You can dive and snorkel everywhere in Mexico. The best places are Los Cabos in Baja California, the coast of Oaxaca and in Yucatán. Here you can find professional diving schools with certified guides. I think every place has its uniqueness to dive. However, the best place, for me, to dive in Mexico would be Yucatán because it has the thousand-kilometer Maya Reef. The coast of Yucatan to Honduras has one of the most beautiful reefs in the world.
(Coral...
You can dive and snorkel everywhere in Mexico. The best places are Los Cabos in Baja California, the coast of Oaxaca and in Yucatán. Here you can find professional diving schools with certified guides. I think every place has its uniqueness to dive. However, the best place, for me, to dive in Mexico would be Yucatán because it has the thousand-kilometer Maya Reef. The coast of Yucatan to Honduras has one of the most beautiful reefs in the world.
(Coral and fish in the Maya Reef, Mexico, pictured.)
Does the ocean in Belize have dangerous animals in it?
Giancarlo Vega
Like any other sea in the world, there is a danger in the waters here in Belize. However, there is no need to worry about any huge dangerous sharks or any other danger in the sea. We have big sea creatures like manatees, but they are not dangerous; they are like dolphins.
In the sea, there will always be some kind of danger. There will always be jellyfish and some of sharks anywhere, but here in Belize, the danger is not that much compared to other...
Like any other sea in the world, there is a danger in the waters here in Belize. However, there is no need to worry about any huge dangerous sharks or any other danger in the sea. We have big sea creatures like manatees, but they are not dangerous; they are like dolphins.
In the sea, there will always be some kind of danger. There will always be jellyfish and some of sharks anywhere, but here in Belize, the danger is not that much compared to other countries.
My father is a scuba diving instructor and in 27 years of working on the sea, he has never been attacked by anything.
How much is it to build a house in the Panama City, Panama area of Marbella?
Antonio Cheng - Romero Realty
Marbella is an urban area with mostly apartments (not houses), and there is not a lot of land remaining that does not already have a structure on it. Some people who want to build a house have purchased land with an existing structure, torn it down and then build the new structure. Mostly, however, this is done to build new apartments or condos, not houses.
I generally tell people that to build a house in Panama now is expensive and drains your time and...
Marbella is an urban area with mostly apartments (not houses), and there is not a lot of land remaining that does not already have a structure on it. Some people who want to build a house have purchased land with an existing structure, torn it down and then build the new structure. Mostly, however, this is done to build new apartments or condos, not houses.
I generally tell people that to build a house in Panama now is expensive and drains your time and patience. Especially if you're retired, it is not worth the hassle. And especially if you would like to live in Marbella, it is better to buy an existing house or, more likely for most people, buy an apartment or condo.
Here's how it works out: Not including the land, the approximate cost to build a house in the area of Marbella in Panama City ranges from $800 to $1,000 per square meter ($74 to $93 per square foot), so a 2,500 square foot house would range from $200,000 to $232,000 or so. It can even go higher but it all depends on the finish and appointments. The cost for land, however, can be around $2,000 per square meter (about $200,000 for a quarter acre).
How's the adventure travel and activities in and around Nicaragua?
David Smith - Farmland Assets
I, personally, don’t participate in adventure 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...
I, personally, don’t participate in adventure 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 to shoot their programs. Discovery Channel is here as well.
The amount of tourists who come here to Nicaragua is increasing 5% to 10% per year, and we see a lot of people doing different adventure sports. As a result, a lot of different types of adventure businesses are growing rapidly. Here’s a rough list of the most popular:
Surfing. Of course, Nicaragua is a major area for surfing. They do world competitions here.
Fishing.
Canopy tours.
Kayaking.
Hang gliding.
Biking. A lot of people are bringing their bikes down here to Nicaragua to do bike trips. A few years ago, I think a Frenchmen came here to Nicaragua and broke a world record on a bicycle for speed.
Hiking is very popular because of the volcanoes and the mountains.
Extreme sports that combine biking and running.
On some of the volcanoes in the north of Nicaragua they have lava boarding, where they slide down these volcanoes on what looks like a surf board. This is becoming very popular and quite famous. This particular volcano has all these fine lava pebbles and people go up there and basically ski down the volcano and do all sorts of speed events.
The currency being used by Portugal is the euro. If you have dollars and you are coming for a vacation from the US into Portugal, or if you have pounds from the UK or Swedish krona from Sweden, you could buy euros at your local bank. It is also possible to buy traveler’s checks although I don’t see a lot of people using traveler’s checks these days any more, but they come with a guarantee and protection, so a traveler’s check is a more suitable choice...
The currency being used by Portugal is the euro. If you have dollars and you are coming for a vacation from the US into Portugal, or if you have pounds from the UK or Swedish krona from Sweden, you could buy euros at your local bank. It is also possible to buy traveler’s checks although I don’t see a lot of people using traveler’s checks these days any more, but they come with a guarantee and protection, so a traveler’s check is a more suitable choice especially for the older generation.
You can also simply use your ATM or cash withdrawal cards in most local ATMs in Europe. Your bank will charge you for doing so. You could withdraw euros at the local ATMs in Portugal and then you will get a bill in the US in dollars with the rates stipulated by the banks.
If you are coming to Portugal for a longer period then we recommend that you use a currency broker because currency brokers can transact millions of dollars, pounds, or whatever currency per day. They would be able to get you a better rate and allow you to get “more euro for your buck”.
(Money clip of Portuguese coin before the euro, pictured.)
Do I still have to file my US income taxes if I retire, work or just live abroad?
Roy Cannon - Gestoria Cocle - main office in Penoneme
Absolutely, you belong to the IRS as long as you hold a US Passport.
If your world wide income falls below the reporting minimum, you are not obliged to file, although this is recommended for a couple of reasons.
You will be required to file a report listing bank and security accounts in any year where the total value exceeds $10,000, even if you are not required to file an income tax return.
If you work abroad, you may be able to claim an "Earned Income Exclusion" on your wages, but not...
Absolutely, you belong to the IRS as long as you hold a US Passport.
If your world wide income falls below the reporting minimum, you are not obliged to file, although this is recommended for a couple of reasons.
You will be required to file a report listing bank and security accounts in any year where the total value exceeds $10,000, even if you are not required to file an income tax return.
If you work abroad, you may be able to claim an "Earned Income Exclusion" on your wages, but not on bank account interest, rental income or other income that is not "earned" by "working".
Other countries are more understanding than the American IRS
The diagnosis of our affliction was there for all to see. They should have seen it coming. After our first trip to Belize in 1999, something changed in our lives. We'd been many places in the Caribbean, but there was something about this country that was different.
It would be easy to say it was the English speaking aspect of the country. While a part of it, that wasn't it, not totally. The friendly people, and the, well, quirkiness of the country, the small...
Writer's forward: Why people in places such as Mexico, Panama, Belize and Nicaragua are willing to work for expats for less than if they were located in the US or Canada is the subject of another article. Suffice it to say that those of us fortunate enough to be from Western industrialized nations have hit the “Where You’re From Jackpot” through no particular virtue of our own. We were just lucky to be born in the US, Canada, etc., and to be able to use US or...
I was at a lecture a few years ago where the speaker casually mentioned that most members of the audience were in the final third of their lives. As I looked around, I saw a lot of “old people,” so it seemed like he was right.