Best Places In The World To Retire

The best sightseeing in Mexico City is downtown where you will find the National Palace, which is the seat of the government. You will also find the Cathedral and many other colonial buildings, which were built around the 1700s and the 1800s. It is a beautiful place to go.

 

The Theater of Fine Arts is also in Mexico City, which is a beautiful building from the turn of the 20th century. You can also go to the area around Polanco, which is where we live, and...

The best sightseeing in Mexico City is downtown where you will find the National Palace, which is the seat of the government. You will also find the Cathedral and many other colonial buildings, which were built around the 1700s and the 1800s. It is a beautiful place to go.

 

The Theater of Fine Arts is also in Mexico City, which is a beautiful building from the turn of the 20th century. You can also go to the area around Polanco, which is where we live, and there you will find the main park of Mexico City called Chapultepec Park. There are also a number of museums here such as the Anthropology Museum. The Anthropology Museum is a world-class museum with very nice architecture. It has objects from ancient Mexican civilizations. Many people don´t realize that Mexico City has more museums than any other city in the world (we go back and forth with Paris for top spot). You will also find very interesting modern art in this area of Mexico.

 

The other areas of Mexico City that are quite nice to visit are San Angel, which is an older part of the city where they have cobblestone roads. They have bazaar on Saturdays that is very colorful and animated. You can also go to Coyoacan, which is another old part of the city where you will find very nice churches and old cobblestone roads.  Don´t miss a boat ride through Xochimilco, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its system of canals and hanging gardens. 

 

There are many, many wonderful places to visit in the country – from colonial towns to big cities to beaches to architectural ruins.  Something for everyone, without a doubt!

 

(Coyoacan, Mexico, 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 local males in Nicaragua like to catcall women, not just foreigners, but even the local women. They have a Machismo culture In Nicaragua.

 

I have a single woman friend who's been living in San Juan Del Sur for seven or eight years now. She's an attractive female and has long hair and fair skin. When she walks from her home to her local favorite happy hour spot or when she runs on the beach, she always wears a hat with her hair up because she feels...

The local males in Nicaragua like to catcall women, not just foreigners, but even the local women. They have a Machismo culture In Nicaragua.

 

I have a single woman friend who's been living in San Juan Del Sur for seven or eight years now. She's an attractive female and has long hair and fair skin. When she walks from her home to her local favorite happy hour spot or when she runs on the beach, she always wears a hat with her hair up because she feels that her hair draws a lot of attention to her. When she wears her hair up, there is less catcalling by the men. 

 

However, I would say she feels safe walking to and from her apartment that's in the center of San Juan Del Sur. She doesn't walk home alone super late at night, but in the evening before 10 or 11 o'clock, she feels safe doing so.

 

Finding opportunities to meet men here in San Juan Del Sur is a bit of a challenge. There are many foreign women who move here and meet local men, as well as men who move here and meet local women and engage in a relationship. At times there can be a bit of strain in the relationship because of the cultural differences and what the expectations are.

 

Sometimes there may be a lack of respect from local men to the women. Their idea of what's acceptable and how to treat a woman isn't necessarily the same as the treatment from a man from Canada or the United States expectation-wise. On the other hand, I know mixed couples who are happily married and have been for many years. I guess it just depends on the person.

 

It would be difficult for single gringo women to meet a single gringo guy here in San Juan Del Sur because the town is so small, though there are many males traveling through San Juan Del Sur and there are some single males living here as well. Just like if you were in any small town in Canada or the United States, the pool of available men is a bit less than it would be if you were in a larger area.

 

One of the challenges is the fact that San Juan Del Sur is a very transient place. There may be men coming here to live, but it may be for a short period of time or they may just be passing through.

 

It's not really important to my single female foreigner friend to find a man here in San Juan Del Sur and it is not her main priority. Her priority is to live a good life and do the things she enjoys. If that right person came along at the right time, then she would certainly be open to a relationship, but it's not her goal to find a husband in San Juan Del Sur.

 

(Rancho themed Christmas party, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, pictured.)

How much of your things you should move to Belize depends on what things you think you cannot live without. In some cases, people are really meticulous about what type of appliances they have. They are very specific about the brands, models, etc. Generally, you can get anything and everything in Belize, but there are some people who have things that they really like a lot, so those are the things that they really want to move into Belize. We have people who move appliances, furniture,...

How much of your things you should move to Belize depends on what things you think you cannot live without. In some cases, people are really meticulous about what type of appliances they have. They are very specific about the brands, models, etc. Generally, you can get anything and everything in Belize, but there are some people who have things that they really like a lot, so those are the things that they really want to move into Belize. We have people who move appliances, furniture, power tools, linens, or dishes. You can get all those things here in Belize, too, but it depends on the person to determine how much they want to move and if a specific thing is so sentimental to them that they really want to move it to Belize, then of course they can ship it down.

 

There are things, for example, some woods, that you will pay a higher tariff on if you bring it in from outside the country. The reason for that that is that Belize is trying to tell people that we already have a lot of wood. So if you import wood into Belize, the tariff is higher and that kind of discourages people from importing wood. If  you are looking for furniture, there is a lot of cool stuff and high quality stuff here in Belize. There are no fake or compressed boards here. They are all genuine, high quality woods. We have a lot of exotic woods aside from mahogany. People have learned that if they cannot find what they want in the stores, they can have it made by the local skilled carpenters.

 

You can also buy appliances here in Belize. It may cost more to buy appliances here than it would in the US. In some cases, expats do the math and find that it’s cheaper to buy appliances in the US and get them shipped to Belize than to buy the appliances here. And there are times when certain people are not willing to sacrifice certain items. If they have something that they cannot do without, then they will have it shipped to Belize.

 

Regarding import duties, there are certain permits that you can get in order to get an exemption. In some cases, if you are with an NGO or if you are a humanitarian aide, if you are helping a school or orphanage, then you can get an exemption. But generally speaking, everyone who moves to Belize has to pay import duty. The exception other than what I mentioned is through a program called the QRP (Qualified Retirement Program).  People who enroll in that program do get all their things duty free, including furniture, household effects, car, boat, and a plane.  If you qualify for the QRP, there may be some period of time during which you can import your items duty free, but please check to make certain.