Since we published the very first issue of International Living in May 1979, we’ve been extolling the virtues of moving overseas for a better retirement.
For nearly four decades, we’ve scoured the globe in search of the best locations for overseas living. You might think after that long that no more undiscovered retirement destinations exist. But you’d be wrong.
Just take a look at this month’s cover story. IL Roving Latin America Editor Jason Holland recently explored the place he says is “one of the most affordable highland destinations in Latin America.” The cities of Colombia’s Coffee Triangle have a lot to offer: First-World amenities, a spring-like climate year-round, and an incredibly affordable cost of living. “A couple can live comfortably on $1,500 to $2,000, if not less,” Jason says. “Two- and three-bedroom condos in the best neighborhoods start at $60,000.”
As a retirement destination, Portugal’s capital of Lisbon has flown under the radar for years. But its Old World charm, low cost of living, and friendly locals are slowly drawing North American expats. Ed Hooks and his wife Cally moved there last year from LA. While the weather is similar to what they were used to in Southern California, that’s where the comparisons end. Here they don’t need a car, have made friends easily, and their cost of living is “roughly 65% of what we were spending in Los Angeles,” Ed says. Read Ed’s story here.
But it’s not just new destinations you’ll read about in this month’s issue. We’ve got all the old favorites in here too…like Costa Rica, which we first profiled in depth in IL back in 1982. This was around the time New York native Eddie Ryan first visited the country. Thirty four years on, Eddie is living the pura vida life on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast.
Barbara Hoyle has been living on the shores Lake Chapala, one of Mexico’s most popular expat spots, for almost 20 years. She describes her life here as “stress free” and with a large expat population, there’s never a shortage of things to do. Her full story is here. And over in Panama, IL Chiriqui Correspondent Nanette Witmer shares her tips for finding the best-value rentals. She says if you know where to look, rentals can be snapped up for $400 a month.
Before coming to live in France, I had always believed the legend of “Good” King Richard the Lionheart. A handsome crusader, the man who forgave Robin Hood and saved the English people from the dastardly Prince John. So it was a shock to learn the truth. Near my new home in rural France I discovered a 125-mile Route de Richard Coeur-de-Lion snak-ing through the Haute Vienne region, taking in the castles...
I’m standing just on the outskirts of St. Bris-le-Vineux, a picturesque medieval village in Burgundy, gazing at tumbling rows of green-leafed grapevines. Come late September, they’ll be bursting with fruit, ready to be turned into the racy, delectable wine that’s a favorite in the region...
When most people think of the Netherlands, they imagine tulips. Clogs. Bikes. Perhaps the red lights of Amsterdam. But if you’re a serious foodie, or if you have a true appreciation for cutting-edge architecture, you need to get yourself to the city of Rot-terdam, located just an hour from Amsterdam.Rotterdam is home to a seriously impressive food market called Markthal (or Market Hall in English).
This spring, sugar prices fell to around 10.7 U.S. cents a pound. That’s the lowest level since September 2015. The price of sugar is down 45 % since the beginning of 2017. So what’s up with sugar? For starters, there’s just too much of it. Thanks to record harvests, production in India and Thailand is expected to soar this season.
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One of Barbara Hoyle’s first memories of her first visit to Mexico almost 20 years ago was the singing of birds. “My first impression off the plane was that the airport was a good size, the people were friendly, and driving away from the airport at 5:30 a.m., how wonderful the sound of the birds was,” she says.
With its lush forested hills washed by the brisk flow of mountain rivers, its spring-like climate, Pacific beaches, and vibrant expat community, there's no doubt that the Chiriquí province of Panama is a stunning destination. It offers, in miniature, all the same attractions—beach, city, and highlands—that provide much...
New Yorker Eddie Ryan could arguably be named one of Puerto Viejo’s original expats. “I came to Costa Rica for the first time 34 years ago, with a friend who was visiting family. During that first trip, someone mentioned the Caribbean coast to me,” he remembers. “It wasn’t a tourist destination at the time...
Smiles are infectious. But for Bob and Sue McMahon, who moved to Costa Rica from Arizona in July 2013, their smiles then were not as vibrant as they are today. Sue, a professor with master’s degrees in sports medicine and physical therapy, was teaching at a medical university. Bob was the general contractor for a construction company.
For years, I dreamed of moving abroad to live more simply, with less stress and a less expensive lifestyle. Somewhere I could enjoy my retirement (although not quite yet) and not worry about crunching numbers. My journey to Costa Rica started in 2011, on a scuba-diving trip to Guanacaste, north of San José.