Reasons to retire overseas?
We can mention a few, but most of all, the way you feel about the overall situation, is the most important issue.
For example, if you have very close family, especially children and grandchildren that, leaving them behind, would be a tremendous impact on your health, then by all means, never consider this possibility. Once you're established in your new destination, it is difficult to go back.
Let's take Panamá as an example.
With the new modern technology, which Panamá is privileged to have, it is easy to connect with family and friends on a daily basis. And you can always visit them in your original country.
Analyzing some of the reasons why a retiree should consider moving out of their country, what might be in first place is their financial situation. Some countries are getting so expensive that when a person reaches retirement age it is very difficult to cope with expenses that they are used to having when they worked and had salary income. Taxes goes up almost every year, and so does health insurance. These are facts that are important to consider for a retiree, especially if you only have Social Security income.
After you consider above mentioned facts, then we can talk about the great benefits Panamá offers as a great destination to retire.
- Health insurance. Panamá has great medical care, with all kind of professionals at all budgets, from walk-inn clinics at US $15.00 per office visit, to "expensive" surgeries and treatments; some of them as particular as reconstruction, dental implants, plastic surgeries or even organ transplants. Panamá offers all that, and more. Panamá Is connected with recognized hospitals in the United States like the John Hopkins that work hand-in-hand with Hospital Punta Pacífica, situated in the city of Panamá.
- Medical care. Complicated X-Rays, trauma procedures, thermal mammograms, or surgeries guided by a radiologist through computer, among others, are specific medical services offered in Panamá, as well as all kinds of natural, homeopathic or other kinds of alternative medicine. And talking about spas... make your choice. Spread out within the city and the "interior" (countryside) you just have to pick one in the many little towns, or the modern resorts.
- Lower taxes is another great benefit. Not only property taxes, but sales taxes, and, best of all, great discounts for legal resident retirees for airline tickets, restaurants, medications, movies, metro, among others.
- Investing in Panamá is a plus. With the worldwide crisis, Panamá´s growth is the envy of many countries, even those much larger and considered within the major developed world.
- Weather, for many is an extremely important issue. While there are all this crazy snow storms in the past years breaking records, and Panamá has beautiful sunshine all year round. Also, Panamá has no earthquakes, no tornados, no tsunamis, or those kind of natural disaster. Panamá is truly blessed.
- Another issue to consider is nutrition. Panamá offers a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, full of vitamins. Grocery prices, in general, are very inexpensive. Food prices are especially low if you have the ability to grow your very own in your back yard, or go to the various "public fairs" where grocery prices are ridiculously low, for example, a bag of 20 pounds of white rice is $6.50, or a bunch of beautiful celery is 75 cents. What a delighted life!
- And last, but not least, is the overall environment. Very friendly people, beautiful beaches, mountains, excellent social life (no matter what your budget is), rivers,fishing, golfing, relaxation, restaurants in every corner, and on and on. And if you like shopping, by all means, this is your place. Panamá has the most modern malls with merchandise from all over the world, at prices that you never imagine.
- Negative things...? Absolutely. No country is perfect. But if you are willing to change your way of thinking, in order to live a better quality life, and take the time to try to understand the language... your retirement in Panamá will be the best decision you ever made.
(Cultivating corn in Los Santos, Panama, pictured.)
I have lived in different places in the Peninsula of Yucatan like Mahahual, Playa del Carmen, and in Cozumel, all of which are located in the state of Quintana Roo. The thing that I don’t like about Quintana Roo is that it is very touristy. Everything there is about tourism. The other thing that I don’t like is the mentality of the people is just totally different than the mentality of the Yucatecan people. 
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. 
The hospitals in Panama are state-of-the-art and keep the same standards as in the US. Most of the hospitals here are also certified by the Joint Commission, which is the international association that makes all the hospitals keep the same standards or levels. The hospitals here in Panama provide the same quality as in North America, but cheaper. 
If you’re like me, you’ve got a song in your head pretty much all the time. Sometimes, you know why it’s there, and sometimes, you don’t. Sometimes, you don’t even know where you heard the song. 
(We thank the wonderful people and our good friends at Nextavenue.org, where this article was originally published July 28, 2016.) 
It was two years ago, December 9, 2012 when we landed in Panama City. As excited as I was, the fact that I had bronchitis dampened that feeling a lot. Day two found us looking for yet another round of antibiotics. I bought them over the counter. They worked great, too. I had such severe allergies in the USA, especially in Texas, that I usually had some kind of upper respiratory infection at least twice a year. Odd, but it seemed the doctors had no idea how to treat it. I was given the...
