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Checking the Weather

By on July 16, 2008 in Planning

I started packing my clothing for the move today and was immediately struck by the thought, “Hmmm…I wonder what I should pack.” I’ll be back in the US in December, so I can always pick up another season of clothing then. In order to pack, I guess I probably should know what the weather is going to be like.  A quick Google search turned up a great graph from The Weather Channel:

So, the good news is that even though I’m moving in their winter, I won’t have to pack my bulky winter clothes. I do remember our tour guide telling us that last July was the first time it had snowed in Buenos Aires in 99 years. After winters in New York and a hot summer, I’m looking forward to the milder climate changes in BsAs.

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Cancel Car Insurance?

By on July 15, 2008 in Planning

I’ve been trying to sell one car on Craigslist and eBay (know anyone who needs a low mileage Toyota Solara?) and the other car is a lease that’s being returned three months early, so of course I’ve also been planning on canceling my car insurance. That should save me some money, right?

That is what I thought until I read this post on Fat Wallet (edited here):

Last year I sold my car, canceled my Progressive insurance and left the country for 10 months for a research trip. Now I am back and buying a new car and I have just learned that I made a big mistake in allowing my insurance to lapse. (I though that it would be common sense to assume that if I have no car, I should have no insurance. Boy, was I wrong!).

Now “Progressive” quotes me premiums which may be even $200-per-6-months more than if I did not have an insurance lapse. Lesson learned – consult an an agent when you do things which appear commonsense. I did not allow my health insurance to lapse, but this…

I am in Ohio and have clean record, good credit and all. I complained and complained to “Progressive” that the issue of lapsed insurance was not addressed whan I was cancelling the policy last year. Any agent would mention that. Why not a CSR? They say I will have to wait 2 year to get the premiums back down and could possibly see some discounts in 1/2 year.

That started an interesting conversation on the topic and prompted me to call Geico to find out if I should keep some lower level of insurance in place to prevent this. The agent at Geico said I should simply cancel my insurance. They could offer “Non-Owner” liability insurance, but the agent did not recommend it as she thought it would not be worth it. They said that when I called to renew, they would look over my past driving record and she noted that I was moving out of the country.

That works for me, but if you’re moving, you may want to call your insurance company and check.

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Register with the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires

By on July 15, 2008 in Planning

I just happened to be reading The Argentine Post blog and one of their articles mentioned that Americans living or traveling in Argentina are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires. Hmm, I never knew that. I guess that old saying that you learn something new every day is actually true. I headed over to their web site and under “Citizen Services” is a link to the U.S. Department of State which gives some of the reasons for registering:

Registration at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate (in the country you are visiting) makes your presence and whereabouts known, in case it is necessary for a consular officer to contact you in an emergency. During a disaster overseas, American consular officers can assist in evacuation were that to become necessary. But they cannot assist you if they do not know where you are.

Registration is particularly important for those who plan to stay in a country longer than one month, …[edited] …

In accordance with the Privacy Act, information on your welfare or whereabouts may not be released to inquirers without your expressed written authorizations. Registration through the website is not considered proof of citizenship. Remember to leave a detailed itinerary and the numbers or copies of your passport or other citizenship documents with a friend or relative in the United States.

At the site, you create an account, add emergency contact info, and specify the details of your trip. You can also specify who you are traveling with. At the end, you can chooose to be added to their mailing list to receive travel warnings, public announcements and consular information sheets that are issues by the Department of State for Argentina.

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Disappointed #2

By on July 14, 2008 in Randomness

BMW DakarWhile selling most of your worldy possessions can be a very freeing experience, I have to say that I did have one other disappointment about deciding to make the move to BsAs.  That disappointment was having to sell my bike. It was a 2006 BMW Dakar F650 GS and only had 3000 miles on it. It was a great bike for commuting around NYC and a lot of run to ride. Unfortunately, the option of moving it with me was out of the question due to the ridiculously high shipping and import taxes I would have had to pay. And, just storing it meant that all it would do is depreciate in value, so I put it up on eBay. Luckily, I was able to get only $3000 less than I paid for it (taxes included). I sold it to a 68 year-old in Paris, TX who flew up to New York with his wife to ride it the 1400 miles back home. They told me that they were planning on taking it to Copper Canyon, Mexico, so I guess it’s in a better place now.

While I may get a motorcycle in Argentina, that will definitely take awhile – driving there is crazy! I have no idea how they manage to not have stop signs on many intersections and have everyone still figure out when it’s their turn to go. I expected to see a lot of accidents when we visited last fall, but surprisingly I did not. Maybe a week was not enough time or maybe there is a system that I just did not understand. Anyways, I’m not planning to drive anything for awhile.

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