Anywhereist

Explore life. Create anywhere.

international living

Expat Conferences: Valuable Tools or Expensive Hype?

By

My husband and I are planning an exploratory trip to Panama in the spring. Coincidentally, one of the big names in the publishing-for-expats business is holding a conference in Panama City at the same time. I'm seriously considering attending. If I go, I'll not only be listening and taking notes for myself but for all of you as well. I've been wondering for a long time whether these events provide reasonable value for participants. Testimonial, Shmestimonial Oh, I know what the promoters say, …

Continue Reading about Expat Conferences: Valuable Tools or Expensive Hype?

Quality of Life Index for 2011: Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

By

Wow! The January, 2011 International Living just arrived in my mailbox and I am speechless. . . stunned. They've named the 2011 Top Quality of Life countries and they've put the USA at the top of the list. Since I saw the article, I've been thinking and doing more reading, because my level of "stunned" has not gone down. How could International Living, which usually is right on target, be so far off on this one? Now, to give them credit, they issued a bunch of disclaimers in the article. In …

Continue Reading about Quality of Life Index for 2011: Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

The Dangers of Social Media

By

A few days ago I posted a list of social networking sites that might help you plan and execute your overseas move, and get settled in afterwards. However, I’d feel irresponsible if I didn’t spell out one very real downside to relying on social media when you move overseas. This is especially problematic if you’re not working or if you’re living a very unstructured life. You see, social networking is seductive and it’s easy. It’s much easier to open a browser and check out your friends on …

Continue Reading about The Dangers of Social Media

World’s 25 Best Retirement Destinations

By

News Release from International Living Ecuador tops IL's Annual Retirement Index for the second year running For Kent and Christina Zimmerman, leaving Colorado for Cuenca, Ecuador felt like making a huge jump without a net. But after a year in the country that tops International Living’s 2010 Retirement Index, they’re loving their new lives in Ecuador. They pay just $300 monthly rent for a rooftop apartment with panoramic views across Cuenca, a colonial center steeped in rich history that …

Continue Reading about World’s 25 Best Retirement Destinations

Who’s Your Cheerleader Now?

By

When making big, life-changing moves, we all need people supporting our decisions, cheering us on, telling us we're okay. Big, life-changing moves are scary, after all, even when based on logic. As children, most of us had people encourage us to take another step even after we fell down, to get back on the bicycle despite the skid marks on our knees, to go ahead and jump into the deep end of the pool. So now we're all grown up, and planning a move to another country. It's like contemplating a …

Continue Reading about Who’s Your Cheerleader Now?

What Were They Thinking?

By

First of all, let me state that I'm a big fan of International Living. Their magazine and their daily postcards are gold mines of information, and I've also bought several of their country books. But last week, they just floored me, and I've come to the conclusion that it comes back to the profit motive. Because IL is a business, and they want to make money, they gave some advice that I really disagree with. Somebody wrote to them, stating that they thought everything they read in IL makes …

Continue Reading about What Were They Thinking?