City Comforts Or “Machete In Hand”—Which Panama Is For You?
At Live and Invest Overseas, we claim Panama is the easiest place for North Americans to dip a toe into living overseas.
When we say that, we’re speaking specifically about Panama City and its suburbs. In Panama City, the architecture isn’t all that different to a major American city. You’ve got your most popular U.S. franchises and international designer brands. You can easily connect with other U.S. cities and the rest of the world (Panama City is truly the Hub of the Americas). And, you’ll find many English speakers, or at least be able to seek some out without much effort.
There is comfort in all of this. But it doesn’t have to be all about fast-paced city life. You can live in Panama City and lap up the day-to-day conveniences of the city… yet be able to break out to the beach or into the jungle for a day’s adventure. Panama City offers you a safety net while you acclimatize… and perhaps scout other options.
Outside of Panama City, you have “the interior.” Don’t be fooled by the name. The interior boasts coastlines and beaches—both Pacific and Caribbean—as well as the cool highlands where many expats have set up home.
Is Panama a place you should consider? And, if so, where would suit you best?
That depends on what you’re looking for…
For Samantha Russell, the initial search for a new home overseas was based on three main criteria:
- An improved quality of life for her and her daughter (from their fast-paced and increasingly expensive life in London, U.K.);
- A place where her daughter could become truly bilingual;
- A place with a strong currency.
For Sam, who now works on our Live and Invest Overseas editorial team, Panama City ticked all the boxes.
For Peg Fairbairn and April Hess, things were different.
In April’s words, “We had no idea where to go. We knew we needed someplace cheap because we had only a small, fixed income. And we needed someplace safe. Safety was critical for us. We were two women thinking about making this move on our own. We also wanted good health care and easy access to the States for visits with family.”
Early research led the couple to Panama. Once on the ground, they checked out some properties. Peg describes their adventure:
“We traveled with a group of six other people out to see a property on the Veraguas coast. It was jungle. There was no road. We hiked in with machetes in hand. I was like, where’s the beach house? These were very early days. There was nothing there yet. But we loved it. It was amazingly beautiful. We were sold.”
One country. Many different sides.
The Panama City skyline is the image that Panama projects to the world as she tries to compete among first-world nations. To discover the “real Panama” you need to get down on the ground and explore. And, this Feb. 20–22, 2019, is your big chance…
Today, we’re opening up registration for our 2019 Live and Invest in Panama Conference—your once-a-year chance to join us on the ground in Panama City with our full team of local experts and expats (and pretty much our full office staff)…
From our private meeting rooms at the centrally-located Sortis Hotel, Spa & Casino, you’ll find out everything you need to know to make your move to Panama… what visa to apply for… the best banks for a foreigner to do business… what to do about health care and insurance… where to settle when you first come here… the big question of whether to rent or buy… and lots more.
But we’re not only going to help you move to Panama. Getting to Panama, after all, is only the beginning of your journey. You’ll want to make plans to enjoy every day that you’re here… whether you’re doing business, enjoying retirement or semi-retirement, relocating with young kids or aging parents in tow. You’ll maybe want to learn Spanish… make new friends… find ways to help in your community, and lots more. And we’ll cover all those bases, too.
We’ll also showcase some of the country’s best investment opportunities—from new opportunities in the city… to agro-investments (the best places to buy land and what to grow)… to the next big thing on Panama’s Pacific coast…
This annual Live and Invest in Panama Conference is one of our favorite events here in the office. Not just because we can meet you without bleary, jet-lagged eyes… but because we get to present you the full story on the place that we’ve all chosen to call home. It’s one of the most popular events among our readers, too, and I expect VIP seats will disappear fast (we have just 40 VIP packages on offer)…
If you’d like to check Panama out yourself, open your calendar right now and save the dates, Feb. 20–22, 2019. Then go right on over here to get yourself a VIP seat before they’re all gone. (Be sure to use Coupon Code PTYCONFIDENTIAL to save an extra US$50 on your seat.)
Valentine Fouché
