ILA Magazine: Discover the Best Retirement Haven + 14 More Subscribe Now and Save 35% about subscribing to International Living Magazine The decision to retire abroad is not something that should be taken lightly. For many people, it’s the best decision they’ve ever made—the adventure of a lifetime. And their only regret is that they didn’t make the move sooner. While other people just can’t adapt to life in a new country.
If you were to listen to the mainstream news, visiting Mexico doesn’t sound like a great idea. Previously it has had a bad reputation for crime—frequent headlines of narco-violence and regular travel warnings. But don’t let sensationalist news stories deter you from travelling to this vibrant Latin American destination. Aside from dangerous areas along the Read more...
In the western highlands of Panama, in the Chiriquí Province, is a little mountain town that has many smitten—Boquete. There’s a lot to like and many benefits that have made it a favoured destination of retirees and other expats. Perhaps it’s the small-town vibe that first draws you in. It’s the type of place where you can stroll down the main avenue and see a half-dozen...
In Australia, a road trip to the beach can be serious business. Depending on where you start, it can take hours in the car to get to the water. With the cost of fuel, stops along the way and a hotel once you get there…you have quite an expensive little trip. In Costa Rica, it’s a different story.
Some of the first tourists to Costa Rica were intrepid surfers, attracted by an endless summer and consistent quality waves. To this day, whenever you see an ad promoting tourism in...
I was in line for a rental car at Cancun airport in Mexico watching as the couple before me walked to the counter clutching their reservation. Minutes later…gasps of disbelief…tears…expletives hurled at the clerk, who had an apologetic half-smile… And then the couple stormed out, slamming the door.
The original plan was to try out retirement abroad—a short test-drive. But after just a few months on Panama’s Pacific coast, Rex, 77, and Colleen Swanson, 68, were ready to stay for at least two years. So, they signed another lease on their rental home in a small, well-landscaped, waterfront community about 20 minutes’ drive from Pedasí, a small fishing and farming community popular with expats.
It’s Happy Hour in Roatan’s West End…or at least it’s five o’clock somewhere, as the old saying goes. Eddie is serving up the drinks, the blender is running. First-timers get a tequila shot—on the house. He offers a slice of lime or a sliver of just-cut aloe, which he assures me, “Is much better, my friend.”...
The sun is shining bright. But it’s just warm…not hot. From my perch, the town stretches out below, filling a wedge-shaped valley. Across the way, homes blanket the opposite steep hillside, alternating raw brick and brightly-painted yellows, reds, blues and greens...
Thanks to consistent, high-quality waves and a variety of breaks, Costa Rica has been one of the world’s top surfing destinations for decades.