. Robert: Well, actually two of you in the beginning. Theresa: I guess there were two, and Robert was iffy, and as was I. I mean, I had a crown glued in, and the dentist is like, well, do you want to have the crown replaced now, or should I just glue it? And, you know, knowing that it could last two weeks, or two years, or longer. And I said I would just get it glued in because of the $1,900 cost of a completely new crown. And she said, well, just save up the money, and really $1,900, I could do something a lot better than get dental work. So we started discussing this. Robert: And then for me, I recently went to my dentist for a cleaning and checkup, and he had just expanded his dental office, and he had a couple of younger dentists who had begun working for him. And I had seen each of them, and one of them said I needed a couple of crowns. The other one said I needed five surfaces redone on three teeth. And then when I saw my original dentist in the practice, he said, no, you look pretty good. We can just sort of wait and see. And right now, maybe the other dentists were just a little too aggressive. And so I thought, hmm, okay. I wasn't in any pain, and so I thought, okay, we can wait and see. Theresa: And having traveled in the past, and having had crowns fall off, once after I bit into a grapefruit, another time in Columbia, which I happened to be able to find a dentist, but I was concerned about my crowns. And then our son was going with us, and he needed significant dental work, and we just sat down. Actually, we had talked about this even before. I was also told I might need another root
Part 2 - Travel budgeting Italy: maximize energy and enjoyment with disability Last time we mentioned several trip tips to help you maximize your money and your energy. When one is out of whack, the other is affected. Take time before your trip to consider what is really meaningful to you. If you want to do something different than the typical tourist, go for it. You may have a special interest or a dream. It's entirely yours. We mention taking a gondola ride in Venice. Maximizing energy is especially important when a disability wants to challenge you. Ahhhhhhhhh - Doesn't the Gondola Ride look Dreamy? Your best trip remains one that brings happiness because you planned it from the start. Personalizing it makes it unforgettable. If there are glitches - and with travel, you should expect that - you have a Plan B. Counting Spoons Keep your energy in mind. Below you will find the episode on Spoon Theory. Keep that in mind during your travels. Shout Out Again to Italy We used Italy as an example for budgeting. We will continue using Italy as our example destination again the next time. It gets us excited about visiting. But, it is also preparing us to take our own advice. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Theresa: Robert: (Transcribed by TurboScribe. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Robert: Welcome back to Living the Good Life. Real travel for real bodies. If your body changed before you were ready, but you still want to see the world, this is the place for you. We talk accessibility, mobility, energy, and joy. Because traveling isn't over. It's just different. There's still so much travel you could do. I'm Robert. Theresa: And I'm Theresa. Today we're diving into episode 2 of our Italy planning series. That's how to use the perfect trip tips that we shared the last time. Robert: We're talking points, mobility equipment, spoon-based itineraries, and how to make smart choices when you don't have unlimited money or unlimited spoons. Theresa: Because, remember our guiding principle, if saving the money doesn't make your trip better, it isn't really a savings. Robert: Let's start with points, because they can make Italy dramatically more affordable, even if you're starting late. Theresa: And you don't need to have a wallet full of cards, and I know some people have more cards than I could ever imagine having. So just start with one. And find one, especially if you travel abroad, like to Italy, that has no foreign transaction fees. Those can add up. It has a simple earning structure, and a good sign-up bonus, and easy redemption options, and I know I started with a lower cost credit card affiliated with the airline just because the luggage charges are now frightening. They can be 50 bucks or more each way for a check back. Robert: Most people think points come from flying. Nope. You earn them from groceries, prescriptions, gas, streaming services, utility bills, online shopping portal. Theresa: Oh, and I want to talk about online shopping portals, because that's something I often fo
Part 1 - Plan Your Best Trip on Your Budget Your best trip happens when you stick to your budget. In this episode we explore some of the hidden costs to travel. But, we also offer some helpful tips and considerations. Is Your Budget Just About Money? As big fans of the Spoon Theory, we must advise that your energy is a big part of your budget. It actually affects your budget immensely. Low energy can definitely increase your budget. Take a listen to this and the next few episodes to learn more about budgeting for travel. Below, you will find a worksheet with a list of things to consider. There are some hidden items and events that you should be aware of when planning your budget. It's always wise to add some comfort funds. Never forget that what may seem like savings, may come with a price in time or energy. Shout Out to Italy We used Italy as an example for budgeting, However, you can use the same techniques for any destination. Remember, it's your trip! Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Theresa: Welcome back to Living the Could Life. Real travel for real bodies. If your body changed before you were ready, but you still want to see the world, this is the place for you. We talk accessibility, mobility, energy, and joy, because traveling isn't over. It's just different. There's still so much travel you can do. I'm Robert. Theresa: And I'm Theresa. Today we're diving into a topic that so many people ask about. How to budget a trip? And we're letting you follow along with an upcoming trip to Italy that we're planning. But how do you budget it, especially when you're navigating later-in-life disabilities? Theresa: We're talking hidden costs, spoon theory as a budgeting tool, essential documents, all the money-saving strategies that make travel doable, joyful, and sustainable. Theresa: So let's start at the very beginning. That's with planning, because budgeting doesn't necessarily start with just money. It starts with information. Theresa: Before you spend a dollar, you need your documents in order. For Italy, the basics are passport, travel insurance, and we'll talk about why this is crucial, medical summary from your doctor, medication list with generic names, copies of prescriptions, emergency contacts, accessibility documentation, if you use mobility aids or need assistance, credit card travel notices, and backup digital copies stored in your phone and Theresa: another thing I like to add to that list, or should have added, are apps that you can use in planning, like to the Italy government, to see what they need. There is a new document that they've been trying to implement in the EU, but you should be safe at least until the end of this year. You won't need to have that document. It's pretty much a verification. So I do want to emphasize that documents aren't just for emergencies. We kind of go by the saying, if you pack it, you hopefully don't need it, but don't go without it. So one thing is airport assistance, and usually you can request that when you're booking a ticket, and that's not only mobility assistance, but also for those with hearing or visual problems, and if you have any dietary needs. If you're seated or flying with an airline that actually gives you any kind of food or food service on the flight, there's hotel accessibility requests. Often there
Should You Travel With a Mini-Kitchen? Traveling with dietary issues requires special planning. One thing to consider is a mini-kitchen. Especially when you need food to maintain a healthy dietary condition, consider packing a few mini-kitchen items. What should my travel mini-kitchen include? For those with dietary needs, restrictions and issues, the importance of this add-on is significant. Are you always scrambling to find products and equipment to make your life easier. In this episode, we discuss some of the items that you might need to ease your travel with a mini-kitchen. However, what you add to your person mini-kitchen is up to you. You can make it as big or small as you like. After all, the reason to travel with a mini-kitchen is to customize it to your personal needs. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Welcome back to Living the Could Life. Today, we're going to talk a little bit more about traveling with the food that you may need for your health conditions or for your nourishment when you travel. I'm Teresa.
How to prepare for traveling with Dietary Issues Traveling with dietary issues may discourage some from traveling at all. Fortunately, there are many ways to plan ahead if you have dietary issues, a problem that some find embarrassing, limiting and depressing But, there is hope in the travel world for those willing to make some changes in how they are traveling with dietary issues. In this episode, we offer several suggestions. As with any type of body disruptors, changes need to be made. If you are willing to make the effort, you may benefit from some of the suggestions that we have made. Fortunately, you will be able to prepare yourself for traveling with dietary issues Check the show notes for a free downloadable printout to help you plan yourself for traveling with dietary issues. Happy Travels. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Welcome to Living the Qud Life. Today, we're going to talk about traveling with dietary issues, and those can be chronic issues or random acute issues. It can be allergies, it can be digestive issues, it could be things like Crohn's, or it could just be that your system doesn't like certain things. So we want to treat food just as we would any other logistics for travel. So you'll need to plan ahead, pack intentionally, research your destination's food landscape, and have a reliable backup system. This will reduce stress, prevent emergencies, and keep you nourished even when options are limited. We're planning a trip to northern Italy in a few months, and I have started transitioning to a strict vegan diet, and I'm a little concerned about how I'm going to be able to maintain that diet. And I'm also thinking about how other people, when they're traveling, might have very restrictive diets and how that's going to work. Right, and that's something you can't just wait until you get to Italy to think about. I mean, things are different there. And already, I like to have a place, especially when we base ourself in a hub and are in a place for several days, to have kitchen access. And that's especially good when you are following a certain diet. And if you need to take certain medications that need to be refrigerated, maybe, like for me, tea makes everything better, so having a kettle is good, having a microwave is good, especially if you don't want to go out a lot, or if you have certain favorites that you like to cook no matter where you go. Some of those may not be available locally, and you can do your research before. I'm working on a book about using AI to plan travel, and for our upcoming Italy trip, we are using that to find out where we can find certain things. And I think we're going to Parma, and I think that will be a real challenge for Robert. I will follow along with his diet, but there's like cheese and prosciutto, so we may have to eat separately. That kind of brings us to the core questions that are going to shape our entire food plan and sort of general food plan for anyone who's traveling with dietary issues, concerns. And the first question is, will you have kitchen access? Will you have a fridge, a microwave, a kettle, or even a full kitchen? And this is going to determine how much you need to pack and prep. And some things you do automatically if you're used to it, but especially when you travel abroad, you don't know exactly where you might find gluten-free, low sugar, no sugar, no oil, dairy-free. I mean, if you have lactose intolerance, will that be in the refrigerator at the local supermarket like it is at home, or do you have to go to a separate store to find things like that? So it's just good to plan. And then one thing that I think both of us have learned is that you can only take care of yourself. Nobody's going to take care of you, so don't assume that, oh, we'll just go to Italy and we'll find what we need. We can find stuff to eat on the p
Our travel improves when we understand change theories. Ouch! A later-in-life bodily issue forced us to look at some change theories. No way would we give up travel, but no way could we travel in the same way that we used to. Searching the web showed us a few change theories that seemed strange at first. However, we started using such change theories in our daily lives. Of the several change theories that we learned about, one of our favorites is the Spoon Theory. We use that personally quite often. Considering that we had never heard of it until recently, we have added it to the top of our list of change theories. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Speaker2: Imagine waking up, walking into your kitchen, and opening the silverware drawer, only to realize that the handful of random spoons sitting inside are literally the only currency you have to survive the rest of the day. Speaker1: Right. Yeah, it's a completely different reality. Speaker2: Exactly. Every single thing you do, you know, showering, making coffee, answering a quick email, it can cost you one of those spoons. And when they're gone, I mean, you are just done. So if you're prepping for a meeting, or maybe you're just incredibly curious about how humans adapt, this deep dive is for you. We're looking at a stack of transcripts today from a project called Living the Could Life. Speaker1: Yeah, and it's this massive, really fascinating synthesis of discussions. It serves as this incredible overview of how people actually rebuild their lives after major physical or energetic shifts. Speaker2: It's just so relevant for anyone dealing with, well, having a human body. Speaker1: Totally. We're decoding the behavioral psychology, the neurobiology, and, you know, the really gritty logistical realities of living with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or even just natural age-related changes. Speaker2: Because aging comes for all of us. Speaker1: Exactly. It's basically a masterclass in how to construct a life that feels positive, realistic, and highly intentional, without all the info overload. Speaker2: And by the end of this deep dive, you will seriously never look at a drawer full of silverware, or the word should, the same way ever again. Speaker1: Oh, absolutely not. The sources make this bold claim right out of the gate, which is that before we can even talk about changing our physical habits, you know, our daily routines or energy management adaptation has to start with our vocabulary. Speaker2: Yeah, the language we use to process our reality, it basically dictates what we can physically do. Speaker1: It does. And it starts specifically with the words we use in our own heads. The sources lean really heavily on Dr. Shad Helmstetter's research on self-talk. Speaker2: Right. The brain as a literal processor. Speaker1: Exactly. He points out somethi
It's a joke that you can cruise the Midwest. Or is it not? It's definitely not a joke that cruising the Midwest is a real thing. In this episode you will not only hear about cruising the Midwest, but also cruising in Alaska. Two entirely different experiences. But, they have so much in common. Both explore parts of the world that some might miss. Both are welcoming to guests with disabilities. Take a listen. to learn about cruising the Midwest. Then, continue to hear about a special Alaska cruise company trying to save the wonderful Tongass National Forest. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Theresa: Robert: Theresa: Hey, this is Theresa, and we are so thrilled that we've already reached 20 episodes. That's a huge milestone for us. Most people quit, but we keep trudging on and hope you are enjoying our content. Last week we did half of a podcast done by our friends at Google Notebook. We just plugged in a bunch of our earlier podcasts regarding travel and asked them to put something together. So we did that first, and this week we're doing the second part. We are getting to the exciting part about cruising in the Midwest. Now who's ever thought about that? Well, having lived on Great Lakes many of my years, I think it's spectacular. So take a listen. Speaker 2: We aren't going to the predictable Caribbean islands or the crowded ports of the Mediterranean. No. Speaker 1: Instead, the sources take this floating base camp somewhere completely unexpected. The American Midwest. We are diving into the Great Lakes. Speaker 2: The inland seas of North America. Speaker 1: I have to admit, I completely geeked out over the geography here. When you say lake, people usually picture a calm, glassy pond where you take a rowboat out to fish. The Great Lakes are not ponds. They contain roughly 20% of the entire world's fresh surface water. To put the scale into perspective, Lake Superior alone is the size of the country of Austria. Speaker 2: It's massive. Speaker 1: Lake Michigan is larger than Croatia. Speaker 2: They are massive, dynamic, violently powerful bodies of water that generate their own distinct weather systems and possess a deeply ingrained, somewhat tragic maritime culture. Speaker 1: Right. If you look at the history, Great Lakes cruising is actually not a new, modern invention. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, massive coal-fired steamships operated as floating palaces, carrying wealthy travelers and immigrants between industrial hubs like Chicago, Detroit, and various Canadian ports. It was a thriving industry. But then the interstate highway system was built, commercial air travel took off, and the Great Lakes passenger industry essentially died overnight. Speaker 2: But what the sources explore is the modern renaissance of this industry. However, it hasn't returned in the form of massive 4,000 passenger floating cities. It has returned in the form of small, intimate expedition ships. The specific vessel detailed in the sources is called the Victory First. We're talking
Life becomes different for those who experience later-in-life challenges. Living The Could Life offers tips adjusting your life so that you can still travel and do all the things that you love. No toxic positivity here, just lived experiences from hosts and guests.
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