October 2020 Archives

Cast Your Net Wider—It’s Easier Than Ever to Make a Comfortable Home Abroad

Can you remember when video calls were the stuff of science fiction? It seems like a very long time ago. Nowadays, meaningful communication is just a click away.

We know that it’s changed the workplace, but technology’s effects on living overseas are huge too. Suddenly, physical proximity to friends and family is less important than it once was.

Sure, nothing beats a real hug, but playing around with grandchildren on Snapchat, or linking up with a group of old friends for an online trivia night goes a long way to keeping those social ties tight.

It all means that you can look farther than ever before when it comes to constructing the overseas life you really want. And that means serious opportunity.

“The only thing that Nuwara Eliya seems to be missing is expats,” writes Wendy Justice of a delightful mild weather mountain retreat she visited in Sri Lanka. “The cost of living is low; a monthly budget of $1,500 would be more than adequate for most couples ($950 for a single). It has everything you might want or need—I think it just hasn’t been discovered yet.” Why? Because a decade ago, Sri Lanka might have seemed too far away. In the new, ultra connected normal, it’s ripe for the picking.

Elsewhere, Sarlat-la-Canéda is a French market town of pristine views and ancient castles, saved from overdevelopment because it was always just a little too remote to draw a commuter crowd. As U.S. retiree Carol Robinson puts it, “We’re hard to get to, and we like it that way.” Hard to get to, maybe, but remote? Not any longer.

In Thailand, Canadian expat Jack Taylor revels in a carefree life on Phuket’s east coast—a part of the island that’s mostly overlooked by the tourists who cluster in the western resorts. For Jack, the lesser-followed path has proven far more rewarding.

And speaking of rewards, casting your net farther afield can bring paybacks you’d never enjoy at home. Whether you’re in search of bottom-line profits, or the many advantages of a second home abroad, international real estate expert Ronan McMahon is convinced that the opportunities are huge: “When you take a global view with your investing (and your personal life), there are always…windows of opportunity.”

Read on to start enjoying a wider world than ever.