I moved to Panama as an expat one year ago. On March 13, 2012, I landed -- along with my mini-mountain of luggage -- at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City. My first few days here were pretty stressful. I'd flown down by myself to find us a place to live. My husband and the dogs would follow once I'd accomplished that mission. I had no definite plans. I'd reserved a room at the Centrum Tower Hotel in Panama City for the first night, but everything after that was a …
Three Ways to Retire Overseas
From the archives. . . There are as many different ways to retire overseas as there are retirees. You can: live full time in your new country abroad divide your time between your home country and overseas country travel all the time I know people from each category, and each style has its pros and cons. Part-Time Expats Certainly the easiest way to enjoy life abroad is to keep one foot firmly at "home" for part of the year. That way you can keep all that's familiar wrapped snugly around …
3 No-Nonsense Reasons You Should Attend an Expat Conference
If you're contemplating your first move overseas, attending an expat conference can be an excellent way to start. I've been to a few, and you can read about them: Top 20 Country Choices for your Overseas Retirement How to Jumpstart your Overseas Move Why you should NEVER Attend an Expat Conference Panama Expat Conference -- Hot Air or Helpful? When you attend an expat conference you get a lot of information. You also get more -- much more. #1 Country Information You'll get scads of …
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The NSA (aka Big Brother) is Watching You
If you believe recent allegations, the NSA has been spying on your internet activity for years. They say they don't target US citizens. They do target communications between the US and other countries. So, if you're a US expat living abroad, or if you're an expat in the US, you're a target. And it's not just you. Apparently once they drag you into their net, they go after all the people you're in touch with and all the people they're in touch with. That can turn into a pretty big group of …
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Overseas Retirement — How to Choose the Best Country for YOU
The ideal way to find the best country for your overseas adventure is to visit and fall in love. If you've been fortunate enough to spend time in other countries, you can use that experience to choose your overseas retirement spot -- or at least whittle down your list of choices. But for the rest of us, there's a process in determining which country, and then which city, town or region, is the best spot for us to retire overseas. Here are the major points to consider. Climate Do …
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Finding a Place to Live in Panama: Reader Questions Answered
Finding a place to live in Panama's interior is very different from what you're probably used to in the US, Canada or Europe. In those places, whether you're renting or buying, there are agencies you can visit and professionals who can help. While you'll find some of those options in Panama City, when you get to the country's interior the real estate market is pretty disorganized. Finding a place to live can be challenging, but it is possible. You just have to be willing to do a lot of …
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