Best Places In The World To Retire

Yes, there are earthquakes in Panama but fortunately, none of them have caused major damage throughout Panama. There are provinces that are more likely than others to have an earthquake but earthquakes are definitely not frequent and none of them have caused big losses in human lives nor material. We are without a doubt blessed!
 

Yes, there are earthquakes in Panama but fortunately, none of them have caused major damage throughout Panama. There are provinces that are more likely than others to have an earthquake but earthquakes are definitely not frequent and none of them have caused big losses in human lives nor material. We are without a doubt blessed!
 

The healthcare in Portugal was a sensitive issue for us for many years because until we joined the European Union we were an undeveloped country. We came from the two world wars then we went through a dictatorship then there was a revolution and the Communists took over and that made our country even poorer. As a result, Portugal’s medical facilities were not top of the line 30 years ago. But then we joined the European Union and as we joined the European Union, there are certain...

The healthcare in Portugal was a sensitive issue for us for many years because until we joined the European Union we were an undeveloped country. We came from the two world wars then we went through a dictatorship then there was a revolution and the Communists took over and that made our country even poorer. As a result, Portugal’s medical facilities were not top of the line 30 years ago. But then we joined the European Union and as we joined the European Union, there are certain rules with which we had to comply, and the quality of our medical systems was one of them. At that moment, there were two or three really famous Portuguese businessmen who invested heavily in medical facilities and systems, so today, and for the past 10 years, we are at the same level as any other civilized European country. So we have very good medical facilities at the moment.  We are on par with France, Great Britain, etc.
 
There was a trend 10 years ago when there was a big boom in the construction of private hospitals.  In the last 10 years, the Social Democratic Party took over, and one of their measures was to develop the public medical system, so they built all these new hospitals and clinics. I come from a middle-high class family and I use the public medical system. I compared the public and private system because I have private medical insurance and I have a public hospital near by and I use both. I didn’t used to go to the public system because of it having bad reputation in the old days. But the other day, I had a problem with my son and I took him to the public hospital and I was impressed because I got better service than at the private hospital. I don’t know if it was a coincidence but the hospital was brand new with a very quick reply. I went in and out in an hour and sometimes that doesn’t happen in hospitals around the world. So I am very, very impressed with our public medical system at the moment.  

 

(View of Hospital São José from Castelo de São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE 10 HOUR WORK DAY? TIME TO SLOW DOWN A BIT.

YOU WILL GET TO THE POINT THAT IF YOU MANAGE TO DO 2 THINGS  THAT ARE ON YOUR DAILY LIST OF 6....YOU HAVE HAD A FULL DAY, AFTER THAT THEN IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE WITH A COLD ONE!.. YOU WILL FIND OUT NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY, IF IT INVOLVES DEALING WITH GOVERNMENT OR JUST PEOPLE IN GENERAL IT'S GOING TO TAKE MORE TIME THAN YOU THINK. DON'T FEEL BAD,FEEL GLAD! YOUR STRESS LEVEL WILL GO DOWN IN TIME AS...

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE 10 HOUR WORK DAY? TIME TO SLOW DOWN A BIT.

YOU WILL GET TO THE POINT THAT IF YOU MANAGE TO DO 2 THINGS  THAT ARE ON YOUR DAILY LIST OF 6....YOU HAVE HAD A FULL DAY, AFTER THAT THEN IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE WITH A COLD ONE!.. YOU WILL FIND OUT NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY, IF IT INVOLVES DEALING WITH GOVERNMENT OR JUST PEOPLE IN GENERAL IT'S GOING TO TAKE MORE TIME THAN YOU THINK. DON'T FEEL BAD,FEEL GLAD! YOUR STRESS LEVEL WILL GO DOWN IN TIME AS YOU ACCLIMATE TO YOUR NEW SURROUNDINGS AND LEARN YOUR HOST COUNTRY'S CUSTOMS. AT THE END OF THE DAY IT'S A GREAT FEELING KNOWING THAT YOU LEARNED SOMETHING NEW. JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU,YOU CAN TEACH A OLD DOG NEW TRICKS!

Many of the expats in Nicaragua are Americans and Canadians, with a few from Europe.  Many are in what we would call in Nicaragua, their “third age”; between 50’s and 60’s.  Many are professionals who have come here to retire but have found also other ways to spend their time doing something useful.

 

For example, some of the expats to Nicaragua have created businesses, perhaps in Granada, or purchased houses to rent to...

Many of the expats in Nicaragua are Americans and Canadians, with a few from Europe.  Many are in what we would call in Nicaragua, their “third age”; between 50’s and 60’s.  Many are professionals who have come here to retire but have found also other ways to spend their time doing something useful.

 

For example, some of the expats to Nicaragua have created businesses, perhaps in Granada, or purchased houses to rent to tourists.  Some of them have created cafes.  Many of the expats are people who came and fell in love with Nicaragua and decided to stay, and who then decided to do something additional with their time.
 
Nicaragua is a very friendly country.  Some of the familiarity with foreigners comes from the history of Nicaragua.  We have had three American interventions in the country, so we are very used to Americas in Nicaragua since our early history.  Mark Twain was here and wrote some beautiful things about Nicaragua in general and specifically about the region he visited.  Cornelius Vanderbilt had this famous transport route here when the Americans were looking for gold and couldn’t cross North America, so he found this route to cross from one coast to the other in the US through Nicaragua using the San Juan River.
 
Nicaragua is very used to foreign people and Nicaraguans are very friendly with foreign people.  As soon as foreigners come, they are warmly received and I think very, very few foreigners have had any problem situating themselves here, because most people, when they come, really fall in love with Nicaragua and are at peace in the country.

The dress code in the Cayo District, Belize is anything from casual to what you would wear on the beach. For ladies, the fashion is flip-flops, shorts, and tank tops. For guys maybe it’s shorts, flip-flops, maybe just a t-shirt.
 
This is all if you’re not working, of course. That's for both locals and expats. If they're not at work or a special occasion, the dress code is just casual like they're at the beach. Of course if they're working, the clothing will...

The dress code in the Cayo District, Belize is anything from casual to what you would wear on the beach. For ladies, the fashion is flip-flops, shorts, and tank tops. For guys maybe it’s shorts, flip-flops, maybe just a t-shirt.
 
This is all if you’re not working, of course. That's for both locals and expats. If they're not at work or a special occasion, the dress code is just casual like they're at the beach. Of course if they're working, the clothing will be a little bit formal for locals. For example, if they work at any of the government offices, a bank, or an insurance company, they actually where a uniform—either that, or formal attire.
 
The expats are always pretty much in their flip-flops and sandals and shorts. This is because most of them come from North America and they just want to relax, maybe it's a little warm for them, so of course they won't be wearing jeans or hiking boots or tennis shoes. So they just relax. They live here. They go to town, they go the market, no need to dress up. This is all except for when there's a party or a function.
 
I've seen people who maybe go to weddings or maybe go to a Rotary Club meeting who dress nicely.  I've seen guys who wear long trousers tucked in a shirt with collar, whether it's a long sleeve or a short sleeve and a belt. They may choose to just wear dress shoes or in some cases I've seen guys wear leather boots, like cowboy boots. It looks nice. If they are not wearing proper dress trousers they wear them like a jeans, but tucked in, so it looks good.
 
If the occasion is semi-formal, they ladies may wear something like jeans and a bandana shirt tucked in. If they're not, they're wearing a dress, with high heels.

 

(Fashionable woman in Belize, pictured.)