International Living Postcards–your daily escape

Dear International Living Reader,

Identifying ups and downs…booms and busts…cycles. This is our beat. For it is a market at its bottom that offers you the greatest opportunity for investment profits and the biggest bang for your travel dollars.

Following this line of thinking, we bring to your attention three destinations:

*The Dominican Republic, which our editor Suzan Haskins has identified as the best island bargain destination in the Caribbean. A recent banking crisis and currency devaluation brought this market to its knees. The economy is showing signs of recovery…but the beach resorts remain absolutely cheap.

*Bulgaria, another absolute bargain and a market on the way up. Meantime, as Euro-editor Steenie Harvey reports, "You can’t spend money here no matter how hard you try." You can have a three-course meal with wine for $8…a coffee for 18 cents. Why go to Bulgaria in the first place? Miles of sand and picture-book settlements, some dating back to the fourth century.

*Argentina, a country with a history of dramatic ups and downs, today three years on from its most recent economic meltdown, in 2001. Real estate prices and the cost of living have been rising steadily since this market’s bottom, and the economy grew 8%, the fastest rate in all the Americas, in 2003. Argentina faced the pain…now it’s time for gain. Details on page 16 of the November print issue of International Living, available now for subscribers.

Regards,

Kathleen Peddicord
Publisher, International Living

P.S. We scout continuously for bargains, for profits…and for fun. Correspondent David Rich recounts his recent adventures in one of the most remote corners of the world, the Spiti Valley, in the far north of India on the border with Tibet. This region is accessible only a few months of the year. See page 13 of this month’s print edition of International Living, available here for subscribers.