IL Magazine: Discover the World's Best Retirement Haven for 2023 + 15 more
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Winters in Wisconsin can be cold…cold enough to want to escape them. For Christine Kunert and her husband, Dan, this was their motivation to start looking for a vacation and potential retirement home someplace a bit warmer. Doing their research on locations, prices, and proximity to home, Panama seemed to tick all the boxes.
Originally a working-class area that welcomed immigrants seeking religious freedom, the Jordaan is one of the lesser-known neighborhoods in Amsterdam but is postcard-worthy and certainly one of the most fascinating. Today it’s hip, with a cool, bohemian atmosphere...
Boquete, in the highlands of Panama, offers a pleasant climate, affordable cost of living, a welcoming community, outdoor adventures, and delicious local produce. What potential Boquetinos may not be aware of is that there are also a myriad of volunteer opportunities in the town to occupy their time. Boquete has an established and active retirement community who volunteer with taking care of animals, providing food to the needy to assisting the disabled.
Connecticut native Beth is a prime example of someone who left her expensive life in the U.S. behind for a more affordable one in Panama that saved her a total of $15,000 a year.
For a Central American country town, Boquete offers an impressive selection of interesting dining options, from traditional Panamanian fare to upscale gourmet meals with a wide selection of North American basics in between.
Weather-worn canoes were beached along the shore. Local women dressed in the traditional garb of floral printed blouses scurried back and forth collecting the cargo from the plane. Across a nearby bridge I could see the town of Playon Chico.
I was tired of working 40, sometimes 50 hours a week as a designer for an international furniture manufacturer. Working on commission only, I often worked on my days off to facilitate clients, and meeting my required goals had become increasingly difficult. Continually declining markets, escalating real estate taxes, and the rising cost of electricity and heating oil were other factors that made me decide it was time for a change.