The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

the 1 less traveled by

A move to Nicaragua

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The Price to Move

We knew moving abroad would be pricey, but there were definitely some hidden costs we weren’t prepared for.  Not included in the table below is what we spent in eating and drinking out.  The is because of two reasons: 1. We are not that organized, 2. The cost if very dependent on how much you go out and to what type of restaurants/bars.

Total:$13,930.54
Storage Unit$163
Infant on Lap Tax $124.90
Extra Baggage$150
Shipping Dogs$1343
Hotel in Managua for 3 Nights$192
Purchase Car$6000
Purchase Motorcycle$1540
Purchase Generator$436
First Month Gasoline$422.64
Security Deposit$1000
Rent$1000
Household Items$24
Surge Protector $22
Gas Can$17
Water Utility$114
House Security$80
Electricity Utility$340
House Internet$92
Cable$30
Pool Chemicals$42
San Juan del Sur Day School (1/2 month)$108
Maid$200
Groceries Estimate$450
Flea Medicine for Dogs$40

There were two large expenses that I did not include in this table because they are not common.  First, We were surprised at the airport to find out that we had to purchase a one-way ticket back to the United States for our son, Titus and I.  United explained that Nicaragua’s policy is that an infant on a lap who wasn’t a resident must show proof of exit from the country within the 90 day VISA expiration. Caught under pressure, we purchased a non refundable one-way ticket for $1065.80.  We realized too late, that we would have been out no money if we had splurged for the refundable ticket and cancelled once safely in Nicaragua.  Second, our dog Rigley broke his leg and the first surgery, x-rays, and medicine cost $1040.

2 comments on “The Price to Move”

  1. Hi Jenna,

    Thank you for all this information! My fiance and I are planning a move/adventure quite like yourselves. I have enjoyed reading your blog and found it very informative.

    If you don’t mind, I have a few questions, if you can answer, I appreciate it!

    How was the experience moving your dog? What pet shipper did you use, if any? I see you have a Rottweiler. We have a collie/shepherd and an English Mastiff (she’s going to be the costly and difficult one). We have sought quotes from professional pet shipper for the American side, but will need to for Nica side. How was your experience retrieving your dog? Suggestions?

    Did you or your husband have to book return flights? Or were you find with the one way as long as you exit the country after 90 days?

    Really appreciate any tips/tricks/hints and information. Thanks for a great read!

    1. Hi Jessica,
      Glad my blog has been helpful. I have a whole category on “Dogs In Nica” and wrote a long blog about shipping our dogs, what we did right, and what we did wrong. We haven’t had to ship dogs back to US, so that is a task I will face one day.
      They did make me book a return flight because I had a lap infant. In hindsight we should have purchased a refundable ticket and cancelled or just cancelled a regular ticket within 24 hours, but with the international move we dropped the ball and it cost us over $1k.
      Please let me know if there are any other questions I can answer.

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