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Recently Answered Questions

Is San Miguel de Allende safe? What's the crime rate in general in San Miguel de Allende?

Jonathan Peters - Ventanas de San Miguel

Villa at Ventanas de San Miguel, an Miguel de Allende, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

I don't know the crime rate in San Miguel de Allende, but I feel safe here in San Miguel de Allende. There are some issues happening in other areas of Mexico that we're fortunate we haven't experienced in San Miguel de Allende on a personal level. I have young kids and I have no thoughts of moving somewhere else. Local officials in San Miguel de Allende have their eyes on things to make sure that we stay as safe as we are now, but there's still news that somebody's house...

One of the places in San Miguel de Allende that’s very safe would be in a gated community like Ventanas de San Miguel, which is where I work. The staff ask for your ID so they’re certain who's coming and going. The houses in Ventanas de San Miguel look just like a typical American suburb with no particular walls since they are not needed. Houses with high walls look cool but make more sense if those houses were downtown, but in a golf course that’s in a rural community, having high walls wouldn't make any sense.

I live in a neighborhood where it would feel strange if you didn't have a wall. Once I got used to the architecture here, I liked the idea of privacy. There is no security issue but being in your self-contained world for me is kind of cool. In the neighborhood that I live in with urban colonial style, everybody's facades bleed in to each other, with a few exceptions. The house we’re renting has light iron works on the windows, which just suits to dissuade any potential burglars. Having iron works on windows suits a couple purposes. It's good to have protection on the windows but I really look at it as an aesthetic thing. Having iron bars on windows is part of the architecture in San Miguel de Allende and the house would look naked if it didn't have them. Seeing iron works reminds me that I'm in San Miguel de Allende because the oldest homes in town always have the iron rods on the windows and doors.

In both Atlanta and San Miguel de Allende, there are areas in which you want to be very careful. I’ve felt safe in Atlanta. However, Atlanta is flooded with guns and that's not the case here in San Miguel de Allende. You want to be aware of your surroundings but generally speaking, you're more apt and more comfortable walking around San Miguel de Allende at night than in Atlanta.

(Villa at Ventanas de San Miguel, an Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)

Can I receive my Social Security checks or benefits abroad, as an expat, outside the US and if so, how?

Sieg Pedde - Helix Courier Limited

Here is my answer.

Is Placencia, Belize safe?

Tamrah Lozano

Placencia is safe in general and it is safer than Belize City. Most crimes in Belize happen in Belize City because most that is where most of the money is. That is where a lot of banks are and that is where everyone goes to shop.

It is not like that in Placencia. Although we also have banks in Placencia, people know their surroundings and everyone knows almost everyone else; the locals in Placencia know each other. The retirees also mix with the local...

Is there diving, Scuba or snorkeling in Portugal?

Juan Matias - BLUE Boutique Hostel & SUITES

Diving off Sesimbra, Portugal – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Yes, there is diving, scuba and snorkeling in Portugal.

We have this little Portuguese island about an hour flight from the mainland called Azores that was selected last year by National Geographic as being among the top five richest sea wildlife areas to dive in the world.

On the mainland of Portugal, there’s a wonderful place called Sesimbra about 40 to 50 minutes southeast of Lisbon. Sesimbra is a protected...

What's the dress code in Nicaragua? What clothes do they wear in Nicaragua?

Darrell Bushnell

In most Latin American countries, you are expected to be more formal. They wear slacks and they always wear long-sleeved shirts if they are going out to dinner. In Nicaragua, that is just not true. A friend of mine has a saying, “In Nicaragua, you can never be too under-dressed and never be too late!”

I do not really like shorts, but after a while of being here, I also now wear shorts and t-shirts just about everywhere, except if I am...

What's it like to live in Boquete, Panama?

Linda Jensen

Just this morning, I was walking out of my apartment in Boquete and said to my neighbor “How are you today?” His answer was “It’s another day in paradise.” That’s how it feels here.

The number one thing I hear that expats like about Boquete is the climate. The climate here is an element of the relaxing lifestyle because it’s not extreme.

Another thing expats like about Boquete is that it’s affordable...

Recently Posted Expat Stories

The Greatest Gift!

She was walking hand in hand with her husband that cold winter's day. I was so impressed to see such an old couple holding hands. When I asked her how long have they been married, she offered me a toothless smile and said, "67 years, Señor."

Her gentle words touched me in a very special way on that cold winter's day, so I offered to help the both of them with FREE dental treatment and dentures in my clinic.

From the photos attached,...

How the Goodhearted and Capable People of Pittsburgh Make a Difference in Nicaragua

Editor’s note: Mike Cobb is the CEO of ECI Development, which, among other developments overseas, created Gran Pacifica, a master planned community being built on 2,500 acres along more than 3 miles of beachfront due west of Managua, Nicaragua. In this story, Mike tells us how his business partner, Joel Nagel, and the Pittsburgh Rotary Club, brought others together to launch several health clinics that today bring much-needed primary care to the people of Nicaragua. The most...

Panama's South Caribbean Coast, The City and Province Of Colon

Sometimes when people hear about Colon, Panama they quickly think "not Colon, that's not where I want to be". That is what I thought years ago when I arrived in Panama at the Port of Colon on a cruise ship. The cruise ship posted cautions about going into the City of Colon. The ship did offer many side-tours from the Port of Colon, however.

Back then on the cruise ship - 1985 if I remember correctly, all I needed to hear was one thing ... don't...