Best Places In The World To Retire

Americans and other expats in the Algarve are treated like kings.

 

From the economic perspective from the time of the discovery of the New World, Portugal has always been outward facing nation. This is reflected in the way that it receives foreign people. Most people who come to or go to Portugal immediately say that they are made to feel so very welcome.

 

As far as how Americans in particular in the Algarve are treated,...

Americans and other expats in the Algarve are treated like kings.

 

From the economic perspective from the time of the discovery of the New World, Portugal has always been outward facing nation. This is reflected in the way that it receives foreign people. Most people who come to or go to Portugal immediately say that they are made to feel so very welcome.

 

As far as how Americans in particular in the Algarve are treated, it’s tough to tell because there are not that many residing here full-time. Generally, Americans are very interesting folk in that sense that Americans are very inquisitive. They love to understand the historical background of the region and they’re very interested in the details. So they pay attention and show interest in a lot of the traditional aspects of the country; the tiles, the road, the balconies, what happened to the river course and what it was used for in the past, whether a castle was inhabited or not—all these kinds of small details typically interest Americans. This attitude helps aid the integration because local people in particular like to talk about their little place in the world. So when they see someone with mutual interest, of course, they like to talk. The first way to break down the barrier is to engage with someone even if there is a slight language barrier.

 

So what you find is that Americans in particular integrate very well in the Algarve because typically Americans come with a very inquisitive mind. The Americans who travel here love Portugal and love the Algarve. They really do love it. I wouldn’t be overstating it by using the word “love.” It’s kind of a love affair that starts with a statement such as, “This is a place that I should’ve been in or I want to be in.” We often get that reaction from Americans.

 

(The George Pub  memorializes fallen British solideris with poppies in Lisboa, Portugal)

Granada

 

Granada is a colonial city in Nicaragua on Lake Nicaragua. It has wonderful, modern houses that have been amazingly remodeled by their new owners. Although they have been remodeled, you can still see some facades that are consistent with the architecture of the whole city. Granada is very close to Managua and is just 30 minutes away from the Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas. Also, there’s a school for children in Granada that was founded...

Granada

 

Granada is a colonial city in Nicaragua on Lake Nicaragua. It has wonderful, modern houses that have been amazingly remodeled by their new owners. Although they have been remodeled, you can still see some facades that are consistent with the architecture of the whole city. Granada is very close to Managua and is just 30 minutes away from the Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas. Also, there’s a school for children in Granada that was founded by an American teacher, so you can find a bunch of young people and young families there.

 

I find the city of Granada to be more international compared to Managua. Nature-wise, Granada is a beautiful town. You can go up the extinct Mombacho volcano, which is just 20 minutes away. There are also a lot of nature trails and animals that you can observe. Another place you can also visit are the islands of Granada (Las Isletas), which are over 300 little islands located in Lake Nicaragua. Interestingly, there are few small houses on some of those islands, too.

 

Recently, the government renovated the lakefront area. Boating and other types of water sports are available on the lake.

The best advice I can give about living overseas or retiring abroad is, if you want things to be like the way they are at home, then do not leave home.

 

For example, Panama is a lot different from where I come from and from where most people are from. When you go to Panama, you have to get used to the culture. For instance, the fact that there is not a lot of emphasis on education does not mean that the people of Panama are bad. For instance,throwing...

The best advice I can give about living overseas or retiring abroad is, if you want things to be like the way they are at home, then do not leave home.

 

For example, Panama is a lot different from where I come from and from where most people are from. When you go to Panama, you have to get used to the culture. For instance, the fact that there is not a lot of emphasis on education does not mean that the people of Panama are bad. For instance,throwing trash just out the window is a common practice here because it is not embedded in their education system to do otherwise.

 

From the perspective of a foreigner, some of the decisions and practices here in Panama are just plain shocking. People cry about it but nothing is going to change. As an example, there was actually one person who decided that taking the trash bins out of Casco Viejo was a good idea. So right now, what everybody does with their trash is throw it on the street; the street of a world heritage site! Yes, they pile up the trash in neat piles on the corners of the streets of a world heritage site. That happens because some person of authority thought it to be a good idea to remove the trash bins in Casco Viejo. You may think that being a person of authority, he wouldn’t have made that decision, but that is not how things work here. I guess being able to adjust to where you are living is a huge part of moving away.

 

(Fountain in Casco Viejo, Panama City, Panama, pictured. )