Best Places In The World To Retire

Yes, the mountains do affect the weather.  Where we are in Xalapa, in the state of Veracruz,  in the foothills of the Cofre de Perote, and on clear mornings, have a wonderful view of the Pico de Orizaba, one of the world's tallest volcanoes.  The weather here is humid throughout the year, and not too hot.   It rains most days, due to the humidity coming in off the gulf getting trapped by the mountains.

 

(Pico de Orizaba, Veracruz,...

Yes, the mountains do affect the weather.  Where we are in Xalapa, in the state of Veracruz,  in the foothills of the Cofre de Perote, and on clear mornings, have a wonderful view of the Pico de Orizaba, one of the world's tallest volcanoes.  The weather here is humid throughout the year, and not too hot.   It rains most days, due to the humidity coming in off the gulf getting trapped by the mountains.

 

(Pico de Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico, pictured.)

Fire danger is somewhat less here in Nicaragua than in the US because a lot of the construction is cement block and concrete. But fires do happen, and the firefighters are good at what they do.

 

Bad weather occurs here in Nicaragua just like any place else. Rainstorms can lead to flooding just like in the US or Europe. But, so far, there have been no tornadoes here, nor any blizzards.  Hey, I'm from Wisconsin and those are things I try to avoid.

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Fire danger is somewhat less here in Nicaragua than in the US because a lot of the construction is cement block and concrete. But fires do happen, and the firefighters are good at what they do.

 

Bad weather occurs here in Nicaragua just like any place else. Rainstorms can lead to flooding just like in the US or Europe. But, so far, there have been no tornadoes here, nor any blizzards.  Hey, I'm from Wisconsin and those are things I try to avoid.

 

(Rainforest in Nicaragua, pictured.)

A reasonable private health insurance plan in Portugal would cost you between €40 to €60 (US $43.40 to $65.10 or £29 to £44) a month. If you go to a doctor, a regular consultation would cost you around €30 to €40 (US $33 to $44 or £22 to £29) after insurance. This cost is for people who are basically in good health and middle-aged.  A full comprehensive insurance plan is about €60 (US $65 or £44) a month. €60 is the minimum.
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A reasonable private health insurance plan in Portugal would cost you between €40 to €60 (US $43.40 to $65.10 or £29 to £44) a month. If you go to a doctor, a regular consultation would cost you around €30 to €40 (US $33 to $44 or £22 to £29) after insurance. This cost is for people who are basically in good health and middle-aged.  A full comprehensive insurance plan is about €60 (US $65 or £44) a month. €60 is the minimum.
 
The cost of your insurance goes up depending on the clauses that you want to incorporate. For example, some insurance policies do not cover you abroad. A friend of mine pays €120 (US $130 or £87) for health insurance because he travels a lot and he wants to be fully covered when he is traveling in Europe. 
 
The cost of your insurance really depends on how far you want to go. If you just reside in Portugal and you just want basic insurance, the minimum you can get is about €60. There is no deductible. The insurance covers you from the first euro.  

 

(The monastery courtyard of Mosteiro dos Jerónimos Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)

Until just a few years ago, there actually were no construction standards in Belize. Competent architects, engineers, builders and tradesmen built excellent buildings, but essentially anyone could build whatever they wanted.

 

The Central Building Authority was established to bring an international construction standard to Belize, and all new construction must pass a thorough review by Belizean architects, engineers and the CBA.

 

This is...

Until just a few years ago, there actually were no construction standards in Belize. Competent architects, engineers, builders and tradesmen built excellent buildings, but essentially anyone could build whatever they wanted.

 

The Central Building Authority was established to bring an international construction standard to Belize, and all new construction must pass a thorough review by Belizean architects, engineers and the CBA.

 

This is overall a very positive development, since not only does it deliver an internationally acceptable product, but it sets the standard for Belizeans to be trained and educated, too, and as such, unskilled labor becomes skilled labor and works towards providing a higher standard of living for Belizeans themselves.

 

Historically, wood was the main construction material, and very abundant due to the Belizean timber industry and the plethora of beautiful hardwoods indigenous to the country.  Wood construction is very conducive to the British Colonial style of building, which prevailed over the past hundred years.

 

In the aftermath of some intense hurricanes, which wrought tremendous damage in the mid-part of the 20th century, concrete became the preferred building material, mainly due to its strength and imperviousness to insects.  

 

More recently, new, innovative technologies are being used, such as Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) and modular steel construction, even in conjunction with ancient Maya thatched roofs!  (See the picture above.)

 

Whichever style of construction you choose, will have to meet the new standards of the CBA and will be an excellent home for life in the tropics.

There's a pretty wide range of restaurants in the Coronado area in Panama. My husband and I can go get a pizza, a big salad and four beers between us, and we will pay about $32. There's a newer steak place in Coronado that just opened that is pretty expensive for the beach area, but otherwise, most places are really reasonable in cost. In Coronado Mall or one of the other retail centers, there are cheaper fast food places as well, where you can eat for less than $10 for two.

There's a pretty wide range of restaurants in the Coronado area in Panama. My husband and I can go get a pizza, a big salad and four beers between us, and we will pay about $32. There's a newer steak place in Coronado that just opened that is pretty expensive for the beach area, but otherwise, most places are really reasonable in cost. In Coronado Mall or one of the other retail centers, there are cheaper fast food places as well, where you can eat for less than $10 for two.

When shipping pets, one thing to be mindful of are the very specific requirements that can apply to travel crates and kennels. When we flew out of the UK with our cat, we arrived at Heathrow airport with our brand new shinny crate only to be told that they could not accept it because it did not have a "central locking mechanism" (the crate happened to lock in 2 places).

 

We were extremely lucky that day to be able to buy a crate from...

When shipping pets, one thing to be mindful of are the very specific requirements that can apply to travel crates and kennels. When we flew out of the UK with our cat, we arrived at Heathrow airport with our brand new shinny crate only to be told that they could not accept it because it did not have a "central locking mechanism" (the crate happened to lock in 2 places).

 

We were extremely lucky that day to be able to buy a crate from them directly, they had one available that day, which is apparently not always the case. Otherwise the cat would simply not have been allowed to fly. 

 

As lucky as we were, the crate still ended costing us a lot more than it would have had we bought it in advance. So be careful with these requirements and don't let this happen to you (and your cat)!