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Not the world you see on the evening news: Bigger Better World from the overseas experts at International Living explores safe, welcoming, beautiful—and often little-unknown—spots on the planet. Places where you could live richer, travel more, invest for profit, and enjoy a jet-set life...for less than it costs to stay home.
Host Jim Santos talks with IL’s magazine writers and with a cast of thoughtful characters living interesting lives abroad—from Penang to Porto, Cuenca to Madrid. Smart ideas for richer living in a bigger, better world.
If you have an idea for an episode or a question you’d like us to answer, email us at [email protected].
Available anywhere you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts.
Taking over a small hotel, so close to the water of the Caribbean that they can hear it from their bedroom, JP and Mandy arrived in Panama during a pandemic, and before they even arrived at their new business, they had their first customer. With no background in hospitality, the couple had to learn as they went.
It's pretty quiet on the islands of Greece in March, making it a good time to rent a scooter, get out on the quiet roads, and see what there is to see. There’s a window of opportunity to catch the full beauty of the islands and sample what year-round life is like in destinations which change their character entirely from one end of the year to the other.
A wine lover from an early age, Ann Kuffner found an undiscovered trove of fine wines in the highlands around her adopted city. It goes perfectly with the cultured, sophisticated urban lifestyle of San Miguel de Allende.
“I’m too old to learn a new language!” is a phrase we hear a lot at International Living. But it’s based on a misconception. Janet Buell didn’t swallow the old line about it being difficult. Instead, she enrolled in a full-immersion Italian class in the picturesque Tuscan city of Siena.
Want to know how to travel the world and get paid to write about it? Join Jim Santos and Noreen Kompanik in this episode of the Bigger Better World podcast. (And maybe grab a pen—you might want to take notes!)
Jim Santos delves deeper into Todd and Damon’s experience of cultures around the world. As a gay couple, did they encounter prejudice? As a Black man, did Damon feel any sense of discrimination in the countries he and Todd spent time in?
Armed with a sheaf of notes they’d taken from an International Living conference, and an ambitious desire to see and experience more of the world, Todd and Damon quit their jobs, sold their home, let go of their old lives, and set off. Friends thought they were crazy. Family members cried. Colleagues figured they’d soon be back…
Sensitive and insightful, evocative and inspiring, Sarah’s article portrays an island nation that may not enjoy the same wealth or development as some of its neighbors, but which makes up for all that with benefits—friendliness, acceptance, wonderful weather, a distinctive culture—that are more valuable than any GDP score. We had to invite her onto the podcast for a more detailed look into life on Grenada.
In this week’s podcast, host, Jim Santos speaks to expat Donna Stiteler. For many years, Donna served as International Living’s Ecuador Correspondent from the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. Cuenca, a highland city built in a steep-sided valley deep in the Andes mountains, is an established expat location. In fact, many would claim that it’s the world’s premier expat city.
Caribbean or Pacific? Old-World Colonial or Modern International? Dry and dramatic or green and lush? In the end, it came down to a battle between Puerto Vallarta on Mexico’s Pacific coast, and Playa del Carmen on the Caribbean Riviera Maya.