Best Places In The World To Retire

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Recently Answered Questions

Is there good bus service in Puerto Vallarta?

Peter F Gordon, MD - Lake Medical Group

Bus going to Guadalajara, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Buses in Puerto Vallarta go everywhere, even in places where I didn't think a bus could go. They go through some of the smallest subdivisions and back areas because people live there and they need to get home. There are buses on the main avenues and everywhere else you could think of.

Once you figure out the bus system in Puerto Vallarta, it's a very convenient and inexpensive mode of transportation. A bus ride around town costs 8 pesos (about US $0.50). If you're...

How are the stores and shops in Portugal? How’s the shopping in Portugal?

Duncan MacGregor - Duncan MacGregor Accounting

Fruit market in, Meidera, Portugal – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Shopping in the major centers of Portugal is just like the shopping anywhere else in the world. There are big malls that are open seven days a week. There are outlets, too. There are major centers in Portugal where you have an extremely wide variety when it comes to shopping.

In the countryside, you will find smaller shops and more traditional shopping and the quality of the goods may not be as good as the quality of goods sold in the bigger cities.

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What are the things I'll be most happily surprised by when moving or retiring abroad?

John Gilbert - PanamaKeys

The beatiful Gilbert Children, all six of them, enjoying the beach in Panama – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

When you’re looking to move abroad, you need to correlate the amenities that the place you’re looking at has with the amenities that you’d like to see every day. For example, if you want it to rain like Seattle, then move to a place where that has rain similar to Seattle. If you want to experience a dry climate like Wyoming, then you would want to move to a place that has a dry climate like Wyoming. If you wanted a place like Kentucky that has four true seasons,...

In Panama, we don’t have four true seasons- we have a rainy season and a dry season. That means we experience six months of relatively dry weather, and six months of relatively rainy weather, all of which exist in a temperature of your choosing based on the elevation, because we’re so near the equator here in Panama.

Where I live here in Panama, at 4,600 feet elevation, it’s 74-78 Fahrenheit nearly every day of the year. At night, it’s usually 55 Fahrenheit, although I’ve seen it at 46 Fahrenheit. It’s just perfect for burning a fire on the colder nights. Then you experience an eternal spring every day of your existence, which was attractive to me.

We were happily surprised by how nice the people are here in Panama. As an example, when you’re standing in lines in the United States like in Wal-Mart, people don’t talk to each other anymore. Here in Panama where I’ve got a young family of six children, people are always taking the time to talk to us and ask us where we’re from, and about our children.

We do have one child now who was born in Panama and hearing about it just lights Panamanians up that we’ve been here in the country long enough. We’ve been pleasantly surprised with the engagement of the people. People are genuinely interested in you.

(The beautiful Gilbert Children, all six of them, enjoying the beach in Panama, pictured.)

What are the total one time only costs of moving to Panama, including legal, visa and immigration issues?

Terry Bradford

Aside from airfare, it cost my husband and I about US $1,000 each to get our Pensionado cards and to become a resident here in Panama. After we got that, I think there was an additional charge to file that with the Republic of Panama and I think the attorney charged us $200 each. You will also pay for import duties, unless you get the Pensionado Visa, which will allow you to ship up to $10,000 worth of items duty free. You will also pay for the cost of moving. I think we spent around...

Do I need vaccinations in Belize?

Nikki Muschamp

While there are no requirements for vaccinations before going to Belize, you should decide on what to do only after consultation with a physician who knows something about travel medicine.

How's the surf and surfing in and around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua?

Eugenio Cortez - Hacienda & Ecolodge Morgan´s Rock

Wave in Nicaragua – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Surfing is excellent around the San Juan del Sur area!

You can catch great waves at lots of the nearby beaches, and there are lots of them, including Playa Remanso, Maderas, Marsella and Majagual.

The surfing in San Juan del Sur itself is pretty good also.

Recently Posted Expat Stories

Everything Changes, However Slow it Might Be

Welcome to Boquete. This charming town View is a side street in Boquete. – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

has changed a little and a lot in the last four years. We have watched as the economy has improved for the community. A great deal is based on tourism and the influx of expats. There has also been a worldwide increase in the higher-end coffees that grow in the mountains that tower over the towns of both Boquete and Volcan. Many small businesses have come and gone in the last four years. Growth is evident as the high school is currently...

Lifestyle? I Found it in Comfortable Condo Living in Boquete, Panama

Our gated

Boquete Valley of Flowers Condos Boquete Panama – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

condo community is a good place to call home. It has been our home for longer than a year and is located in a great location.

Some of the condos here are owned and some are rented out. Others have owners who come for a several months out of the year, while there are long-term residents here almost all the time.

The floor plans consist of two bedroom, two bath units with large patios on the back. The condos are all pretty much the...

Anne of the Wild and Sea

Not many little girls who love animals grow up to be animal trainers in films, but as Jet Metier found out about Anne Gordon de Barrigón, that was one of her earlier steps to do what she really wanted to do: swim with dolphins and whales as a way of life. And along the way she married a man from a native Panamanian tribe and opened a B & B on Contadora Island that offers studies for those interested in spiritually connecting with dolphins and whales.

This interview...