Imagining your life with fewer bills, more money, hired help, and warmer weather should be straightforward.
As you read International Living the numbers often do the work…a trout dinner in the Ecuadorian Andes for $3.50…$1,800 a month for the good life in a secret corner of Europe…
But it’s not so easy to picture the rich and full social life that an overseas retirement offers you. Well here it is folks: The best friendships are the ones you never saw coming, and they will come thick and fast in retirement havens around the world, as this issue shows.
Paul and Linda Kurtzweil dine out almost daily with their new friends in the Mexican beach town of Akumal. They lost 67% of their income by retiring early. “Yet our quality of life is better,” says Paul.
In a small city on the edge of Costa Rica’s Central Valley, John and Caryl Buford used their love of music and theater to make a whole new circle of friends. “We immediately bonded with people of similar interests,” says John.
And it’s not just couples who find it easy to make friends overseas. In highland Panama, David Van Harn says “I live a fulfilling life, and have more real friends than I’ve ever had.” And Susan Burnett has had no problem making friends in her new home of Cuenca, Ecuador: “Everyone has been super friendly, even though my Spanish isn’t very good. I have made some tremendous friends.”
The Cayo is Belize’s best-value region and “something is on almost every night,” says Ginny Ophof. “On Wednesday it’s lady’s darts at Remo’s, on Thursdays it’s line dancing, and on Friday head for the wine house for a tasting night,” she explains.
A steady stream of folks just like you are moving to the world’s best retirement havens. They will welcome you with open arms. “When I want new friends I just go on the expat Facebook pages and ask if someone wants to meet up for dinner on the beach. That’s how I have made a lot of friends,” says Ron Piltzer, a 70-year-old Californian living in Bali’s best beach town for retirees.
—Eoin Basset, International Executive Editor
"Managing your life is not nearly as important as living it. My life is much simpler now and less complicated. I’m much happier.” This is how Susan Burnett describes her life since retiring to the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. “My apartment has twice the space I had in Denver, without having to pay twice the price for it,” she says.
When people ask me what’s the best time of year to travel to Costa Rica, they are surprised when I recommend July and August. A quick Google search for “rainy season in Costa Rica” will tell you why.
Back in 2005, Deby Hogue says, she was working at a Montessori school, and her husband, Chuck, had been working in construction for 30 years. As Chuck used to say back then, “I am beat up from the feet up.” It was a natural time in their lives to retire and make some more memories.
Owning a second home might seem out of reach financially. But there is a way to secure your dream getaway and get back enough cash each month to cover your carrying costs and other expenses…and perhaps even make some return on your investment.
I was sitting at my boarding gate, about to depart from Mexico to Panama, when a young man approached me. I had no idea who he was, but he asked if my name was Donald. He then asked if I had my ID card on me. I knew then that I was in trouble.
Did you know you can download and read your entire July issue as a PDF?