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.
I’d been working on my yearly performance review for two days. I was proud of what I’d achieved and knew my boss was happy. I’d started a new department that was beginning to show results. I was sure I was about to get a raise...
I remove my coat, snuggle into the plush armchair in front of the roaring open fire, and admire my elegant surroundings. The ramrod-straight barman attends to our drinks order, as a liveried waiter places a free bowl of spicy snacks on the antique coffee table...
I’m gazing out our kitchen window at the fuchsia-colored dome of the Templo San Francisco. Looking at the rungs that climb the back of the dome, I remember that two years ago my husband, Barry, and I anxiously watched the laborers teetering on those rungs as they painted the church.
When 78-year-old Connecticut native Steve Klein first visited Bangkok, Thailand's glittering capital city of 8.28 million, he knew that he had found a special place. “I immediately felt comfortable in a country very different than the U.S.,” he says. “It looked, sounded...
I'm sitting in a well-landscaped, tidy city park, watching school kids run off to class, meticulously dressed businesspeople rush to work, and retirees animatedly talk to friends. I’ve just had a filling lunch of soup, salad, and grilled chicken ($2.50) and need to take a break. The sky is blue, with a few clouds. The temperature is a pleasant 75 F in the mid-dle of the day...
"It offers a good quality of life for a good cost," says Lou Nesbitt of his adopted city, Armenia, the smallest of the Coffee Triangle's trio of major metropolises. "A lot of people from Bogotá retire here because their peso stretches further."
In January, I touched down in Uruguay, on the track of a new real estate opportunity—and I was charmed by what this stable, peaceful country has to offer. Uruguay is often called the Switzerland of Latin America—for good reasons. It’s a forward-thinking country that’s open and welcoming to foreigners...
Whether you're investing overseas, or living abroad, figuring out exactly what financial details you have to report to the IRS can be confusing. But with some research, and a little help from a professional, things become much clearer. Choose the right advisor for this, as you’ll need someone who is experienced...
Europe is like candy for the senses. Whether you want to listen to the steamy rhythms of Flamenco in Seville, sample cabernet sauvignon on the left bank of Bordeaux’s Gironde River, or inhale plumes of lavender on the island of Hvar, vacations in Europe are irresistible...
The island of Vis, off Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, isn’t as well known as it deserves to be.The island’s main seaside town was first settled by Greek colonists from Sicily around 2,300 years ago. Since then, it has seen prominence as a harbor for both the Romans and the Venetians. Its elegant Venetian architecture is frequented...