Best Places In The World To Retire

Most of the firemen here in Portugal are volunteers. There are also a lot of volunteers in the health services in Portugal, especially for the elderly. There are also charities that collect for food banks and similar projects. The charities here in Portugal are all pretty good and effective.  

 

(Volunteer fire department Valença do Minho, Portugal, pictured.)

Most of the firemen here in Portugal are volunteers. There are also a lot of volunteers in the health services in Portugal, especially for the elderly. There are also charities that collect for food banks and similar projects. The charities here in Portugal are all pretty good and effective.  

 

(Volunteer fire department Valença do Minho, Portugal, pictured.)

Granada, Nicaragua is a quaint, small town of about 125,000 people.  There’s a lot of street activity.  Everyone is out in the morning doing their shopping and you have your normal business day.  In the evenings and on the weekends, it’s basically a family time and people come to the park and they also go to some of the surrounding areas like the isletas [hundreds of small islands in Lake Nicaragua].  They take rides around the islands, and people...

Granada, Nicaragua is a quaint, small town of about 125,000 people.  There’s a lot of street activity.  Everyone is out in the morning doing their shopping and you have your normal business day.  In the evenings and on the weekends, it’s basically a family time and people come to the park and they also go to some of the surrounding areas like the isletas [hundreds of small islands in Lake Nicaragua].  They take rides around the islands, and people go to Lake Nicaragua and they also go to Laguna Apoyo, which is a few miles away and go swimming.
 
You have your busy traffic days in Granada, but most of the time after the work day and on the weekends, its pretty quiet.  You can pretty much walk basically anywhere you want to go.  Everything is centered around the central park area.  It’s just small town living.  Most people know each other.  Certainly, you can live here in Granada a week and everyone will know your name.  Even most of the non-expats will know your name eventually.
 
Living in Granada, Nicaragua is small town living similar to any small town anywhere in the world.  When you live in a small town, everybody knows you or knows something about you, but its for the most part harmless and quaint.  Everyone seems to know everyone and get along well.  If you meet most of the expats you‘ll see them again at some point over the next two or three days at a restaurant or other location.  The same is true of the other locals.  There’s a lot of interaction and socialization in the streets and in the parks.
 
A typical day for me in Granada would include having my breakfast at one of the expat restaurants.  You’ll have coffee there.  People who you know will come by so you spent maybe a half an hour just saying hello to people.  And then you do your banking and shopping just like everyone else. You can walk through the park and have an iced tea or one of the local dishes.  You can have your shoes shined if you like.  If you have a car parked somewhere, there’s usually a guy who will ask you if you want to have your car washed while you’re running errands.  It’s just a normal, every day life, just like anywhere else; you just happen to be surrounded by beautiful colonial homes and buildings, and its very laid back.

I like to go out into the village of Placencia, go to the local bars and the restaurants and hang out with the locals. That is one of my favorite things to.
 
Initially, moving down here, my favorite things to do were to go snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, and doing things involving the water because I love the water. As time went on, I found that the people themselves and their stories and their lives were very interesting. They're fascinating and beautiful people, so I got...

I like to go out into the village of Placencia, go to the local bars and the restaurants and hang out with the locals. That is one of my favorite things to.
 
Initially, moving down here, my favorite things to do were to go snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, and doing things involving the water because I love the water. As time went on, I found that the people themselves and their stories and their lives were very interesting. They're fascinating and beautiful people, so I got to know more of them. I like to spend time hanging out with them. It's just a very enjoyable way to pass the day and then take that special day to go out on a boat with your friend and spend the day fishing or snorkeling out at one of the islands. I like to kayak. At Chabil Mar we have paddleboards as well, so I go paddleboarding.

 

(Children at Chabil Mar resort, Belize off to snorkel, pictured.)