Best Places In The World To Retire

Yes, there are American-trained doctors in Chapala and Ajijic. There’s a dentist in Riberas del Pilar (just east of Ajijic about 10 minutes by car, towards Chapala) who is US-trained. The eye doctor that I used for my cataract surgery is trained both in Mexico and the US. There are good many doctors who have US backgrounds, if not in school then in residencies in the US.

 

Personally, I’m not concerned if my doctor is US-trained.  The...

Yes, there are American-trained doctors in Chapala and Ajijic. There’s a dentist in Riberas del Pilar (just east of Ajijic about 10 minutes by car, towards Chapala) who is US-trained. The eye doctor that I used for my cataract surgery is trained both in Mexico and the US. There are good many doctors who have US backgrounds, if not in school then in residencies in the US.

 

Personally, I’m not concerned if my doctor is US-trained.  The medical training here, particularly in Guadalajara (about an hour from Ajijic) is fabulous. They are up on the latest medical care technologies. I just don’t worry about it. You can get recommendations from people who have all used these doctors and if somebody has a bad experience, they’ll tell you. If they had a fabulous experience, they will tell you.

 

There are several fabulous cardiologists in Guadalajara, including Dr. Nájar, who is at Hospital Bernardette. Here’s a story that absolutely appalled my physicians in Tuscaloosa. My wife’s brother passed away suddenly of a heart attack about 6 years ago. He was 64 years old, the figure of good health. He just came back from a run one day, sat down in an easy chair, and was gone. After this experience, when my wife and I came back to Mexico she thought it probably would be smart to have a stress test. So our local Ajijic doctor, Dr. Leon, arranged with Dr. Nájar for my wife to come up and have a stress test.  Our appointment was at 10:30, right in Centro Guadalajara. When we got there at 10:30, we were told that Dr. Nájar had been called away on an emergency. His nurse said he was sorry but if we wanted to have the test done, we would have to back around 1 o’clock. We said, “No problem. We’ll go sightseeing. It’s fine.”

 

When we got back at 1 o’clock, Dr. Nájar took us into his office, and explained everything he was doing.  He explained how the test was done, the treadmill, what everything indicated while it was going on, etc., things that no doctor in the US would do. In the US, they would just do the test.  Dr. Nájar made my wife Martha as comfortable as possible.

 

When we were leaving I asked him where I should pay and he said, “No, don’t worry about it. I was late, so I’m not going to charge you.” Then he asked me how we had traveled to his office, to which I told him that we took the bus.  He responded, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll call my driver and have him take you back to Ajijic.” 

 

When I told this story to my surgeon friends in Tuscaloosa, they just couldn’t believe that a doctor would throw away, money like that or spend the time to personally do the test. In the US, a technician would do the test and report back to the doctor. That’s just the kind of quality of care that you get here. It’s a whole different mind-set with Mexicans. They’re caring, and they’re concerned.

 

There are so many nursing homes here opening up because the people who work in the nursing homes they treat all of their clients like family whereas in the US, you’re paying five times more than what it costs here and they’re afraid to get close to the clients because they’re afraid of lawsuits. It’s a totally different situation for a fraction of the cost.  

 

(Cardiologist Dr. Sergio Nájar López, Guadalajara, Mexico, pictured.)

Since Corozal is a tropical area, we have mosquitoes and that is just the way it is. Sometimes when it is raining, there tends to be more mosquitoes, but when we get to November through May, there are hardly any mosquitos because when it is cold, mosquitoes die.

 

Corozal also constantly has the sea breeze and that blows the mosquitoes away. You will find mosquitoes the further you go inland as the breeze gets weaker, but when you’re on the bay, there...

Since Corozal is a tropical area, we have mosquitoes and that is just the way it is. Sometimes when it is raining, there tends to be more mosquitoes, but when we get to November through May, there are hardly any mosquitos because when it is cold, mosquitoes die.

 

Corozal also constantly has the sea breeze and that blows the mosquitoes away. You will find mosquitoes the further you go inland as the breeze gets weaker, but when you’re on the bay, there are not too many mosquitoes.

 

(Sunset at Cerros Beach Resort, Corozal, Belize, pictured.)

The only airport in Algarve is the one in Faro. Faro is probably the busiest airport in Portugal after Lisbon. It serves flights from many destinations. They have all year round flights into Portugal from many European destinations, including the UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, and the list goes on. There are also seasonal flights from as far away as Canada. There are times when there are direct flights into Faro from Toronto, Canada. It’s quite interesting to see that there...

The only airport in Algarve is the one in Faro. Faro is probably the busiest airport in Portugal after Lisbon. It serves flights from many destinations. They have all year round flights into Portugal from many European destinations, including the UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, and the list goes on. There are also seasonal flights from as far away as Canada. There are times when there are direct flights into Faro from Toronto, Canada. It’s quite interesting to see that there are already some companies in North America that have identified the opportunity of the Algarve for the North American market and they are putting up flights to address those opportunities. 

 

The population of the Algarve is about 300,000 and there are between 5 and 6 million arrivals at Faro Airport per year. It is a fairly substantial airport, which has undergone a number of renovations and expansions.

 

There are a couple of small airstrips in the Algarve as well, which are used for private planes, parachuting activities, and helicopters. The next closest airport is in Beja, which is the province above the Algarve and in Baixo Alentejo.

 

Many people drive in order to catch a flight to Lisbon and then rent a car and drive down to the Algarve or catch a bus going to the Algarve. Lisbon is 300 kilometers, or 180 miles more or less from the Algarve. There are many flights from the US into Lisbon and to Faro. The East Coast of the US is fairly well connected to Lisbon. We have flights from New York, JFK, Miami, etc. On the other hand, we don’t have flights coming from the West Coast. If you are going to Lisbon from the West Coast, you have to go to the East Coast first then take a flight from there into Lisbon.

 

(Airport terminal in Faro, Portugal, pictured.)

It is absolutely safe in Fort Clayton. It is not only safe, but also beautiful. There are a lot of green areas, and it is huge. So when you go to Fort Clayton, you will likely experience a feeling of serenity as you connect with nature. This probably has to do with the fact that Clayton has more green building code construction than anywhere else in the county of Panama.  Fort Clayton follows LEED building code specifications, making it is a really nice place.

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It is absolutely safe in Fort Clayton. It is not only safe, but also beautiful. There are a lot of green areas, and it is huge. So when you go to Fort Clayton, you will likely experience a feeling of serenity as you connect with nature. This probably has to do with the fact that Clayton has more green building code construction than anywhere else in the county of Panama.  Fort Clayton follows LEED building code specifications, making it is a really nice place.

 

Panama, in general, is a relatively safe place. Of course, just like anywhere else, there are areas that you would want to avoid, especially if you are a tourist. Clayton, in particular, is one of the safer places in all of the country of Panama. People who live in Clayton tend to live in gated communities where you have to go through a sentry guard and show identification to prove that you live there. That is just an additional layer of safety, and not indicative of any safety issues whatsoever.  Generally speaking, Clayton is one of the safest places in Panama.

If you are going to live overseas, you need to research the country you are going to move to beforehand, and you have to visit the country several times a year and at different times because the weather can vary extremely.

 

I have friends who are retirees here in Panama, who, before moving permanently, lived here for about 3 months just to get familiar with the place and experience what it is like to be here. They wanted to get used to what the traffic...

If you are going to live overseas, you need to research the country you are going to move to beforehand, and you have to visit the country several times a year and at different times because the weather can vary extremely.

 

I have friends who are retirees here in Panama, who, before moving permanently, lived here for about 3 months just to get familiar with the place and experience what it is like to be here. They wanted to get used to what the traffic might be like and how to get around. They also had to get used to the language because not everybody here in Panama speaks English. Knowing some Spanish is very useful.

 

So my advice is, go and experience what the country is like before moving in, which is a big difference from just going on holiday. I know some people who didn't do that and who came here and left, because later on, they realized that it wasn’t for them.

 

It is also advisable to source your doctor, just so that you are all set and comfortable when you finally relocate. You also need to know where to get your day-to-day essentials.

 

Finding friends will just fall into place, because there are so many social events going on, especially for expats.

 

Also, prepare your documents and your bank accounts, because once you move to another country, you might need a lot of paperwork. Make sure that you have all your documents notarized before you leave your home country. The postal system is not always the same in your new country as it is in the country you left.

 

The best and most essential thing is to do your research on the country and find out what you need before you relocate.

 

(Isla de Cana, Cane Island, National Park, Panama, pictured.)