I love to travel, it's just that simple. For the most part, I'm willing to go just about anywhere, anytime. There is really nothing that is too far out there to me, I’m not afraid of the unknown, not afraid of getting dirty, not afraid of the unusual. But with that in mind, I, like you, don't have an unlimited travel budget and with so many places in the world to choose from, how do you decide where to go? I’ll tell you one way… look for your Shangri La. Where can you go to improve upon your health and happiness? ...one way is to consider the following facts based on health and economics:
FACT #1
Did you know that among 224 countries, there are 42 countries where people live longer than we do (according to the CIA World Factbook)? That's pretty amazing isn't it? And once you see the map of where these places are, you might be able to pick out an interesting trend… the majority of them are either island nations, surrounded by the ocean, or they have vast coastlines where the majority of the people live. The people who live in these places don't all necessarily make more money than we do, which means our money isn't going to buy us a longer life. What you will find though, is that they live a happier and less stressful lifestyle than we do. They aren't bogged down with the hustle and bustle that we are used to. They work shorter days during a shorter work week and they have longer holidays.
Here is the list of places, in order, along with a visual (map), where people live longer than us:
1. Monaco
2. Japan
3. Singapore
4. Macau
5. San Marino
6. Iceland
7. Hong Kong
8. Andorra
9. Switzerland
10. Guernsey
11. Israel
12. Luxembourg
13. Australia
14. Italy
15. Sweden
16. Leichtenstein
17. Jersey
18. Canada
19. France
20. Norway
21. Spain
22. Austria
23. Anguilla
24. Netherlands
25. Bermuda
26. Cayman Islands
27. Isle of Man
28. New Zealand
29. Belgium
30. Finland
31. Ireland
32. Germany
33. United Kingdom
34. Greece
35. St. Pierre & Miquelon
36. Malta
37. Faroe Islands
38. European Union
39. South Korea
40. Taiwan
41. Virgin Islands
42. Turks & Caicos
43. United States
FACT #2
The United States spends more on health expenditures than any other country in the world. Here are the top 20 runners up to the U.S. in health expenditures (in order): Marshall Islands, Liberia, Tuvalu, Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Netherlands, Moldova, France, Lesotho, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, Kiribati, Rwanda, Serbia, New Zealand.
FACT #3
Here is a list of the countries in the world that are more obese than the U.S. (in order starting with the most obese): American Somoa, Nauru, Cook Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Somoa, Palau, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Kuwait, Saint Kitts/Nevis, Micronesia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Qatar, Egypt.
FACT #4
Taxes... there are 172 countries with higher taxes than the U.S. (rather than list them, you can check out the CIA World Factbook (here)
FACT #5
There are 55 countries with a lower unemployment rate that the U.S. They are (in order starting with the lowest unemployment rate): Cambodia, Qatar, Belarus, Guernsey, Thailand, Tonga, Laos, Vanuatu, Jersey, Papua New Guinea, Macau, Monaco, Singapore, Isle of Man, Faroe Islands, United Arab Emirates, Tajikistan, Bhutan, Brunei, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Gibralter, Cuba, Vietnam, Seychelles, Switzerland, Japan, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Trinidad/Tobago, Taiwan, Iceland, Cayman Islands, Andorra, Bahrain, Guatemala, Honduras, Falkland Islands, Sri Lanka, China, Palau, Norway, Panama, Mexico, Saint Kitts/Nevis, Denmark, Uzbekistan, Germany, Ecuador, Bangladesh, Burma, Kazakhstan, Niger, Ghana.
FACT #6
There are 18 countries that have more gold reserves to back up their currency (and soften the blow of their debts) than the U.S. They are in order (from most gold reserves to least above the U.S.): China, Japan, European Union, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Russia, India, South Korea, Brazil, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, Germany, Algeria, Thailand, France, Italy.
FACT #7
The U.S. has the highest external debt in the world. The top 20 runners up behind the U.S., starting with the highest are: European Union, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Netherlands, Luxemborg, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Belgium, Hong Kong, Sweden, China, Austria.
FACT #4
Taxes... there are 172 countries with higher taxes than the U.S. (rather than list them, you can check out the CIA World Factbook (here)
FACT #5
There are 55 countries with a lower unemployment rate that the U.S. They are (in order starting with the lowest unemployment rate): Cambodia, Qatar, Belarus, Guernsey, Thailand, Tonga, Laos, Vanuatu, Jersey, Papua New Guinea, Macau, Monaco, Singapore, Isle of Man, Faroe Islands, United Arab Emirates, Tajikistan, Bhutan, Brunei, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Gibralter, Cuba, Vietnam, Seychelles, Switzerland, Japan, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Trinidad/Tobago, Taiwan, Iceland, Cayman Islands, Andorra, Bahrain, Guatemala, Honduras, Falkland Islands, Sri Lanka, China, Palau, Norway, Panama, Mexico, Saint Kitts/Nevis, Denmark, Uzbekistan, Germany, Ecuador, Bangladesh, Burma, Kazakhstan, Niger, Ghana.
FACT #6
There are 18 countries that have more gold reserves to back up their currency (and soften the blow of their debts) than the U.S. They are in order (from most gold reserves to least above the U.S.): China, Japan, European Union, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Russia, India, South Korea, Brazil, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, Germany, Algeria, Thailand, France, Italy.
FACT #7
The U.S. has the highest external debt in the world. The top 20 runners up behind the U.S., starting with the highest are: European Union, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Netherlands, Luxemborg, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Belgium, Hong Kong, Sweden, China, Austria.
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