Anywhereist

Explore life. Create anywhere.

expat

Your Portable Career — Beware the Unintended Consequences

By

Portable careers are a blessing. You can work from anywhere in the world you happen to be (usually as long as you have an internet connection). But when you move, you may find yourself dealing with some unintended consequences. As you know, I've just made the transition from Central Florida to Las Tablas, Panama. I'm getting settled into my new rental home here, and trying to amp up my work schedule to something more resembling normal for me. This morning I came across a situation I hadn't …

Continue Reading about Your Portable Career — Beware the Unintended Consequences

9 Lessons I’ve Learned about Finding a Rental House in Las Tablas, Panama

By

When last seen, Future Expat was grumpy. Tired of living in a hotel and having to go out for every meal, tired of not having a place to call her own. . . just tired. There were even a few tearful phones calls with my husband back home, running along the lines of, "I don't think I can do this." Fortunately, I'm happy -- no, ecstatic -- to report that I've found a home! And, naturally, I've learned some lessons about navigating this local rental market that I'm happy to pass along. I'll …

Continue Reading about 9 Lessons I’ve Learned about Finding a Rental House in Las Tablas, Panama

In Search of the Elusive Rental Casa in Las Tablas, Panama

By

When you're in a part of the world that doesn't have an organized real estate or rental market, finding a place to live is hard. You can't just waltz into an agency and say, "I'm looking for a two-bedroom house to rent in a nice neighborhood with a fenced yard for my dogs." I'm here in Las Tablas, Panama, to find a furnished house that my husband and I and our small dogs can rent short-term while we look for a more permanent place to stay. Las Tablas is a small town, and there's just not that …

Continue Reading about In Search of the Elusive Rental Casa in Las Tablas, Panama

Where’s the Best Quality of Life in 2012?

By

Numbeo has just released its annual Quality of Life information for 2012. Factors that comprise overall "quality of life" rankings include purchasing power (including rent), ratio of house prices to incomes, safety, health, pollution, traffic and consumer price index. On a country-by-country basis, here's the Top Ten lineup. The number in parenthesis represents the quality of life score. You can see the entire list of 51 countries here. Switzerland (194.11) Germany (184.42) Norway …

Continue Reading about Where’s the Best Quality of Life in 2012?

Going with the Flow in Panama

By

My loose plan, before I arrived in Panama, was to spend a few days exploring Penonome to see if it might be a place we'd like to live. I flew into the country on Tuesday evening and on Wednesday I hopped a bus for Las Tablas. Why Las Tablas? Because I discovered there wasn't a hotel room to be had in Penonome. The moment I arrived in Panama I started receiving lessons in flexibility. I got myself and my remaining three bags (remember, I stashed one with the hotel in Panama City) into a cab, …

Continue Reading about Going with the Flow in Panama

On the Ground in Panama

By

On Tuesday I flew from Orlando to Panama. The plan is that I will locate a short-term furnished rental, then my husband and the dogs will join me. It's a little complicated because in April we fly back to Florida for our son's wedding. If I find a rental quickly, we're fine. If it takes a while, my husband will probably opt to stay in the US until after the nuptials. I have to admit, I've gotten off to a bit of a rocky start here. First was a problem which I anticipated but didn't feel …

Continue Reading about On the Ground in Panama