Will Living Abroad Make You Happy?

March 27, 2022

How To Choose Your New Home Overseas (Hint: Fall In Love) It’s all about chemistry… Whether you’re making friends or looking for love, there’s usually something that draws us to another person that we couldn’t put into words… it just feels natural. You enjoy

The Colombian Caribbean’s Best Buys Are In Santa Marta

March 21, 2022

A Bargain Caribbean Lifestyle In Santa Marta, Colombia Last week in Panama I went paddle boarding with Carlos, our Colombian property manager at Los Islotes, and we naturally got around to comparing his home country to his chosen adopted country… It’s an odd comparison, though, because Panama and Colombia don’t have a ton in common……

Move To America’s Most Popular Expat Destination

March 14, 2022

From The Sparkling Caribbean To The Crashing Pacific—Mexico’s Top Options For A Life On The Beach Mexico is one of the world’s top options for beach living… Indeed, it ranks #2 (just behind Portugal) in our annual Retire Overseas Index. However, Mexico is a big country. The lifestyle options on offer are diverse. Mexico’s dramatic…

Panama Versus Paris: Reasons We Love These 2 Countries

March 8, 2022

Panama Versus Paris—Couldn’t Be More Different, But I Love Them Both My family and I returned to Panama last week after a three-year absence (thanks to Covid), and it’s wonderful to be back in our sometimes home… and it’s the first time my daughter has been able to visit. Thanks to our permanent residency, we…

Comparing Panama And Colombia: Living, Retiring, Investing

February 21, 2022

Panama Versus Colombia—The Truth This weekend I’ll be returning to Panama for the first time since moving away three years ago, so the Isthmus is on my mind this week. There are plenty of things I miss about life in Panama, and a few things I plan to stock up on to bring back—my favorite…

Touring Colombian Wine Country

February 7, 2022

Wine-Lover’s Dream Come True In Colombia My husband was a wine distributor when we lived in Illinois, and we spent many vacations in California’s famous wine regions, as well as other wine areas throughout the States. As a result, we acquired an extensive wine collection. Since moving to Colombia, finding good wine at reasonable prices…

Living In The Algarve Where Every Day Feels Like Vacation

January 17, 2022

This Is Portugal… Where The West Meets Paradise My husband Dave and I have been living here in Portugal’s Algarve for more than 10 years now, and still every day brings new delights and new things to enjoy… new moments that make you stop, relax, and enjoy the Algarve’s slower pace of life and its…

How I Discovered New Confidence Living In Cayo, Belize

January 10, 2022

From Idaho To The Cayo: How We Escaped The Frozen North Here’s our tale of How We Escaped The Frozen North… We came to Belize from northern Idaho. We were used to nine months of winter each year. Now we have 12 months of summer. When my husband David first got this idea of moving…

Find Out Why Porto, Portugal, Is Our Dream Overseas Location

December 27, 2021

Tasty And Healthy Living On Portugal’s Northern Shore Clearly the Celts, Romans, and Moors knew something long before the rest of us. With abundant sunshine, stunning architecture, and affordable prices, the secret is out: Portugal is a top retirement destination. A few years before my husband’s retirement, and after extensive discussions over many glasses of…

Christmas In Colombia: Celebrating The Festival Of Lights

December 20, 2021

The World’s Best Christmas Festival Of Lights I’ve been spending Christmas abroad since 2001 and have come to love the traditions and celebrations that take place throughout Latin America. Christmas in Medellín is the most impressive extravaganza I’ve experienced. My first half dozen Christmases overseas were in Ecuador and were the most enjoyable Christmas experiences…