Best Places In The World To Retire

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Recently Answered Questions

Can I buy a business in Mexico?

Karen Herrtwich - S&S Auto

Owners of S and S Auto, Lake Chapala, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

As a foreigner, you can buy a business in Mexico. You should have a lawyer to facilitate the transaction

When it comes to business ownership in Mexico, you have to have some sort of investment. When Spencer and I started this company, we had to have a large investment into this business in order to be able to maintain it as foreigners. We also had to get working papers and an authorization from immigration allowing us to work for our own company. That's something...

What are the holidays of Portugal?

Carol Bartlett Ribeiro - Carol Bartlett Ribeiro, Property Consultant

The Feast of Trays, or Feast of the Holy Spirit, Tomar, Portugal – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Portugal has cut down quite a lot of holidays. Portugal is a Catholic country that had a tremendous amount of holidays for saints that they’ve had to cut down on.

Portugal has Easter, but you don’t have like you do in England, as Easter Monday. You just have Good Friday and Easter Sunday and then at Christmas you don’t have like you do in England with Boxing Day, which is a day after that. It doesn’t exist here in Portugal....

Is there good fishing in and around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua?

Daniel Snider - Snider's Realty Nicaragua

There is a lot of great ocean sport fishing in and around San Juan Del Sur. We have really good, world class sail fishing. San Juan Del Sur is very well known for different types of fishing especially in the areas closer to the peninsula, getting closer to Costa Rica. They hold different types of fishing events for different types of people to join.

Besides that, there is really good bass fishing in the lake just right behind San Juan Del Sur. That is...

Besides that, there is really good bass fishing in the lake just right behind San Juan Del Sur. That is where they catch guapote, which is a fresh water bass that is really good for eating and really good for sport fishing because they put up a really good fight so it is more for the rapala angler.

San Juan Del Sur is also known for really good tarpon fishing near the opening of the Rio San Juan or the San Juan River. Tarpon fishing in San Juan Del Sur is a catch and release type of fishing. You could catch a 100 or 200 pound tarpon, reel it in, and then release them back into the water.

I am an avid spear fisher. During the months when the water gets very clear, when the rainy season ends, which is usually from the beginning of November up to the end of March, I do inshore spear fishing, closer to the reef where you will find parrot fish, snapper, grouper, and any other fish that lives in the reef. I also go spear fishing, and that is when you get on a boat and they take you out close to a buoy or a FAD (Fish Attracting Device). You plunge into the deep blue, where you will be surrounded by deep ocean water and then you will be able to spear fish anything that comes close to you. You will usually catch barracuda, and other big blue water ocean grown fish.

Deep blue water ocean fishing is a little harder because sometimes the blue water will come in with the rain. When strong offshore winds pick up they might make the water really nice and clear close to the shore but that offshore wind is blowing sedimentation further out to the sea. So, it depends on the day when you will get really clear ocean blue water. But it usually happens between November and March.

All these are the most popular fun types of fishing within the San Juan Del Sur area.

Are there rivers, lakes and waterfalls in or around Corozal?

David Berger - Tradewinds Hospitality at Orchid Bay

The mangroves at the edge of the river into Orchid Bay resort and development, near Corozal, Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

There are rivers in Corozal and we are on the sea but there are no lakes here. You will find lakes as you go further inland. There are two rivers the flow straight into Corozal Bay. I love boating up the New River and there is great fishing, too, so it’s beautiful. No one ever goes there so it is untouched.

Most people here have cars instead of boats. Some people swim in the river but more people swim in the bay. You will always see kids in the...

What do I need to know about living overseas and retiring abroad?

Jay Butler - Asset Protection Services of America

Having visited over 35 countries worldwide and resided in 6 countries on 4 continents, I believe I may be able to contribute some helpful information with regards to what you need to know about living internationally. International Living Jay Butler Castle

If you are considering living abroad, I would first recommend you take an extended trip for a period of no less than 2 months to the country wherein you are considering living. Vacationing in a foreign country is altogether a different experience from residing there. Generally, when vacationing, you are in a positive frame of mind and excited to experience new sights and sounds. Everything is new and invigorating and despite one's best efforts to avoid tourist traps, we all have a propensity to witness the best restaurants, museums, shopping and activities a given locality has to offer.

If you have ever moved to different city which is a considerable distance from your home town, then you can relate to some of the stresses involved with locating the nearest grocery store and post office or dentist. When you are no longer returning 'home' to show your friends and co-workers photos from your latest adventure, the honeymoon of traveling abroad wears off and the marriage begins.

The items of most importance which I could relay to you from my experience is to choose a jurisdiction in which you absolutely love the culture and language. If you are considering moving to an predominately Spanish speaking country, but don't know (or care for) the language, you are going to have a hell of a time when you need to sign your first apartment rental agreement or mortgage, etc.

Remember, every country has challenges whether they be providing reliable internet, potable water, or adequate medical care. Unless you have a considerable amount of investments saved away, ensure that you are able to provide for yourself financially. Jay Butler International Living Beach

It is much easier to move to a country where the exchange rate favors you than to go in the other direction. If you have ever been stranded due to inclement weather and run out of funds then you know how scary that can be.

Lastly, given the brevity of this answer, make some friends and build contacts in the area where you want to live. You should absolutely have solid legal counsel to assist you with any major purchases such as real property and meeting with new friends to enjoy your drinks by the beach makes the transition far more enjoyable.

Is the electricity reliable in Volcan and Cerro Punta, Chiriqui Province, Panama? Are there blackouts or brownouts in Volcan and Cerro Punta, Chiriqui Province, Panama?

James David Audlin - Editores Volcán Barú

The electric service in the Volcán and Cerro Punta region of Panamá is unreliable. For most things, one learns to accept this as a fact. If you cannot live without watching the telly for an hour or two, this is not the region for you, unless you want to buy big, noisy, expensive, polluting generators.

I would suggest two exceptions to the above. Buy a quality surge protector for sensitive items such as your refrigerator. And buy a quality electricity...

Recently Posted Expat Stories

Macarena Rose: The Oprah of San Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize

What happens when you mix two years of shamanic work, 12 peacocks, zero chickens, 42 animals on two acres, five cats, five dogs, two biological children, six adopted children, a 10 day fact finding tour, a move with 10 animals, two teenagers, one best friend from high school and four containers, 10 minutes to be in the jungle (12 without seeing a snake), and five House Hunter’s International, with one caring, remarkable woman? Read on, and find out, as Jet Metier...

Elephant polo in Thailand – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

After a year of retirement in Turkey and 6 months back in Australia, I decided on Thailand and have been here 11 months. My one-year 'Retirement Visa' is up for extension in a month and is a straightforward process [HA!!]

Bangkok was dreadful, the "Concrete City" of choking traffic and humid heat. No thanks. Next was Chiang Mai, a smaller Bangkok. No thanks. A friend from OZ has lived in Chiang Rai in the extreme north of the country, for 12 years so the next and last...

Edesia's Revenge

Good food is like good sex – most people don’t need it every day, but life becomes drab and colorless when it disappears entirely. Here Panama ranks low (on the food index, not the sex index). Most meals in Panama, whether at home or in restaurants, consist of white rice and beans with a bit of leathery meat or chicken. Fried foods are also popular – especially hojaldra (fried bread), tortillas and other things made of corn -- with predictable results for the national body...