Best Places In The World To Retire

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Recently Answered Questions

How's the surf and surfing in and around Yucatan: Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Merida, etc?

Alfonso Galindo - I Go Yucatan

Gulf Coast of Yucatan, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

On the Gulf Coast, I have not seen any board surfing. I have seen body surfing and kite surfing is quite big here. Kite surfing, paddle boarding, and kayaking are sports that are very active here in the peninsula.

In the Quintana Roos area, beside the Caribbean, you have the ocean and the reefs there but I don’t think the waves are big enough there in general for somebody to surf. I’m sure somebody has, but I haven’t seen that. I’ve seen everything...

What’s the crime rate in general in Belize?

Jaseth Bassaragh - The Alpha & Omega Group

Hopkins Library Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The crime rate in Belize is very high for the population for a couple of reasons. A lot of people went out to the US early in life and they decided not to do much with their lives, getting on the wrong side of the law and getting deported. They find themselves back in Belize and they create problems.

The second problem is that there is poverty and a significant amount of unemployment in Belize, and as a consequence, there is a strain on the government to provide the much-needed resources in the sectors for these people. So you may find yourself being exposed as a foreigner and you just have to be aware that the language and culture is a little bit different and you may stand out a little bit as a target if you are not careful. That is no different than in many city areas like New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, or wherever. You have to be consciously aware of your surroundings, the people around you, and what you are doing. You wouldn’t walk around with an entire jewelry box on you because you would be a target.

There are different parts of Belize and the crimes on these different parts are widely different. Belize City is considered the area that is of concern because there is the pressure with infrastructure with a lot of people not working and just hustling and they come from rural areas sometimes. Then, they find themselves in the city. If you are not highly skilled it would be difficult for you to be able to earn an income in Belize City because Belize City is about commerce, government and business activity. It is not about farming or fishing. Those activities would be in the rural areas. There is a lot of potential for people to earn money in Belize City but the thinking amongst many, as we know, is to earn it quick and not work for it. So you have a segment of the society that congregates in Belize City and creates problems. I would say that is a fair statement to say that Belize City is not very safe.

Other places in Belize are fine. It is pretty much okay in other areas where expats choose to go because you are not going to stand out in those areas, but you will stand out in Belize City.

The main places where expats would live are San Pedro, Placencia, Corozal, Hopkins, San Ignacio, etc. You don’t have to worry about crime in these areas at all.

(The Miss Berta Library in Hopkins, Belize, pictured.)

Do I need to own a car in Boquete, Panama?

Wee-Yiong Fung - Prestige Panama Realty

Waterfall seen from the gated community of Los Molinos, Boquete, Panama – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

If you want to be only in town you can get around Boquete by using a bike or by walking. The issues with this include that you might get wet and you won’t be able to see the surrounding areas.

(Waterfall seen from the gated community of Los Molinos, Boquete, Panama, pictured.)

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

Keila Mulero - Savvy Link

Hi I moved to Panama a year ago and I love it. I have lived in Puerto Rico, Peru, Miami, Atlanta and Indiana and Panama is by far the best choice for retirement. You must remember, and a lot of people often forget, that Panama is still a third world country. BUT with lots of advantages like currency, cost of living, life style, and much more. It's a lot safer than Puerto Rico and Miami. You can have a maid for $350 a month. Fruit and vegetables are always fresh. I even became...

How's the adventure travel and activities in and around Nicaragua?

David Smith - Farmland Assets

I, personally, don’t participate in adventure Mombachoi Volcano Nicaragua, View From The Lake – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Mombachoi Volcano Nicaragua, View From The Lake – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

travel or activities here in Nicaragua, but I can tell you what other people do.

Overall, adventure travel and activities are very popular in Nicaragua. The diversity of Nicaragua, with the volcanoes, lagunas, beaches and rivers is very attractive to people who like outdoor spots.

The TV show Survivor is here right now and they’ve been coming here for several years...

Are there natural disasters like flooding, earthquakes, fire or hurricanes in Algarve?

Luis Teixeira da Silva - Algarve Senior Living

Lisbon before the Portuguese earthquake in 1755 – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

There are natural disasters in Algarve but we have not had one for many centuries. The entire country of Portugal is actually on an earthquake zone. The last major earthquake was in 1755, so it was clearly some time ago.

The Algarve gets tens, if not hundreds, of little ground tremors, which are sometimes too weak to be felt by a human being, but they do happen because we are on an earthquake zone.

The Algarve is...

The Algarve gets tens, if not hundreds, of little ground tremors, which are sometimes too weak to be felt by a human being, but they do happen because we are on an earthquake zone.

The Algarve is not a flooding zone. The biggest risk or the biggest natural disaster, I would say, that the Algarve faces is brush fires. There are a lot of natural areas that are fairly dense with shrubs and bushes. Unfortunately, we have bush fires every 5 to 6 years. The bush fires here are not at the scale of the bush fires that happen in Australia or California but nonetheless, it is probably the biggest natural disaster on a local level. However, very rarely does a home get damaged by bush fires. The last that I remember where a house got burned or damaged by a bush fire happened around 10 years ago when there was a bush fire in the Eastern Algarve. Because the fires mostly happen in the densely foliated areas, the density of homes in these areas is also very low. The loss of property is fortunately low and the loss of life is very rare. There could be a loss of sheep or cattle, which are generally a loss of natural environment rather than a physical, material, or human loss.

Relevant to flooding, about two months ago, Algarve had probably one of the worst floods that occurred in Albufeira in living memory. Generally, flooding is not common here in the Algarve because we are in an area where there is very little rain. We are always praying for rain. What happens in some coastal towns, because they built their buildings very close to the water, is that they get flooded when it is a high tide and it is a full moon. This is what happened in Albufeira a few months ago. There are other villages that are prone to flooding such as Ferragudo, and the downtown area of Tavira. So, overall, there are one or two towns or villages that can be flooded but flooding is not a common thing.

Relative to hurricanes, they don’t happen here in Portugal. We send them towards the US; we don’t receive them. The hurricanes start typically in an area near the Cape Verde Islands, then tend to go towards the West Coast of Africa, and then towards the East Coast of the US. We have high winds and we sometimes have windy days but gale force winds are very rare.

( Tile mural of Lisbon before the Portuguese earthquake in 1755, pictured.)

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