I’m waist deep in the pacific. My toes are buried in the sandy sea floor. The water is warm and my beer is ice cold. I watch sunlight reflecting off the rippling waves as i talk to some expats about why they chose a beach town in Panama…
Low costs, sure…close to the folks back home? Yep. Amazing discounts for retirees? Indeed. Healthcare? Why, it’s excellent and so much cheaper than the U.S…
But the real reason is right in front of me. Beach living is a feast for the senses. The changing colors of the ocean, the views, the feel of a cool breeze…the warm sun…and sand on your skin. You can smell the sea and taste the salt on your lips…
Have you ever been to a beach town where folks are stressed? Watching water rests your mind. Take a long walk or sit in the sand.
And in thousands of overseas locales you can have this sensuous, no-hassles beach life for a fraction of what staying home will cost you.
Just read what Kim Nowak reveals here. She enjoys the world-class beaches of Playa del Carmen for just $1,500 to $1,800 a month. Or hear from the beach-loving expats that IL Thailand correspondent, Steve LePoidevin, met in the resort town of Hua Hin. They’re living easy on less than $2,000 a month.
As for Panama, expat Harry Segil left L.A. to find artistic inspiration on the black-sand beaches of Coronado where he avails of special Pensionado discounts for retirees of between 10% and 50%.
I like Coronado but my favorite beaches in Panama have to be those around Pedasí where a couple can live for less than $1,500 a month. You’ll find details of all of panama’s beach towns—and the country’s other stunning retirement havens—right here.
You won’t find just sun, sea and sand on a beach abroad…Tom and Tonya Ewing recovered from financial catastrophe in the U.S. thanks to opportunities they discovered in a small Ecuadorian beach town…
And if you fancy a Caribbean cottage on a cast-away island with over 100 feet of beach frontage, check this out…
Being neighbors, the Dutch and the Germans have a natural rivalry—especially when it comes to beer. Each nation claims to brew the better pint. So while Germany’s Oktoberfest is better known, Amsterdam also celebrates its impressive beer heritage this October with the Bokbier Festival, a month-long celebration. Over 12,000 visitors will descend upon the Dutch city to sample more than 50 types of beer on tap.
Tripping over a tiger is a first for me. Thankfully, it didn’t seem perturbed. If you’ve been in Paris and done the same, I know where you were—up the stairs at Deyrolle. On Rue du Bac in the 7th arrondissement, this store—if store is quite the word—is extraordinary. In business since 1831, Deyrolle is a cabinet of curiosities on the grand and gothic scale. Bats hang from the ceiling. Exotic beasts stare at you from every nook and cranny. An ape perches nonchalantly on a desk.
For any intrepid traveler, finding great deals on airfares is one of the best ways to save money as you travel. And fortunately, there’s an app on the market that can help you do just that. Hopper is a smartphone app (available in the Apple app store) that can tell you the cheapest time to fly to locations all around the world and find you the cheapest deals on airfare. Knowing the right time to book can save you up to 40% on airfare alone.
Although living in Cuenca, Ecuador, seems like a year-round vacation for me, it’s still nice to get away for a few days to explore other parts of this beautiful country. And one spot that’s well worth a visit is the small coastal village of Puerto López.
Despite the U.S. stock market’s high profile, its long-term performance has seriously lagged behind some really surprising foreign stock markets. This fact is an important reminder that the most obvious investment choices are not necessarily the best ones. Every year, Swiss investment bank Credit Suisse produces the Global Investment Returns Yearbook in association with the London Business School.
Ann and Lew Tucker, from outside Albany, New York, now invite everyone into their brand-new home on the Caribbean island of Roatán. From here they can relax on the upstairs patio and watch the boats float by, admiring the sunset over the Caribbean. Meanwhile, the gorgeous scent of orchids wafts up from the garden below. The place they now call home is a Cape Cod-style cottage on the hillside of a popular neighborhood in West Bay. But this is a relatively recent development. For nearly two decades, they’ve been sailing around the world together.
Imagine a land like something from a fairy tale. Magnificent châteaux have spiky black turrets resembling witches’ hats. Immaculate Renaissance gardens prove that horticulture is indeed an art form. Riverbank towns with timber-framed houses, ancient arched bridges, and openair markets dot the landscape. Vineyards give way to wheat fields studded with scarlet poppies and scarecrows that are far too prettily dressed to be outside scaring crows.
If the lure of a better life overseas is strong, but you’re worried about the logistics of managing your money in a foreign locale, take heart. It’s not as complicated as you may fear. Bank accounts…Social Security…credit cards…exchange rates…our team of expat experts weighs in here with lessons learned and real-world guidance to help you manage your money abroad with confidence and ease.
For Kim Nowak, having two homes on opposite ends of North America is completely normal. “I’m a snowbird and it’s the perfect lifestyle for me,” she says. “I’ve been doing it so long that I can’t imagine my life in any other way.”
It’s another tough winter day in paradise for Bill and Ann Addison. Bill just finished a round of golf on a course that overlooks the turquoise Caribbean Sea, while Ann spent the day at a picturesque, secluded beach, snorkeling with her friends. Retirement is filled with fun for these snowbirds.