Moving to Mexico brought home to me how easy it is, really, to move from place to place, especially if you’re retired or have a portable career. In the U.S., tied down with a job, a kind of inertia sets in…horizons contract. Move abroad, and they do the opposite.
Something extraordinary is happening in Mexico—and it’s something you may not be aware of. As The New York Times has reported, Mexico is the “new land of opportunity.” And the strong dollar has made retiring to Mexico more affordable than at any time in recent history.
Time is a funny thing. Memories of the past glow with a special sentimentality. The best moments shine brighter, but even the mundane take on a peculiar nostalgia.
"Are you serious? Grrr!” This was my typical response when first faced with the mañana culture of Latin America. Technically, mañana means tomorrow. But you’re better off translating it as “not today.” For example, when a plumber tells you he can’t make it today, but he’ll be there mañana…he’s just as likely to show up the day after tomorrow.
You’ll never find a better time to take out the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) visa. As I write, $1 is equal to 4.49 Malaysian ringgit (RM). The exchange rate hasn’t been this strong in years. And that’s good news for everyone who is thinking about applying.
When you move overseas, there are few better ways to integrate into your community than through volunteering. Lending your time to a good cause can help you meet and make new friends, be they local or expat, and get to know the area.
Just as the food is different, the language and real estate laws you encounter in Latin America will be different from those you find in the U.S. and Canada. So are the legal system and inheritance laws, so it’s important to bear these in mind if you buy property there.
The Lot is one of the most beautiful and wild areas of France. It’s a land of warm springs, hot dry summers (figure 75 F to 90 F), extensive woodland, imposing limestone cliffs, and attractive medieval villages. History is all around you in the Lot. Eighteenth-century stone shepherd huts still dot many fields here. You’ll find Les Châteaux des Anglais (the castles of the English) carved into the limestone cliffs of this region. These fort-refuges were built during the Hundred Years’ War (1337 to 1453) between France and England.
I’m sitting on a terrace set on an extremely steep drop, the misty valley floor visible far below. The surrounding mountains go all the way up to the clouds. Homes are set here and there, on small patches of flat land or on bits carved out of the hillside, among coffee plantations and farms. I’m high enough that the temperature is comfortable—in the 70s F—even though I’m firmly in the tropics. A sliver of the Pacific Ocean is visible on the horizon. As the sun sets, the ocean glitters.
Bringing pets to the European Union (EU) from the U.S. or Canada is much easier than it once was. For dogs and cats, especially, the days of long quarantines are gone, paperwork is standardized, and—once within the EU—a “pet passport” valid throughout the EU can be issued.