ILA Magazine: Discover the Best Retirement Haven + 14 More Subscribe Now and Save 35% about subscribing to International Living Magazine I sit in the sunshine sipping my espresso coffee and spreading a little more strawberry jam on my buttery croissant. A little earlier I had made the short journey to the boulangerie to get a baguette and croissants for our Australian visitors. As they tucked in to their traditional French breakfast, they asked what my wife Lorraine and I do to fill in time on our retirement adventure....
It's a dog’s life. One of the most common questions we are asked when we are heading off on travels around Europe is: “What about the dogs?” When my wife Lorraine and I retired to France from Australia three years ago, we brought our Dalmatian Scooter with us and within a few weeks of finding somewhere to live, we adopted an old English Setter named Diego who had been in an animal shelter for seven years waiting for us...
People often ask me if there is a single place I can suggest as a retirement destination in France. I love so many places that it is almost impossible to answer but there is one city which seems to tick every box. You may never have heard of it and it is probably off the radar for people starting their search for the ideal retirement lifestyle. The city is Pau (pronounced “poe”) way down in the south west of the country...
When it comes to choosing your ideal spot overseas, of course you want great scenery, plenty of places to go and see, a good social life and great restaurants, but you can find these almost anywhere. For me, there were five more practical must-haves I was looking for in my dream retirement location...
There is one big problem you have to face when retiring to France. Despite your best efforts you will never be able to overcome it…but you will have a smile on your face as you die trying! The problem: Getting to taste every wine produced in France. According to Wikipedia, France produces 7 to 8 billion bottles of wine each year...
Bordeaux is a favourite for expats and tourists alike and soon there will be a new reason for choosing this ancient city as a retirement destination. In the next couple of years, a new TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse or very fast train) service will be introduced direct to London. This will result in a five-hour journey at speeds of up to 300 kilometres an hour, making it competitive with air travel and without the hassles...
There are many reasons you should consider a move to France: The beaches of Normandy, the stunning Paris cityscape, the resorts of the Atlantic and Mediterranean… but France is more than just a pretty place to live—although it’s most certainly that…
Retiring to France will be one of the most wonderful and, at times, challenging experiences of your life. It is such a big country with a vast variety of climates, cultures and cuisine. Magical names like Bordeaux, Avignon, Dijon conjure up images of narrow streets, medieval buildings, roadside cafes and a truly Gallic lifestyle. While Read more...
Five years ago, I finished a job with an Australian television network and, a few months off 65, stood little or no chance of finding another job. My wife Lorraine and I had been considering an overseas move for some time. We knew that wherever we went we wanted to take our dog, Scooter. Looking to Europe, we checked out Ireland, Spain and Portugal...
My wife Lorraine and I retired to Europe three years ago. Since then we’ve toured the U.K. and France; caravan and beloved dalmatian dog, Scooter, in tow. We’ve bought and sold property in France and now we’re exploring Spain and Portugal rent-free thanks to housesitting. We’ve always been thrifty and over the past few years...