It was a fun video to make, and it was top-of-mind with the horrendous sewer smells emanating from our bathroom in Belgrade.
Someone mentioned it might have been coming from the floor drain rather than the shower. The P-traps in floor drains can dry out, allowing the gases to escape. They suggested pouring water down the floor drain to create the seal.
Excellent advice! We'll try that next time!
Our View in the Belgrade Waterfront Area (these are new buildings – no excuse for sewer smells)
Several people asked if Europe was close to the U.S. in terms of electricity, plumbing, safety standards, etc.
Outside Germany, Austria and maybe Scandinavia, those things are nowhere as good as the U.S.
We're in a newly renovated building in Spain right now. Overall, it's a very nice place, but the kitchen has one outlet next to the sink with 6 inches of counter space next to it. The neighbors burned their dinner the other night and when they turned on the stove exhaust fan, smoke filled our kitchen. The shower leaks all over the bathroom floor, so much so that the door moulding is ruined at floor level.
Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Czechia, Montenegro, Albania, Latvia?
We've experienced basic electrical and plumbing issues in all of these countries, especially when it comes to flushing the TP. That's apparently an American anomaly.
We asked a young woman at a new hotel in Albania if we could flush the TP and she looked at us like we were crazy people.
"No. Why would you flush the toilet paper?" she asked with extreme confusion.
A lot of places have bum guns or bidets, but not all. And putting TP in the bin is just not sanitary. 🤢
The U.S. does excel at a lot of things, but that comes with a steep price tag in terms of cost of living.
And it's sorely lacking when it comes to things that are crucial to a high quality of life, such as affordable housing, food and healthcare.
You're probably also thinking "politics" right now, but that's one thing that seems universal. Everyone everywhere complains about their politics.
We do miss some of the consistency and conveniences we discussed in the video, but not enough to move back to the U.S. (despite my parents' best wishes).
Even if we wanted to move back, it's simply not possible due to the cost of health insurance and healthcare. We don't make the kind of money that gets high quality care in the U.S. like we can easily afford elsewhere.
And we're having too much fun out here exploring the world and fulfilling our lifelong dreams.
Now, if I can get Amelia out of bed and caffeinated, I think we'll go wander around some 1,000 year old ruins today.
Life is good 😊
Is Peru on Your Expat List?
The Turtle Travel Club's Leap to Lima, Peru will be open for booking on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at Noon Eastern for Lifetime Club Members and Wednesday at Noon for everyone else.
If Peru is on your list of possible expat destinations, this small group trip will be a great way to give it a test drive without doing it all alone.
Europe Cracks Down on Airbnb as Housing Pressure Builds
The EU is proposing new rules that could make it easier for cities to restrict short-term rentals like Airbnb in places struggling with housing shortages. That could affect rental availability, property investors, and even where future expats choose to live. [Source]
Greece Just Made Its Golden Visa Harder to Get
Greece has tightened its Golden Visa rules, with higher minimum property investments in popular areas like Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, and Santorini. There are still lower-cost options in some cases, but the path to residency through real estate is getting more expensive and complicated. [Source]
Is Panama About to Tax Expats’ Foreign Income?
New tax rules in Panama sparked concern that expats could soon face a 15% tax on foreign income. But the reality is much narrower: the changes mainly target certain multinational business structures, not typical American retirees or expats living in Panama. [Source]
More Americans Are Moving Abroad (and Not Just Retirees)
The profile of Americans moving overseas is changing. Rising healthcare costs, lifestyle priorities, remote work, residency options, and citizenship-by-descent programs are pushing more middle-class professionals and families to consider building a life outside the U.S. [Source]
That's all for now. Let me know if you have any questions or comments by replying to this email.
by JP Stonestreet So… are we moving to Spain now? We’re in Spain right now on a Turtle Leap, and as the week has progressed, the questions have changed. At first, they were normal travel questions: Where should we eat? What should we see? What’s the best way to get around? Then we started hearing different questions: How much does it cost to live here? What’s healthcare like? Could we buy a place? And that’s when we knew Spain was starting to get into everyone's heads. When that happens,...
Hello Reader, We had barely arrived in Madrid before we headed straight for an overlook. Not the Prado Museum. Not the Royal Palace. Not Plaza Mayor. An overlook. And not because we’d heard it had the best view in Madrid. We wanted to stand in the exact spot where they filmed the final scene of every season of Alpha Males, one of our favorite shows on Netflix. If you’ve watched the show, you know the spot. The four guys gather there at the end of each season to reflect on their latest round...
🌎 World Aware by JP Stonestreet Welcome to World Aware, your weekly roundup of global news and insights that actually matter if you travel internationally, live abroad, or you're thinking about it. We just announced a new Mini-Leap to Medellín, Colombia for December, and we still have a few spots left. This is a new Leap format. It's for 7 nights (instead of 14) and allows you to bring-your-own-lodging so you can stay where you want and use your points (if you're a points person). We'll...