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Hi, I’m Angela Arnold.
 Retire Overseas to Hong Kong I’ve always fantasized that I would retire overseas – living a life of thrilling dinner conversation, combined with awesomely beautiful beaches, inspirational landscapes, and breath-taking scenery.
Now that I’m knocking pretty hard on that retirement door, I’ve decided to take a good long look at my retire overseas possibilities.
I love to travel. Meeting new, exotic peoples, embracing different cultures, and learning different languages are fun and attractive pastimes for me.
Over the next few months and years, I will be conducting a ton of research concerning retiring overseas.
Where are the best places to retire? What is the expatriate life like in the regions I like?
Is it possible to retire early or retire young? What do I need to do to make it happen? How much money do I need? Can I get access to good health care?
Retirement living should be vibrant, enjoyable, and passionate. I’ll be reporting on everything I find. I don’t have any hidden agenda, so I’ll tell it like it is.
Relax, and come back to visit frequently. I’ll try to post daily, so subscribe to my special reports and my RSS feed if you don’t want to miss any of this insider information.
Take care, and best wishes for the retirement of your dreams.
We’re working on new projects everyday concerning retiring overseas and expatriate living. If you’ve spent time abroad, and you would be willing to have one of our editors interview you, or if you would like to be a guest blogger, please get in touch: support@retireoverseasnow.com
We’d love to hear from you.
If you want to discover the real outback Queensland it is worth knowing that here are a lot of roads that require you to report to police before you leave one end and report to them again when you arrive at your destination. This makes it easier to locate you of you fail to turn up where and when you were expected. Many of these roads can be attempted in a normal car but generally it is less hard-going in a 4WD.
Whichever means of transport you decide upon, it is very important that you are carefully prepared. Carry important spare parts is a good idea as trying to arrange a tow in these remote parts takes a long time and can be very expensive. Its also advisable to travel with a high frequency out-post radio transmitter that is equipped to pick up the Royal Flying Doctor Service bases. Mobile phones cannot be relied upon in such remote areas.
Water is essential you will need to carry quite a lot in the case of a disaster ” it is recommended that 20litres per person is sensible and of course food is a good idea too. Most tracks have an idea time of year to travel them. For example in Queenslands south-west, it is not advisable to attempt the tough tracks in summer (November to March) mainly because of the huge amount of dust, which increase mechanical malfunctions. In the North, travelling in the wet season may be impossible due to flooding and mud.
One of the best ways to ensure that you are traveling the proper roads, and are fully prepared for your journey, is to speak with the local police. They will advise you on which tracks are open and what is the suitable car for your travels. Another useful service is the RACQ (Royal Automobile Club of Queensland. When you join, they will cover up to $95 per year, and offer a 24 hour emergency roadside assistance service. If something were to happen, they will promptly arrive and try to correct the situation. If the problem can not be corrected they will arrange towing for you, making them a great asset. RACQ can also provide you with maps, weather and road conditions, and they sell a range of travel and driving products that will help with your travels.
If you should happen to come into car trouble sit is very important that you remain with your car, as it is easier to spot a car then it is to spot a person. Never wander off into the wilderness, as individuals have been found dead, from thirst, long after their car was found.
For the a Australia car hire that travelers can rely on go to www.budget.com.au. There variety is larger then the rest and you will be sure to get a reliable vehicle. It is the car rental Gold Coast travelers can rely on!
Hi, everyone,
There’s always going to be a lot of discussion about which destination is the best place to retire overseas. Of course, that location will differ for most people. However, I convinced my associate and guest blogger who currently lives in Panama (and has for years) to sit for a no-holds-barred interview of her experiences over there.
Here it is. Hope you enjoy it.
Retire Overseas to Panama, Interview with Boomer Mary pt 1
Retire Overseas to Panama, Interview with Boomer Mary pt 2
Please leave your comments below. I’d love to know what you think of it.
Thanks a lot.
The financial system. The condition of the country. Criminal Behavior. Societal violence. Every one of the above things contribute to the growing number of Americans retiring overseas every week. Studies done over the last few years show that more baby boomers are considering moving overseas.
In the past decade, the expat lifestyle has had a growing popularity. Researchers predict that this popularity will double over the next ten years. Right now there are roughly over 7 million North Americans (including people from Canada and the United States) who reside around the world in different countries. That is about the size of the population of Chicago. Seven million is larger than the population that is contained in over 30 states.
Many people who retire abroad are searching for better healthcare options. “Modern Healthcare” predicts that the amount of Americans that travel overseas for healthcare will grow by 700%. Almost three quarters of a million Americans in the past two years traveled overseas for different healthcare options, and that could grow to up to 6 million Americans traveling overseas by the year 2010. This fact contributes to the many reasons people find for retiring abroad.
This list of five guidelines to follow for life as an expatriate will be very useful to you if you decide to follow this road someday, for whatever reason. Your plans will go much more smoothly and your decisions should be a bit easier to make.
1. Money is truly of the utmost importance, because without it, you will not have much of a retirement to speak of. Don’t skimp on how much you are going to need, and ask yourself if you are really prepared. If not, then there are several avenues for you to take: a) simply continue to work and work and work.
Continue reading Expatriate Life in 5 Simple Steps
Is it too late to learn a different language?
 Retire Overseas to Tropical Beaches and Exciting Foreign Languages You wouldn’t believe how many times people have asked me, “I am considering living overseas after I retire, but my concern is that the only language that I know is English. Should I give up my dream to retire abroad?” Even though I consider this a hindrance there are many who do not see it as such a handicap. If you go into it with a positive view you will discover that you can use English where ever you are. Most countries consider English to be their second language. Even if you only have an English vocabulary, the local people will be glad to assist you with any barrier languages that may exist.
The French, for instance, have a reputation for being aloof – particularly with those foreigners who refuse to attempt any exchange in their beautiful language. I disagree. I’m sure that, as anywhere, there are those who are friendly and those who aren’t. Back when I was a student, I lived in Paris for a while and found the Parisians I met to be quite warm and welcoming. My kids and their classmates feel the same way. I spoke little French when I arrived, but I used it as much as possible right away. That show of goodwill made all the difference. Naturally, I hesitated and stammered quite a bit as I tried to make myself understood. The shopkeeper grinned at my obviously amusing errors.
I’d only spoken a little, but the man flattered me about my accent, saying he enjoyed my spoken French. Then he told me he could manage English and was glad to be able to practice it on me. I felt relieved that somebody could speak English to me. I then went to this man’s shop often for great talks in French and English, even after I’d gotten better at speaking French.
Continue reading Learn a Different Language
When we first decided to retire overseas to Panama our friends and family were shocked. Why Panama? Where is Panama! Would you really want to live on a Caribbean island for ever? Isn’t Panama a dictatorship? Is it safe?
I look back now, 5 years into living in Panama and it all seems so funny, but it was so real. So first a few facts. Panama is the southernmost country in Central America and home to the Panama Canal. Panama hats are another story.
The building of the canal was a long and arduous process commenced in the 1800’s by the French and finished finally in 1914 by the Americans. To protect their investment (my belief) the Americans supported Panama in separating from Colombia in 1904, after assuring Colombia they would not support Panama if they tried to separate. Ahh international politics.
Since that time Panama has had a strong democracy except for a 20 year stint between 1969 and 1989 when it was a dictatorship. When Noriega was ousted by the Americans in 1989 after they had supported him for years and years, Panama quickly and happily reverted back to democracy. I describe it as an enthusiastic democracy as the populace is very, very much involved and everyone has their political favorites.
Is there corruption? Of course, where isn’t there corruption… but the new President, Ricardo Martinelli, a millionaire business man, is determined to root it out. He started off donating his president’s salary to charity and has stated that because he is already rich he will be incorruptable. Unfortunately we know it is power and not money that corrupts but he has a few corruption czars who are certainly making a good stab at getting corruption out of the courts and out of the government.
In any event, living here, and coming from Canada, I certainly do not feel that this is a corrupt society. In fact most of the locals are very kind and go out of their way to help you. I will tell you lots of neat stories as I talk about Latin America here in these posts. We might leave Panama but it would be to try another Latin American country as living here in Panama has opened up a whole new world to us.
So why not retire overseas in Panama? The cost of living is about 60% less than living in Canada and my American friends tell me that holds true for people who come from the US as well. It is warm year round, there are no hurricanes strike Panama. The closest one has come is into Costa Rica our northern neighbor but a quick look at a map will show you why Panama is practically assured of no hurricane activity. You have two climates to chose form eternal spring or eternal summer. The mountains allow you to live in what ever climate you choose as the higher you go the cooler it gets. Yes there are mountains but the highest ones and the only active volcano is close to the Costa Rican border.
There are lots and lots of fabulous beach resorts in Panama, and in fact I live on a golf/beach resort. Check it out www.mypanamavilla.com. We live in a town home which borders the golf course and our private beach club is a three minute walk away, next to a warm blue ocean and white sand beach. And we live on the Pacific side. The Caribbeans side is largely undiscovered and the beaches are even nicer and the water even bluer and warmer.
Panama wants retirees of any age and has established a penionado visa program, which gives you residency. You must prove an income of $750 a month and then all sorts of discounts become available to you including 25% discounts on airfare and meals, there are discounts on medicines, supplements, and visits to the doctor or dentist or other health care professionals. Many of the medical fraternity were trained in the US or Europe, they speak perfect English and many carry board certification from the US. There is even a John Hopkins affiliate hospital in Panama with all the newest technology. Panama already is treating people with stem cells taken from your own body to prevent rejection and the recoveries are spectacular. Medical Tourism is thriving and many people come to Panama for a variety of treatments.
Well I could go on and on but the best thing I can say is Come and Visit.
 Retire Early - Retire Now - Retire Overseas Do you want to retire overseas while you’re still young? You’ll really enjoy retirement if you retire early and live abroad as an expatriate. You can begin a new life in a new country, and learn about the world from a different point of view.
You shouldn’t expect to retire without a steady source of income that you can rely on, and that’s even more important if you’re going to retire overseas. You never want to outlive your money, and your nest egg may grow if you have a portable business that you can operate from wherever you live.
Keep an eye on the total budget that will be available to you in terms of your investments and savings. Never move overseas unless you’ve got a good idea how much money you’ll need to have an acceptable standard of living.
If you’re planning to resettle outside the United States, you have to see if your pension and social security are going to suffice. You can’t settle into expatriate living without enough financial security. How much money you have saved will help you decide where to live once you retire overseas.
With sufficient reliable and solid investments you can even retire early or retire young. But you might not be able to tell how much you’ll need to retire abroad until you pick a place. One country can be very different from another in terms of how much money is needed to retire abroad.
Surprisingly, you might not save money by retiring overseas. That could depend on where you live and how much you like to be on the go. It’s very tempting to travel around the world from your base in another area of the globe, and this can exhaust your savings pretty quickly.
Continue reading If You Want to Retire Early, Moving Overseas Might Be Your Best Bet
 Retire Early - When you plan well, time is your friend. Do you want to retire overseas while you’re still young?
You’ll really enjoy retirement if you retire early and live abroad as an expatriate.
You can begin a new life in a new country, and learn about the world from a different point of view.
You shouldn’t expect to retire without a steady source of income that you can rely on, and that’s even more important if you’re going to retire overseas.
You never want to outlive your money, and your nest egg may grow if you have a portable business that you can operate from wherever you live.
Keep an eye on the total budget that will be available to you in terms of your investments and savings. Never move overseas unless you’ve got a good idea how much money you’ll need to have an acceptable standard of living.
Continue reading Retire Early – How Much Money Will It Take?
Every year the number of Americans who choose to retire overseas increases.
Would you like to be one of these expatriate pioneers?
 Retire Overseas - The Boomers Set the Pace There are several excellent reasons to do this. While some people may not want to leave their family and friends behind, others find the call of foreign lands irresistible. If you are one of these people you may want to start looking for some of the best places to retire abroad.
Many people do this by taking extended vacations in prospective countries to see if they will eventually want to move there. Once you have done this, and come up with a payment plan. You can make your decision.
Americans are experiencing another baby boomer trend. Seniors are choosing to retire abroad. The high cost of living, increase in taxes, and the bad economic conditions of recent years are combining to make living abroad a real possibility that can also make financial sense for American seniors.
These reasons combine with the possibility of the adventure of living in a new country to make relocation to foreign soil an appealing option for many seniors.
Continue reading Retire Overseas – Boomers Set the Pace
 Retire Overseas to The Dominican Republic The economy. The state of the union. Crime. All these issues and more are leading many older Americans to retire overseas. The baby boomers are no longer looking at staying in the United States and recent research proves that.
The United States and Canada are looking at having close to 100 million active adults retire within the next 20 years. A lot of retirees are buying property overseas since they believe that real estate will give them a secure investment, and they will be able to live overseas should the need arise.
If this is something that you are interested in, for whatever reason, whether it be your health or maintaining your quality of life, then follow this “Top Five” list on how you can “Live the Expat Life”. It will make your decision-making and your planning much easier.
1. Make New Friends! Start networking with other people as soon as possible. Building a strong network of friends is necessary when you retire overseas, and this might mean going out of your comfort zone to meet new people.
Your new network of people should include folks who you would be able to call in case you have an emergency situation. Ask questions! People love to talk about themselves and by doing this, you will learn who is reliable and who is not.
The quicker you can make trustworthy and reliable friends, the more comfortable you will be in your new expat life!
Continue reading Retire Overseas in 5 Easy Steps
 Retire Overseas - Is It Safe for Americans? Where to retire? It can be difficult to determine the best places to retire. Before you leave the country, try living in your would-be retirement country, so that you can be sure if you will be comfortable in your new home.
You should spend no less than six straight months outside of the country. You will need at least that long to get a real feel for your new country.
These are three locations to consider if you want to retire overseas because they combine low costs of living, rich culture, good infrastructure, inexpensive real estate, reasonable safety, clement climate, and discounts for retired people.
Continue reading Retire Overseas – How to Pick the Perfect Spot to Retire Abroad
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