ILA Magazine: The World’s Best Places to Retire Overseas Subscribe Now and Save 35% about subscribing to International Living Magazine Just over six years ago, I decided to travel the world full-time—and I set my sights on Europe. I chose it because after many years of long trips overseas, everywhere from the Kalahari Desert to colourful Chiang Mai, Thailand, Europe was the place that most captured my heart.I love it for its charming, cobbled old towns...
I’ve been traveling full-time, mostly around Europe, for just over six years. In that time, I’ve bounced around a lot—renting tiny top-floor studios in artistic Parisian neighbourhoods, spacious two-bedroom apartments in the Swiss Alps, even a room in an ancient farmhouse on the sunny southern island of Malta. In every place, I’ve tracked my spending fastidiously...
I first visited Europe when I was in my twenties. It was love at first sight. I fell immediately for the lush green landscape of Ireland, the quirky university culture of Vienna, Austria, and then the incredible history, landscapes and food of Italy and France. Since then, I’ve come back many times, falling in love Read more...
This past summer, I spent about three months exploring the Mexican Riviera. I cycled along coastal roads. I walked along seemingly endless white-sand beaches…And I sought out the best food I could find. Because, for me, food is one of the best ways to dig into a culture, to truly feel like I know a place and to relax into an overseas trip.
Once a tiny, unknown fishing village along a stretch of untouched white sand, these days Tulum is a bustling, popular tourist attraction full of yoga retreats, shaded seaside hammocks and outdoor restaurants carved into the jungle. You’ll still find plenty of white sand and plenty of fish, but now you’ll also find modern amenities like air conditioning and luxury spas...
There’s something about Spain that immediately captures the imagination. Perhaps it’s the food—tapas served up delicious and cheap, ceviche like you’ve never tasted before and, of course, plenty of local wine. Perhaps it’s the language—elegant and passionate and almost poetic sounding no matter what people are actually saying...
Castles…There’s just something magical about them—about their beauty, their strength, the ancient history we can all imagine within their walls. For me they’re one of the big draws of Europe and one of the reasons I keep taking trains to small Swiss towns and cycling along back roads in the French countryside and hiking up Croatian hills to tumbledown ruins.
Known for its rocky shoreline, moody skies and ancient castles, Brittany has a long history of war. The British wanted this slice of the mainland and so did France. Today, Bretons feel their country is their own. Yes, it’s France—technically—but it’s a culture, climate and gastronomy all its own...
Not enough people are talking about Slovenia. We’ve all heard of Italy—with its perfectly poised pizzas and its hilltop towns—and France—with its fancy cuisine and Medieval castles. But somehow this small Alpine country tucked away along the Italian and Austrian borders isn’t on as many people’s radar...
It’s late winter in southern Croatia and the sun is high in the sky. The calm water off the coast is a deep shade of aquamarine. The coastline is as dramatic as ever—with rocky mountains pushing all the way up to the sky and islands dotting the horizon everywhere you look.