"As housesitters, we stayed in areas the tourists don’t know about… and learned all the secret places the locals go," says Todra Payne.For three-plus years, Todra and her now-husband Paul Emberger enjoyed...
International Living
Name: Brendan DeckerFrom: Houston, TXLiving in: Kandy, Sri LankaAfter a year in Sri Lanka, my wife Lilly and I have no plans to return to the US.We’d lived in Houston most of...
The other day an IL subscriber expressed concern about the cost of getting a residency permit in Europe:“My monthly retirement and Social Security income will be twice the cost of living in...
My colleague just ran afoul of the American financial system’s most frustrating rule.Owen, an American expat living and working in Europe, logged into his U.S. bank to find his accounts frozen. He’d...
Sitting on the deck of a friend’s yacht, an ice-cold Tiger beer in hand, I was admiring the sea view in front of me… The stunning Malaysian island of Langkawi, with its...
In truth, there is no single place on earth that is absolutely perfect. However, there are places that just feel right. There are also long-term expats who find the perfect fit where...
Our motorboat hums as it slows to glide across the final stretch of warm, baby-blue Caribbean sea. A lemon-yellow sun bathes the scene before me in its bright, cheerful light.I’ve reached Casa...
Michael used to be tied to his desk. Now, his colleagues never know where he’ll be when he logs on. Sometimes his background on Zoom meetings is his quaint home in Virginia...
A professional mariner for more than 50 years, Pete Sanchez spent his life globetrotting as captain on private yachts, running crew boats to offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, visiting...
Twelve years ago, Diane Maxwell left the crowds, traffic snarls, and expense of life in the Houston, Texas suburbs to try the quiet, calm, and affordable beaches of Playa Coronado in Panama—and...
Ask anyone who's ever visited Costa Rica what they think of it—and most will tell you it was love at first sight.Costa Rica is home to countless expats who bought property in...
A few weeks back I read an article in the New York Times about the problems facing Spanish renters in the city of Malaga. The author interviewed a working-class Spaniard who said...
As dawn breaks, your community awakens to a symphony of nature. The first rays of the sun cast a golden glow over pristine beaches and meticulously manicured landscapes. Step onto your balcony,...
Maybe you’ve heard all of this hype about the southern coast of Portugal—the Algarve. Over 300 days of sunshine, spectacular beaches, golf, cliffs, dining, low cost of living, the list goes on...
Southern France is one of those magical spots in the world that conjures up images of sparkling bays, glitzy shopping districts, and a laidback, laissez-faire attitude envied the world over.It’s also an...
As part of my work, I’m a member of half-dozen Facebook groups devoted to financial issues for US expats. And I’m starting to pick up a trend.Typically, these chat groups focus on...
When my wife Christie and I decided to take early retirement and set off overseas, it was far from a madcap, spur-of-the-moment decision. For about a year beforehand, I'd been busy doing...
Expats have been flocking to Costa Rica's Central Valley for decades and it’s not hard to see why. The spring-like climate, central location, and ready-made expat community are just a few of...
Baja California is in the early stages of a 30-year upswing. Lesser-known areas of central and northern Portugal are poised to boom. Demand is skyrocketing for high-end properties in walkable beach cities...
We sat on our terrace overlooking the Gozo Channel, the islands of Malta and Camino, and the green terraced farms below. Clink! “Happy Gozo try-out year.”, I said; Kevin repeated the toast.January...