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If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be living in a beautiful Central American country, I would have said, "I wish…"My husband John and I are Canadian, so short summers and long, cold, snowy winters are not new to us. My dream vacation when I was working was always my winter vacation, when I could escape the cold for a couple of weeks in...
From the glittering lights of downtown Panama City, it’s an hour’s drive to the little beach hub of Coronado. In a matter of minutes, there’s a drastic change of view. Zip past the gleaming skyscrapers that line the half-moon of Panama Bay and over the historic Bridge of the Americas, and suddenly, you’re in the country.
On the 2.5 acres known as Vista Volcán, life is more than pleasant. It’s abundant. It’s safe. It’s both social and serene. Located in Panama’s Chiriquí province, Vista Volcán is a little idyll just 10 minutes from the bustle of the Boquete village center. And for Peter Kaye, 63, and wife Sarah Syers, 57, it’s as close to perfect as it gets.
"The view from my terrace is the best ever. I overlook the Mediterranean Sea!" gushes retired American teacher and mental health professional Patti Addington. When she walked the Camino de Santiago in 2018, Patti fell in love with Spain and Spanish culture. "I came home from Spain not wanting to leave and began to concentrate on how, where, and when to move.
Travel and Retirement magazines love to write about seaside towns like Viña del Mar, but if you’re craving an urban lifestyle, consider Santiago de Chile as an option for your retirement. If you’ve always been a city-dweller the easy access to shopping centers, dining out, urban green spaces, and the bustling energy of Santiago de Chile is a great option.
Too many of us Americans will never afford the retirement we imagined, and which the American Dream promised when we were younger. The cost of living a typical American life today has exploded past anything resembling rationality and has taken expected lifestyle off the table for so many. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Mexico’s Oaxacan coast has a slightly more European feel than its Caribbean counterpart, which is predominantly frequented by North Americans. Here, it’s more of a mix of nationalities. In terms of age, there were plenty of retirees around, especially in Huatulco and Puerto Escondido, 60 miles eastwards, but the expats outside of those two main towns were on the younger...
“There’s a sense of community here,” one expat told me. “Colombians are the warmest and most welcoming people I’ve encountered in the 26 countries I’ve been to. They don’t have much money, but they’d give you the shirt off their back if you needed it.” Same question, a different expat’s answer: “What does Colombia have? You mean, apart from the affordability, and the perfect climate?
Europe’s beaches are as diverse as the continent itself, which makes it puzzling that the overwhelming majority of visitors to Europe choose the established beachside resorts of Spain’s Costa del Sol, Italy’s Amalfi Coast, or the primped and pampered sands of the French Riviera as their beach destination...
My husband, Warren, and I dared to have a dream: We wanted to travel through Europe as slow roving retired nomads, with our two dogs. We knew that traveling by plane repeatedly with a dog weighing nearly 30 pounds was just not feasible, so we decided we’d travel by car. I won’t lie. Being Americans, it was somewhat complicated and daunting to...