Living the Good Life Archives

Plan Your Escape to Central America’s Classic Retirement Haven: Part One

Plan Your Escape to Central America’s Classic Retirement Haven: Part One

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May 23, 2016

"There’s something in the air that provides the deepest sense of peace. People laugh about the Pura Vida but it’s true, it’s really here. All you have to do is accept it.” That’s expat Chuck Mollenkopf talking about the elusive ingredient to the “pure life” he has found in Costa Rica. “Pure life” is the literal translation. But that doesn’t do it justice… “I actually enjoy everything more and appreciate the small things, such as trying a new fruit or vegetable each week from the farmers’ market in town,” says Denice Key from Colorado. “It’s the Pura Vida everyone talks about.”

Plan Your Escape to Central America’s Classic Retirement Haven: Part Two

Plan Your Escape to Central America’s Classic Retirement Haven: Part Two

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May 23, 2016

All Costa Rica is a land of Pura Vida. But the Caribbean coast takes this relaxed attitude to the greatest extreme. It’s a place where beach bars play reggae as patrons knock back cold beers. Locals slowly ride bicycles rusted from the salt air down the winding coast road. And beach-goers doze lazily in hammocks strung between trees on the beach, pondering a dip in the clear blue water.

Your Global Family Awaits You Overseas

Your Global Family Awaits You Overseas

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May 23, 2016

If you feel “stuck,” stressed out, or trapped in your current situation, I can’t say that simply moving abroad will help you. But when you make that commitment… when you make that leap…something does fundamentally change inside you. You’re forced, in a way, to change your way of life. Your day-to-day routine changes. You’re forced outside your comfort zone. You feel a deeper connection with loved ones and new friends, and with your community. And soon a “switch” goes off inside you.

Finding Our Way to a Better Life in Good-Value Medellín

Finding Our Way to a Better Life in Good-Value Medellín

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April 22, 2016

Don’t you just hate it when your kids are right? In January 2011 we were in the middle of “talking” about moving overseas during one of our daughter’s visits home from college. She sat quietly during dinner, listening to our conversation. During dessert she just couldn’t stay quiet anymore. She blurted out, “You guys are never going to do this, you know.”

Genteel Living in Sicilian Wine Country

Genteel Living in Sicilian Wine Country

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April 22, 2016

“We were tired of punching the clock, making other people rich, losing time,” says expat Benjamin North Spencer of his and his wife Nadine’s decision to relocate to Sicilian wine country. Here they enjoy a rural Mediterranean lifestyle for half the cost of living in California. “In Sicily, we really can measure and appreciate so many things that escaped our awareness when we were trapped in the cycles of American culture.”

Live Like Royalty in France’s “Valley of the Kings”

Live Like Royalty in France’s “Valley of the Kings”

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April 22, 2016

In the Loire Valley, the so-called “Valley of the Kings,” every day ends with a glass of affordable, delicious local wine. The mornings and afternoons are rich—full of leisurely cycle rides along the beautiful and famous Loire River, past verdant vineyards, visiting sprawling chateaux with their ancient towers and lush gardens, and strolling through historic, well-kept towns. The weather is mild and pleasant. And the cost of living is decidedly affordable.

Blue Zones Around the World

Blue Zones Around the World

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April 22, 2016

Some places around the world really stand out in terms of the healthy lifestyle they have to offer. So much so, that National Geographic explorer Dan Buettner has even discovered special spots—Blue Zones—renowned for the longevity of their populations. In these Blue Zones you’ll find plenty of people living past 100. What is their secret to long life?

A Retirement Less Ordinary in Caribbean Bocas del Toro

A Retirement Less Ordinary in Caribbean Bocas del Toro

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March 19, 2016

"From our front porch, we watch dolphins play, and howler monkeys cavort in the trees all the way around the house,” says Mary Heckrotte. “Sloths ease along tree limbs. Parrots, toucans, and hundreds of other colorful birds flit past or nibble seeds in bushes growing right next to the porch. We never tire of watching them. We live in a nature-lovers’ paradise!”