Laura Doyle

Laura Doyle

Laura Doyle is the managing editor of International Living’s products and VIP services. She has traveled extensively throughout Australia, New Zealand, North America, Latin America, and Europe. She has a BA honors degree in journalism. Follow Laura on Google+

Faster Visa Processing Makes Ecuador an Even Better Overseas Retirement Destination

Faster Visa Processing Makes Ecuador an Even Better Overseas Retirement Destination

Ecuador Insider Articles
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Better weather and a low cost of living makes Ecuador a great option for retirement, and recent improvements to the immigration process now makes it even easier to gain residence in Ecuador. Ecuadorian lawyer Santiago Andrade says: “President Correa’s administration has improved many of the bureaucratic processes, and business and immigration is not the exemption to this change. I have seen an improvement in the timing of the residence visa process. In the past a visa took around 30 to 45 days to be approved; now it takes two to three weeks.”

Expats Enjoy Healthy, Low-Cost Living in Chiriquí—Panama’s Bread-Basket Province

Expats Enjoy Healthy, Low-Cost Living in Chiriquí—Panama’s Bread-Basket Province

Panama Insider Articles
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“The first time I saw Chiriquí Province I was enchanted. It felt familiar and was just so green. Although I was born and raised in New Jersey, I’m a country girl at heart and Chiriquí felt like home,” says internationalliving.com’s Panama highlands correspondent Linda Card. Chiriquí is one of nine provinces in Panama, and borders Costa Rica to the west. Mostly rural, the landscape is among the most scenic in the country, with mountains defining the skyline. Acres of fruits and vegetables thrive in the rich volcanic soil, while cattle and horses laze in verdant pastures.

Off the radar for Americans: Beachfront lots for $17,500 on Brazil’s Northeast coast

Off the radar for Americans: Beachfront lots for $17,500 on Brazil’s Northeast coast

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Hundreds of miles of dazzling, white-sand beaches surround Fortaleza, on Brazil’s Northeast coast. Its clear, tropical ocean waters maintain a year-round temperature of 80˚ F. The capital of the state of Ceará, this city of more than two million people boasts its own beautiful in-city beaches, sizzling nightlife, and great restaurants. It is a hub of activity and a great amenity if you choose to live in the more peaceful fishing villages outside of the city.

2005 Annual Global Retirement Index: The world’s top retirement havens

2005 Annual Global Retirement Index: The world’s top retirement havens

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For the fifth year in a row, Panama has taken top honors in our Annual Global Retirement Index. It comes out on top in every category, including the Special Benefits (for retirees) category, boasting the world’s best pensionado program, better than the famed Costa Rica program of the 1980s. Plus it boasts a low cost of living, affordable real estate, great weather in the interior, and, extraordinary and unique in this part of the world, First World Panama City, with infrastructure that works, U.S-style shopping malls, nightclubs, restaurants, cafes…even Dunkin Donuts and The Colonel’s fried chicken.