Best Places In The World To Retire

You don’t have to worry about malaria, yellow fever, or other such diseases here in Mexico. I don’t believe that it is suggested to get shots or to take any maintenance medication for malaria or yellow fever here in Mexico.  There might be some parts of Mexico that I am not aware of that has that travel advisory but if you are coming to Yucatan, you don’t need it. When we go to Mexico City once or twice a year, and to Puebla, we have not encountered this kind of...

You don’t have to worry about malaria, yellow fever, or other such diseases here in Mexico. I don’t believe that it is suggested to get shots or to take any maintenance medication for malaria or yellow fever here in Mexico.  There might be some parts of Mexico that I am not aware of that has that travel advisory but if you are coming to Yucatan, you don’t need it. When we go to Mexico City once or twice a year, and to Puebla, we have not encountered this kind of travel advisory where you are told to get shots or take medication for these diseases. It is not going to be a concern in places where expats tend to live. 

 

One thing that people worry about in some parts of Yucatan is dengue, which is a disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes. It is very prominent in Asia and in some parts of Central America. Valladolid (where I live, half way between Cancun and Merida) was certified by the state as a dengue-free town. Other towns in Yucatan might have some instances of dengue but it is nowhere near epidemic proportions. There is probably a small number of people who get dengue in the Yucatan each year because they live in places where mosquitoes carry it. In Valladolid, there are inspectors who come to our houses and check to make sure that we don’t have any stagnant water around where mosquitoes could possible breed. The city also sprays at night, similar to what many US cities do in order to keep mosquitoes down.

 

(Mayan home in the Yucatan jungle, pictured.)

 

There are so many things to be happily surprised by when retiring abroad. It really is subject to the individual person. 

 

When you consider moving abroad, you're likely going to pick a place that you feel matches your personality. There's an interesting Facebook thing going around where you can answer a few questions and based on the personality questions you answered, the Facebook quiz picks the country that most closely fits your personality...

There are so many things to be happily surprised by when retiring abroad. It really is subject to the individual person. 

 

When you consider moving abroad, you're likely going to pick a place that you feel matches your personality. There's an interesting Facebook thing going around where you can answer a few questions and based on the personality questions you answered, the Facebook quiz picks the country that most closely fits your personality type. 

 

You can choose the country, the city, the kind of town, whether it's "hustle-and-bustle", the beach, or quiet mountain living. When you do the research to move abroad, you're picking a place that you think is going to make you happy. 

 

In my case, I moved to Antigua, Guatemala. It's a nice mix. There's a bunch of expats here and lots of great restaurants. The weather is always between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I've got children with asthma, so the weather and avoidance of cold weather was really an important criterion for me. 

 

You get to choose the kind of speed, climate, activity level, and type of people in the community. This is the number one advantage that I can think of being an expat. 

 

The second happy surprise is that, in most places in the world outside of the US, you're going to have a much more affordable lifestyle. This is a big concern, not only for retirees, but also for younger people who are building businesses and want a longer runway on the money that they have at their disposal to put towards their business while they're saving on living costs. The cost of living differential between the US and wherever you may be living is an important factor. 

 

Third is the change of pace. There may be a language and cultural difference. When you move abroad, you're exposed to things that are different, which are intellectually and emotionally stimulating.  

 

(Expats in Antigua, Guatemala, pictured.)

The dress code in Cayo is very casual. You could wear flip-flops and a t-shirt all year round.

 

My friends and I wear a little nicer sandal most of the time. We wear Capri pants and short-sleeved blouses. We have Belizean friends and Chinese friends here who all dress the same way.

 

There are opportunities for dressing up if you are a “fashionista.” The San Ignacio Hotel downtown, which is owned by a Belizean family, holds events where...

The dress code in Cayo is very casual. You could wear flip-flops and a t-shirt all year round.

 

My friends and I wear a little nicer sandal most of the time. We wear Capri pants and short-sleeved blouses. We have Belizean friends and Chinese friends here who all dress the same way.

 

There are opportunities for dressing up if you are a “fashionista.” The San Ignacio Hotel downtown, which is owned by a Belizean family, holds events where you can dress up.  A man might wear a nice shirt or light dress jacket and the ladies really nice dresses and high heels.

 

We have one small casino here and the locals like to go there because it is an inexpensive fun night out. I don’t gamble but a lot of my peers do gamble and when they do, they dress up a little bit more than the usual.

 

Around town the men usually wear cargo shorts and anything from a regular t-shirt to just a slightly nicer short-sleeved shirt. In the banks, you will see the employees wearing suits. When I set up my business here and I had the bank come out to install my credit card machine, the technician showed up in a suit. It was so hot but he wouldn’t take his jacket off.

 

(Volunteers in San Ignacio, Cayo, Belize, pictured.)

Yes, absolutely; gays and lesbians and others in the LGBT community are accepted in Portugal. In Portugal you can have gay marriages and they have just passed a law to say that gays can adopt children as well. 

 

The attitude towards gays and Lesbians has changed a tremendous amount. Perhaps 30 or 40 years ago, not, and maybe not even 20 years ago, but now they really are, not just legally, but culturally as well.

Yes, absolutely; gays and lesbians and others in the LGBT community are accepted in Portugal. In Portugal you can have gay marriages and they have just passed a law to say that gays can adopt children as well. 

 

The attitude towards gays and Lesbians has changed a tremendous amount. Perhaps 30 or 40 years ago, not, and maybe not even 20 years ago, but now they really are, not just legally, but culturally as well.