November 2020 Archives

Never Stop Exploring New Destinations, But Dig Deep Into Old Ones, Too

At International Living, we love exploring, but our readers seem to love it even more.

There doesn’t seem to be a corner of the world, from Latin America, to Asia, to Europe, where you won’t find someone who’s determined to explain to us exactly why the place they’ve moved to is the best possible combination of low costs, comfortable climate, excellent healthcare, and easy living to be found on the planet. And the wonderful thing is, for each of them, it’s exactly that.

Sue Woodward was at a low ebb in her life when she decided she needed a real change and moved to San Salvador. There, she found a land with kind people who took her under their wing, a cosmopolitan city with all the comforts of home, and a cost of living low enough that she no longer needed to work more hours than she wanted to. “El Salvador’s a tiny country,” she writes, “but it has a whole lot of heart.”

And over on the other side of the planet, we’ve found expats who have done their research and pinpointed the perfect confluence of factors to fit their dreams. Marc Cofer, who I met on a glorious beach in Ao Nang, Thailand, finds that the low-cost living there means that he can divide his time between his business in the north, and the pristine beaches of the Andaman Sea. “We’re encouraged to fear the unknown,” he says, “but there’s so much to be gained by exploring and embracing the wider world.”

Another thing we’ve learned here at IL, is that even in countries where expat living is well established—like in the Caribbean jewel that is Belize—when you look a little harder, you can still find new frontiers where pioneering expats are setting up lifestyles that are perfectly tailored to suit their individual needs. We take a look at the well-known beach options of Placencia and Ambergris Caye in this month’s feature, but also dig deeper, into the Cayo District and the Toledo region. “I love the jungle,” says Penny Leonard, who set up home in rural Cattle Landing some 25 years ago. “It feels wild and exotic.”

For a small nation, Belize has a lot of options. That’s one reason we’re hosting an exciting online event, the Belize Private Screening, next month. Over two fact-packed days, our in-country experts will explain everything you need to know about setting up a home or doing business in this unspoiled, English-speaking slice of Caribbean perfection. Join us, we’d love to have you.