ILA Magazine: The World’s Best Places to Retire Overseas Subscribe Now and Save 35% about subscribing to International Living Magazine Imagine lounging on your deck, cold beer in hand, while the turquoise waters of Koh Samui lap the shore in front of you…Or picture yourself in the hustle and bustle of Penang, which plays host to 85,000 street food stalls…
Perhaps a mountain getaway is more your thing—you’ll be spoilt for choice in Chiang Mai, a city known for its ancient temples and long list of outdoor activities, from abseiling and paragliding to dragon boat rides and hot springs…
Outside of Southeast Asia, you’ll find property bargains galore in countries like Spain, Italy and Greece, which are bursting with Old-World charm and culture. Wind your way through cobblestone streets, past quaint cafés, taking in the smells of freshly baked bread and strong coffee…Or picture a life for yourself in the South of France, spending your days sipping wine and eating cheese…
Or, if you’re yearning for a cooler climate, venture north to Ireland, Scotland or Wales—where the rugged landscape is unrivalled…
Further afield, retirement havens in Central and South America continue to attract expats from all over the world—from sleepy villages in Costa Rica to beachside resort towns in Mexico. Wherever you’re looking for, you’ll find it in International Living Postcards.
New Zealand is a country of incredible, unparalleled beauty. The South Island in particular is renowned for its mountains, lakes and glaciers, including New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki Mount Cook, which is almost 4,000 metres high. The South Island is the larger of the country’s two major islands—the other being the smaller but more populous North Island...
With more than 1,600 kilometres of coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal offers a variety of beaches to suit every taste, for sunning, surfing, kayaking, windsailing…you name it. Here’s a look at five great destinations in various regions of the country...
My fiancé, Jason, and I have been living in Chiang Mai just shy of two months, and continue to be enthralled by the city’s bustling vibe and seemingly never-ending beauty. When we made the decision to move here, many of our friends and family raised concerns. Was it safe? Was it clean? Would we be able to enjoy all the creature comforts we’d grown accustomed to back home...
“I’ve got the Bocas Blues,” says Michelle Estes. She recently spent five months test-driving life overseas in the island paradise of Bocas del Toro. And she’ll have the blues until she goes back there in December…hopefully, this time, for good. Located in western Panama, the province of Bocas del Toro is part mainland, part archipelago. Here, over 100 jewel-bright islands stud the translucent...
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...
“Almost everything in JB is one-third the price that it would cost in Australia. Those savings are represented in your bank account at the end of the year,” says Gold Coast native, Jodie George. Johor Bahru (JB) is located at the tip of the Malaysian Peninsula. Just on the other side of the Straits of Johor, a mere kilometre to the south...
The popular image of Borneo involves headhunters, dense jungle, roaring rivers and grand adventures. Which can make for a shock when you arrive in the city of Kota Kinabalu (KK). Home to around 1 million people it’s every bit as sophisticated as other places in Malaysia, albeit with the thrills of Asia’s biggest island right on the doorstep....
At the half-way point between KL and Penang you’ll find the laidback little city of Ipoh (pronounced Ee-po). It’s an easy two-hour or so bus ride or car journey from either of the bigger expat havens. The road is good. But I would opt for the trains running daily from the magnificent colonial-era railway station in the centre of town to both...
Malaysia’s ultra-modern capital city, Kuala Lumpur (KL) offers the best of city living in a glorious fusion of “east meets west.” It’s home to the world’s tallest twin towers, a shiny monorail makes travel around the city easy, and the fine dining scene is thriving. It’s a cosmopolitan place where retirees and other expats working for the many multinationals...
Why would you want to move to Costa Rica? As thousands of expats will tell you, Costa Rica offers a fantastic lifestyle at a reasonable cost. Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, with a modern capital city, reliable utility service, clean water, lush rainforests, long stretches of deserted tropical beaches...