Best Places In The World To Retire

I find it amazing to raise children in Mexico. I have a two-year-old daughter and I grew up in a small-town community in California, so I was very blessed. I love the fact that I have my daughter in the best private school in the area. She has a garden in the background, and it is safe. My kid is still a kid. I don’t have to worry about society pressuring my daughter or the bullying being so difficult as it is in the United States because of the situation the United States is...

I find it amazing to raise children in Mexico. I have a two-year-old daughter and I grew up in a small-town community in California, so I was very blessed. I love the fact that I have my daughter in the best private school in the area. She has a garden in the background, and it is safe. My kid is still a kid. I don’t have to worry about society pressuring my daughter or the bullying being so difficult as it is in the United States because of the situation the United States is going through and went through 10 years ago or 15 years ago.

 

When raising kids here in Mexico, you get a sense of community. You meet the parents of where your kids are going to school. You have time spent with your children or it is feasible to have full time help, which in the United States isn’t feasible anymore. In the US, you have to put them in daycare centers and try to hire nannies, which could be expensive. Here in Mexico, you can manage having a nanny if you’re a full time working mom and it’s less expensive than in the US. 

 

I love raising my daughter. She travels all the time with me. She’s been to about ten states in Mexico already and five times back and forth to the United States, which is an experience. It’s very different than keeping my daughter extremely sheltered. We’re not all about everything being sterile. Yes, you sterilize your bottles and what not but if the kid’s playing outside in the dirt or playing in the garden, they’re playing in the garden. You’re not worried about, “Oh my gosh, there’s a bug coming.” Yes, you have to fumigate outside but still, your kid is allowed to be a kid in Mexico, more than in the US.

 

In Mexico there are a lot of mothers who like to follow the American path and do things like people do in the United States. And then you have the Mexicans who are very warm and hugging and wanting to be full time moms, which is admirable; the man still works and the woman are in the transition period in which we have a little bit of both.

 

At least in Mexico, I can take my daughter out to a park and I’m not worried about a predator looking at my daughter. I’m not worried about some crazy person coming and having a mental breakdown and doing something to the park with these children. Here, I can take my daughter to a park and play if I would like to. Or I can take my daughter to a shopping mall and not worry that someone is going to do something. You don’t have that sense of fear. I don’t feel it. And again, I live in Guadalajara and Chapala, which is in Jalisco, a safe state compared to other areas.

 

(Book of Fiesta, a bilingual picture book, pictured.)

The architecture in the Algarve is quite Mediterranean. We have whitewashed houses, and white is still the predominant color for the exterior of the houses here. We have pretty large windows. Although there is an increasing number of structures in the modern architecture style now, 90% of the buildings and houses here are still quite traditional.

 

Sometimes, they paint in two tones but white is still the main color; they only paint a different color on the...

The architecture in the Algarve is quite Mediterranean. We have whitewashed houses, and white is still the predominant color for the exterior of the houses here. We have pretty large windows. Although there is an increasing number of structures in the modern architecture style now, 90% of the buildings and houses here are still quite traditional.

 

Sometimes, they paint in two tones but white is still the main color; they only paint a different color on the windowsills and door ledges. We still have traditional tile pitched roofs that are often made with traditional tiles made in regions such as Santa Catarina, which is a very traditional tile and aesthetically very pleasing. Many new homes here in the Algarve are still built in the traditional way.

 

The architecture also depends on if you are building on an apartment block in a city, in which case, these structures tend to be more modern. You will see that there is more use of glass, stainless steel, and they do not build large balconies. But when you are talking about villas, you will see that there is still a very big demand for traditional-looking properties, even if their interiors are modernized.

 

(Monsaraz, Portugal, pictured.)

 

I do not know of any American-trained doctors in Pedasi. Most of the doctors in Pedasi are Panamanians who graduated from Universdad de Panama, which is the state university of Panama and which is very good. It is actually one of the best medical schools in Central America.

 

If you really want to see an American-trained doctor, you can go to Panama City, which is only 45 minutes away by plane or five hours away by car.

I do not know of any American-trained doctors in Pedasi. Most of the doctors in Pedasi are Panamanians who graduated from Universdad de Panama, which is the state university of Panama and which is very good. It is actually one of the best medical schools in Central America.

 

If you really want to see an American-trained doctor, you can go to Panama City, which is only 45 minutes away by plane or five hours away by car.

Lastly, although you do not need a second passport to reside or work abroad, you still need to ensure your current passport is valid in your home country whenever traveling, retiring or working abroad.  Many countries will not even grant entry into their country if your current passport has less than 6 months time remaining to expiration.  Whenever possible, it is a good idea to renew your passport as soon as you have entered the last 12 months of its validity.  If you are retiring or working abroad you will, at the very least, need to have one current passport issued from your home country.