Best Places In The World To Retire

Presented with permission from Bob Adams, of Retirement Wave.  (Transcription of video below.)

 

I’d like to share with you today a rule of how you can act and behave when you relocate to another nation.  It’s a very important rule, and its one you already know.  In English we call it “The Golden Rule.”  Every language in every culture has its variations it seems.  “Do unto others as...

Presented with permission from Bob Adams, of Retirement Wave.  (Transcription of video below.)

 

I’d like to share with you today a rule of how you can act and behave when you relocate to another nation.  It’s a very important rule, and its one you already know.  In English we call it “The Golden Rule.”  Every language in every culture has its variations it seems.  “Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.”  Treat other people as you want them to treat you.
 
When you’re moving or relocating to another country, you’re not really an immigrant, but you are going to spend a number of years and possibly, as in my case, expecting to live the rest of your life there. 
 
When you arrive, you’re in a sense an immigrant in the eyes of everybody else who lives there, in that society.  Now, many of us come from North America or Europe. Right now, we’ve having a lot of trouble, a lot of discussion, a lot of very strong convictions on the subject of immigration.  Let’s put that aside.  I don’t want to get involved with that, but I do want to say one thing to you.
 
Stop and think to yourself: What is it that I expect of an immigrant coming into my society right now, wherever I live?  What do I want to see them doing?  What sort of actions do I want to hear that they’re taking?  How do I want to see them fitting in to my society so I’m happy that they really live here and they’re not just visiting from another nation?
 
Take those three, four, five basic things you think people should do who are immigrating to your nation, put it on a piece of paper, and carry it with you wherever you go, wherever you relocate.  And every month, once a month, twice or more, take a look at that list, and ask yourself: Am I trying to do this?  Am I making an effort to do what I expect other people to do when they come to my nation?  Am I trying?
 
You can’t always succeed, you can’t always do everything perfectly, but ask yourself: Am I trying?  Am I really, really working to try to meet the basic fundamentals that I expect from others and that they expect from me?
 
I think that if you can do that, if you can follow that one basic rule when relocating, you’re way ahead of the game, and you’re likely, far more likely I should say, to succeed, to be happy and to have a really interesting and useful life.                  

I do not feel like there is racial tension in Nicaragua. I think because I am Canadian it is less part of my culture than in other places. I think if you give it, then you get it back.

There are obvious differences between the expats and Nicaraguans but I do not feel that these differences create  an issue. Racial tension does not come up on any conversation as being an issue.

I do not feel like there is racial tension in Nicaragua. I think because I am Canadian it is less part of my culture than in other places. I think if you give it, then you get it back.

There are obvious differences between the expats and Nicaraguans but I do not feel that these differences create  an issue. Racial tension does not come up on any conversation as being an issue.

Taxis are readily available in San Francisco, Panama City, Panama and they are still cheap: around US$2.00 for a short fare, unless you you look like a tourist, hail them in front of a hotel, or both. In contrast to recent years, they are easily recognizable and remind you of Manhattan's yellow cabs, complete with checkered stripes. Usually there's no meter and so it would be advisable to ask your driver (preferably in advance) how much he intends to charge. Many, but not all, are...

Taxis are readily available in San Francisco, Panama City, Panama and they are still cheap: around US$2.00 for a short fare, unless you you look like a tourist, hail them in front of a hotel, or both. In contrast to recent years, they are easily recognizable and remind you of Manhattan's yellow cabs, complete with checkered stripes. Usually there's no meter and so it would be advisable to ask your driver (preferably in advance) how much he intends to charge. Many, but not all, are equipped with air conditioning.

 

The drivers will only accept to transport you if the location you seek to reach is along their intended path. If you are trying to reach a specific destination, it's not as simple as scribbling an address on a piece of paper and handing it to the driver. Panama is one of the few countries in the world where the driver will ask you where that address is located. Since Panama does not have a home-delivery postal service, no one knows or care about street names. You need to provide the driver with a landmark. For example: it's across the McDonald's of Calle 50, or the Bodega Mi Amiga (liquor store) close to Parque Omar. Yes, landmarks rule, and they can be current or ancient. Contrary say to New Yorkers, Panamanians will go out of their way to help you find yours, although you might find their explanations somewhat challenging... Example: do you know the lottery building? Do you know the place where the first Banco General used to be? Do you know the Pepsi-Cola plant? Hmmm... you don't... Do you know where the San Agustin school was located before they tore it down? (Ah yes, yes... I know!) Good, because that's not the right direction! Etc... 

 

Taxis are an excellent way to socialize and meet locals, as your driver is likely to make stops around the way to pick up extra passengers. That's a normal practice. Don't expect all passengers to pool their resources... you still have to pay full fare. Your trip might become a little longer to accommodate the requirements of your fellow passengers, so you'll get an opportunity to see more of the city for the same price. Of course, this situation is not specific to San Francisco and these remarks apply to the whole city of Panama...

Foreigners can absolutely own land in Belize. You do not need to have a residency or be a citizen in order to buy titled property in Belize. An expat cannot own leased property because only Belizeans are entitled to that but you can definitely own a titled property. You can also have free hold property here in Belize. A free hold property means that is it yours outright.

Foreigners can absolutely own land in Belize. You do not need to have a residency or be a citizen in order to buy titled property in Belize. An expat cannot own leased property because only Belizeans are entitled to that but you can definitely own a titled property. You can also have free hold property here in Belize. A free hold property means that is it yours outright.

Whether or not I need to own a car in Portugal depends first, the place where I live.  In Estoril and Cascais (in the Lisbon area), you have everything at walking distance. If you want to go to the city center, you have a coastal train that’s a beautiful trip—the train goes always along the seafront from Cascais to the city center of Lisbon and it takes 25 minutes. The bus and taxi terminals are all over the place. So transportation in Portugal is very, very well...

Whether or not I need to own a car in Portugal depends first, the place where I live.  In Estoril and Cascais (in the Lisbon area), you have everything at walking distance. If you want to go to the city center, you have a coastal train that’s a beautiful trip—the train goes always along the seafront from Cascais to the city center of Lisbon and it takes 25 minutes. The bus and taxi terminals are all over the place. So transportation in Portugal is very, very well developed. Not only that, we have various motorways that connect the north to the south of Portugal within 3 to 4 hours. So you can cross our country in 4 and a half hours from top to bottom, and from side to side, you can do it in 2 hours.
 
Personally, I have a car, and pretty much everybody, in middleclass and above has a car.  In a family of five there’s five cars.

 

(Rossio train station, Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)