Expat Sites

1. AngloInfo Panama. AngloInfo has been providing English-language information for expats in a variety of locations. The Panama site has just launched. It’s a good all-around resource, very focused on Panama City.
2. La Vita e Bella, two American expats living la dolce vita in Florence, Italy.
3. Joburg Expat is the site of Sine, a German serial expat who’s lived on four continents with husband and kids.
4. Northern Beaches Know-How. If you’re thinking about moving to Sydney, Australia, check out this site. There’s a wealth of good, actionable information here.
5. Leaving America is an interesting melange of thoughts, ideas and information from a serial expat originally from the US.

Travel

6. Curious Places is a photo journal showing all sorts of interesting and wacky places around the world.
7. 175 Days Around the World chronicles the travels of Christian Haugen, from Vietnam to Argentina. Nice photos!
8. Technosyncratic Travel, the wanderings of two digital nomads, Kali and Christy.
9. Twenty-Something Travel is the blog of another perpetual traveler, a single woman who hopes to help others launch their international adventures.
10. Exile Lifestyle is another PT (perpetual traveler) site. Colin Wright moves to a new place every four months, and he crowd-sources the decision about where to go among his readers! He’s a portable careerist who sells t-shirts, books and branding.

Portable Careers

11. 64 Ways Location Independent People Earn a Living. One of many excellent articles, if you’re considering a portable career you should read this!

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

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 be uploading some pictures as soon as I have my own internet connection. Hopefully that’ll be next week.

Since I last updated you, I looked at several more houses.

One was a referral from a member of the Panama Forum. Another was the result of a conversation with my hotel’s manager. A third was through a friend of a friend.

Remember, when you’re scouting for a house in this part of the world — especially if you’re on a tight budget — there’s no organized real estate or rental market the way we know it in North America. You need to talk to people because your success is all based on who you know.

Here’s what I’ve learned.

1. Talk to everyone. Hotel clerks, supermarket cashiers, restaurant servers, taxi drivers. Let them know what you’re looking for. If your Spanish isn’t up to the task, find someone who can provide you with a few basic phrases to describe your needs.
2. Scan the local bulletin boards. Here, people post notices outside the grocery stores.
3. Search out other expats and talk to them. This may place you in a “gringo” instead of a local market, but do it anyway. At worst you might pay inflated prices for the first few months while you look for something that fits your budget longer term.
4. If you can, scan the local newspapers.
5. Sometimes Panama Craigslist has good deals, but as with anything you find online, be extra cautious.
6. Walk or drive around neighborhoods looking for signs reading “Casa en alquiler” or something similar, then knock on the door or call the listed phone number.
7. Follow up. Often. Be the squeaky wheel. In person is better than phone or email.
8. Be prepared for the snowball effect. My search started slowly because it took a while for word to filter down. When my deal happened, it happened fast.
9. Remember that everything here happens with cash, not checks or credit cards. I had to learn to be comfortable walking around with wads of cash zipped into a money belt I wore under my clothes. (I used the Rick Steves Silk Money Belt.) It’s very different from whipping out a credit or debit card at every turn.

You can lessen that pain by having lots of good information.

It’s completely possible to find out everything you need to online, at no charge (except your time and energy). The only problem is, it’ll take a lot of time.

Depending on how far away you are from your planned move date, you can take advantage of some resources that aren’t free, but will organize the information and save you huge amounts of time and aggravation.

If Your Overseas Move is Two Years (or more) in the Future

This is the time to become a sponge for information about your chosen new country. If you haven’t selected your expat retirement destination, you need to narrow down your choices.

Travel books and guides provide great information about the country’s culture, climate and maybe a little of its history. But living and investing overseas isn’t the same as traveling, and guidebooks aren’t so good at filling you in on what you need to know about actually living there.

There’s an excellent monthly publication, written by expats for expats, that can do that. It’s called the Overseas Retirement Letter.

Every month, they take an in-depth look at a country that’s a good choice for North American expats. Reports are written by people who actually live in the country, not by someone who’s just passed through and sampled a few local eateries and hotels.

They have no agenda to push, no axe to grind, and they’re not afraid to mention issues and problems along with the fun stuff.

I’ve met some of the folks who do the writing. Some, like Paul and Vicki Terhorst, have decades of experience living as expats. Others, like Wendy Justice, have only been living the expat lifestyle for three or four years. Some are retired. Others, like Lucy Culpepper, have school-age children.

But one thing they all have in common is a love for living where they’ve chosen to live, and a common sense approach about how you can achieve it.

Every month they’ll give you a realistic picture of what it’s like to live in a country that’s a favorable expat destination.

Click here for more information or
Click here for a video

If You’re Moving Overseas in One-Two Years

I’ve become a big fan of the convention combined with exploring the country you’re considering. I did this last year, attending a conference in Panama and then traveling around the country.

Starting with the conference gave me a chance to meet some expats already living there, and others considering the move. I learned a lot about the country before I set foot out of Panama City.

Unless you’ve got a ton of money to spend, you’ll want to narrow down your country choices to just a couple — three at the most — before you do this.

A word of caution about conferences, though: don’t get carried away by the enthusiasm and euphoria and rush out and buy property on impulse or something equally silly. Your chances of doing so are less if you choose a conference where they avoid the rose-colored glasses and give you a realistic picture of what life is like there.

Here’s a list of some upcoming conferences to consider.

If Your Move is Within Six Months

Last year, I thought I’d found a good tool, and was totally disappointed with it.

Fortunately, there’s something much better now. From the same folks who publish the Overseas Retirement Letter, it’s a 52-day program to move you from your home country to your expat destination.

Here’s what the publisher has to say about it:

 

Don´t Let Another Single Day Pass You By–Launch Your New Life Overseas Now

It took me more than 12 years to launch my live overseas adventures…

Today, 13 years later, I´ve reinvented my life from Baltimore, Maryland, to Waterford, Ireland…then from there to Paris and on to Panama City, where I´m living today…

My advice to you?

Don´t let another single day pass you by.

Leverage my experience to launch your own dream retirement overseas in as few as 52 days from today.

That´s a specific promise that I mean literally and that I take seriously.

Research and reading will get you only so far. To make your live- or retire-overseas dream come true, you need a detailed plan. Here´s mine…for you…

 

Here´s How

 

Every day for 52 days, you’ll receive a lesson in your inbox. This is a focused program, not a collection of anecdotes like the “program” I was so disappointed in.

The first step starts with identifying where in the world you’d like to go, what’s most important to you, and what limiting factors you need to account for (health problems and schools for the kids are two examples). Next you figure out how much money you’ll have to live on and prepare a budget.

Every day, you have an assignment to complete and loads of information to work with.

Kathleen recommends spending one hour per day on the program for maximum benefit.

You don’t have to complete the program in 52 days exactly — in fact, if you need to pull together financial information and such, it will probably take longer.

But the bottom line is, this program can get you from Point A (your home country) to Point B (your new overseas life) in a very short time. If you’re serious about enjoying a more affordable lifestyle in a new culture, 52 Days To Your New Life Overseas is a fantastic investment, which I can happily recommend.

Back in the 1600′s, a young man fell in love with a beautiful young woman he saw in the bazaar. Not an uncommon event, I’m sure.

They married a few years later, and lived happily together until she died while giving birth to their 14th (!) child.

The husband was devastated, and decided to remember his dear wife with a stunning monument.

Four hundred years later, that monument is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, visited by millions every year.

The young man was Shah Jahan, and his wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, was known after her marriage as Mumtaz Mahal. The monument, in Agra, India, is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

It’s known as the Taj Mahal.

And here’s a little Valentine’s Day gift from me — a new list of expat and travel sites to follow. Ah, if only there were a way to deliver chocolate through a browser. . .

Expat Sites

1. The Social Expat A comprehensive site with lots of interesting information and stories for expats.
2. Expatriating Julia, a British expat in the Netherlands
3. 4 Kids, 20 Suitcases and a Beagle, a great suggestion from reader Aisha Ashcroft Ashraf last month. Very funny.
4. Malta: Moving Up, On and Away, an expat’s guide to the island of Malta. If you like Europe but want to live in an English-speaking country, Malta might be your best choice.
5. How to Get By in Malta. Another expat’s guide to living and working in Malta.
6. The FrancoAmerican Flophouse. a serial expat from the US living and raising a family in France.
7. Where Mt. Fuji Meets Matterhorn, an expat from Switzerland living in Japan.
8. Colombia (official tourism site). With Colombia being talked about so much as an up-and-coming expat destination, I thought I should include a couple of Colombia-related sites.
9. Colombia Travel.
10. Living in India, a guide to expatriating to India

Travel

11. Wandering Trader
12. YTravelBlog
13. Jessie on a Journey
14. Curious Places. This is a very cool site featuring pictures of some of the most unusual places and buildings in the world.

photo by Christian Haugen on flickr

They are offering an all-expense-paid month in Cuenca, Ecuador for one lucky winner (or couple).

I wanted to let you all know about it because, if Ecuador’s a country you’re considering, you may want to enter. Heck, I’m even thinking about it!

Whatever your feelings about International Living (and if you’ve been reading Future Expats for a while you know I have some reservations about them), they are great at marketing and this contest is a real marketing winner.

Here’s the e-mail they sent out to kick off the contest.

“We’re looking for someone to spend a month in the world’s top retirement haven—on us.

“If you like the idea of relaxing in a spring-like climate, exploring a colonial University city, making new and interesting friends from all over the world, trying new things and maybe even reporting about your adventures…this could be for you.

“You don’t need any writing experience but you should be willing to let us know how you’re getting on in your new home overseas.

“Apart from the tasks I mentioned above, you must also be willing to go to concerts, attend festivals, eat out at great restaurants and any other fun activity you can think of.

“We want to send this explorer (or a couple) to Cuenca, Ecuador to experience first-hand the life we report about regularly in this e-letter and your magazine. We’ll pay the round-trip airfare, your apartment rental, and a generous expenses allowance.

“Apply here. (Applications close in six weeks.)”

The contest contains some valuable lessons for those of us pursuing portable careers. Let’s take a look.

What Will it Cost?

One lucky winner will have a chance to test-drive life in a desirable and inexpensive overseas retirement haven. That’s a very appealing reward!

I’m just guessing at what this will cost the company. They’re offering airfare from the US or Canada, an apartment rental, and $1,500 spending money for living and entertainment expenses. They don’t specify what kind of apartment they’ll provide, but let’s assume for a moment that it’s very high end.

Estimated Cash Value of Prize: $5,000 (and possibly a lot less)

What Will They Gain?

Now let’s look at what they’re likely to get from that $5,000 expense.

1. Increased signups. They expect you to subscribe to their daily e-letter, and provide three opportunities to do so on the contest page
2. An ongoing “reality” experience
3. Increased magazine subscriptions
4. Increased sales of their Ecuador publications
5. Increased attendance at conferences and special events
6. More high-end sales

Do you think they’ll make back their $5,000? You betcha! Many times over, I’m sure.

Increased E-Letter Signups

Why is this significant? Well, if you know anything about marketing, especially online marketing, you know that you want to get as many people as you can into your marketing funnel, as quickly as possible.

Your marketing funnel is the series of steps a reader takes before becoming a buyer. It’s a funnel because more people enter at the top than flow through to the bottom. You can find out a lot more about it by searching for “sales funnel.” Here’s a quick blog by Seth Godin about it.

The free e-letter (IL calls it the Daily Postcard) is the first step in the funnel. People who sign up for it are self-identifying themselves as future customers. They’re raising their virtual hands and saying, “I’m more interested in what you offer than the average person is.”

IL spends a lot of money attracting people to its Daily Postcards through online advertising. Do you think offering an incentive like a free month abroad will improve their advertising results? Um, yeah. . .

An Ongoing “Reality” Experience

You can bet that IL will be promoting the contest every step of the way. From directing readers to view the video entries, to writing about the contestants, to showing video of the winners and writing about them, they’ll be using this contest for all the traction they can muster.

Once the winner goes to Ecuador, there will be tons of articles, reviews, videos, interviews, you name it.

And they’ll attract more people into their sales funnel. What happens then?

Increased Magazine Subscriptions

International Living magazine is the company’s first “sale” item in their sales funnel. They rely on converting a certain percentage of their Daily Postcards signups into paid subscriptions. With an annual price of $49, the magazine is their flagship product.

The increased Daily Postcard readership will convert to an increased subscriber base, and they’ll probably see a better conversion rate during the contest period. So if one out of ten Daily Postcard readers currently buys a subscription, I would expect that number to go to one out of seven or eight.

Increased Sales of their Ecuador Publications

As greater numbers of readers get caught up in the contest excitement, more of them will want to research Ecuador as an overseas home for themselves. Sales of Ecuador, the Owners Manual and other publications will skyrocket.

Increased Attendance at Conferences

I’m quite sure the majority of IL’s conference attendees are people who subscribe to their magazine. As magazine subscriptions increase, so does the pool of prospective attendees. (Remember that sales funnel we talked about earlier.)

Conferences are a much higher-ticket item than the magazine, and readers who attend conferences are far more likely to purchase the really high-ticket items.

The Takeaway for your Portable Career

Whatever portable career you develop for yourself as an untethered expat, you’ll be dealing with a sales funnel in some form or another. This contest can serve as a model for you of the impact a well executed campaign can have on your bottom line.

Oh — and in the interests of full disclosure vis a vis my portable career — the links above to the magazine and the Ecuador book are affiliate links. If you click on them and complete a purchase, I’ll earn a small commission.

So, who’s going to try for a free month in Cuenca?

Quality of life means different things to different people. For example, I’m typing this at my son’s dining room table, in the mountains of Vermont. It’s cold (temperatures have been in the single digits), it’s snowing, and it’s gorgeous. He has a great quality of life here and loves it.

I moved away years ago because the quality of life here didn’t work for me during eight or nine months out of every year.

So as you read through these lists, remember that what’s perfect for you might not work for me and vice versa.

Top 10 Cities for Quality of Life, from Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey

First, the annual Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey, which ranks world cities on a number of factors. They’ve done an odd little thing with the numbering this year, as several cities tied for various positions.

Europe ran away with the honors here, without any real competition.

• #1 Vienna, Austria
• #2 Zurich, Switzerland
• #3 Auckland, New Zealand
• #4 Munich, Germany
• #5 Dusseldorf, Germany
• #5 Vancouver, Canada
• #7 Frankfurt, Germany
• #8 Geneva, Switzerland
• #9 Copenhagen, Denmark
• #9 Bern, Switzerland
• #11 Sydney, Australia

Of the cities regularly mentioned as good destinations for expats, only Singapore (#25), Dublin (#25) and Paris (#30) made this list. Partly this is because all the cities on this list are relatively expensive.

The top US city is Hononlulu, Hawaii, at #29.

Top 10 Cities for Personal Safety

1. #1 Luxembourg
2. #2 Bern
3. #2 Helsinki
4. #2 Zurich
5. #5 Vienna
6. #6 Geneva
7. #6 Stockholm
8. #8 Singapore
9. #9 Auckland
10. #9 Wellington
11. #11 Copenhagen
12. #11 Dusseldorf
13. #11 Frankfurt
14. #11 Munich
15. #11 Nurmberg

You can find the complete information for both these lists at here. Or view the first list as a slideshow here.

10 Best Cities for Quality of Life in 2011, from the Economist

You’ll see some similarities to the list above. Europe is well represented on this list, while Canada, Australia and New Zealand have a few spots as well.

1. Vancouver, BC, Canada
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Vienna, Austria
4. Toronto, ONT, Canada
5. Calgary, Alberta, Canada
6. Helsinki, Finland
7. Sydney, Australia
8. Perth, Australia
9. Adelaide, Australia
10. Auckland, New Zealand

Read more about this list here.

Countries with the Best Quality of Life, Nation Ranking

I had questions about the methodology of this list, as did many others, but I’ll share it with you again for what it’s worth.

1. Iceland
2. Norway
3. Sweden
4. Switzerland
5. Luxembourg
6. Austria
7. Finland
8. New Zealand
9. Germany
10. Canada

You can find more information about the methodology and other aspects of the list here

International Living’s List of 10 Best Places to Retire in 2011

Every year International Living publishes a list of best places to retire as well as quality of life. Last year I thought their quality of life list was way off track, so I won’t even reproduce it for you here. However, here’s their list of best places to retire.

1. Ecuador
2. Mexico
3. Panama
4. Spain
5. New Zealand
6. France
7. Uruguay
8. Costa Rica
9. Malta
10. Italy

You’ll find more information about the list here.

Best 20 Countries to Retire in 2011, Live and Invest Overseas

These are not ranked in any particular order, and the list includes countries in Asia, Europe and the Americas.

• China
• India
• Laos
• Malaysia
• Thailand
• Vietnam
• Croatia
• France, particularly the Languedoc and Aquitaine regions
• Ireland
• Italy
• Spain
• Argentina
• Belize
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Uruguay

You’ll find more about this list and the conference where it was announced here.

Do you live, or are you planning to live, in one of the cities or countries on these lists? Does it offer you the quality of life you expected?

photo by Emmanuel Dyan on flickr

Now on the final day, we’re focusing on books and products that will help you prepare for this momentous move, whether it’s a guide to a country of interest or a program to help you determine the steps you need to take to get yourself from Point A to Point B.

Excelsior!

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, my expat gave to me. . .
Twelve “Prep the Move” Tools
Eleven Shiny Tech Tools
Ten Expat Books
Nine Freelance Tools
Eight Live Workshops
Seven Expat Movies
Six Travel Skill Sets
Five Writing Resources
Four Exclusive Clubs
Three Premium Blog Themes
Two Blogging Books
And a website for to earn some money

Preparing to Live Overseas

1. 52 Days To Your New Life Overseas — with extra holiday savings

   Kathleen Peddicord has used her 25 years of writing about the expat life, and 13 years of living as an expat in four different countries to create a guide to take future expats — step by step — from our home countries to our lives abroad. You can read my review here.

   And the best news is, you can save a bundle if you grab it by December 24. Just click here to order and use the coupon code 52OOPS. (You won’t get the savings unless you use the coupon!)

2. Cheap, Safe, and Friendly: The World’s Top Retirement Havens 
   There are places, the world over, where people are friendly, crime is almost non-existent, health care is excellent, and prices for everything from homes to groceries and doctors’ visits could make you think it’s 1953 again. 
   Places where it is possible to reduce your retirement cost of living, perhaps dramatically…while increasing the quality of your life. 
    We have prepared a series of five Country Retirement Reports that contain complete details on retirement opportunities in some of the world’s top retirement havens right now. 
   Go here now to learn more

   

3. Revealed: The World’s Top Undiscovered Retirement And Investment Haven

   I’ve found the city that I believe is on track to become one of the world’s most sought-after destinations, for both retirement and investment.

   This overlooked destination checks every box:

   • Perfect weather…it’s springtime all year long… World-class health care (5 of the best hospitals in all Latin America are here)…
   • Very affordable cost of living…
   • And the real estate? It’s a screaming bargain, both to buy and to rent… Plus, the people are friendly, the streets are clean and safe, the infrastructure international-standard…with its restaurants, cafes, galleries, and shops, this place feels more European than Latin American…

   
   Go here now to learn more
   
   
   

4. Interested in Panama? Here´s US $3,000 To Launch Your New Life There
   And that´s only the start of what we´re prepared to do help you realize your dreams in the world´s #1 retirement, lifestyle, invesment, and overseas haven…Learn how to earn free admittance to every Panama conference we hold…
   Plus, right now you can arrange to pay for your membership in installments. 
   This couldn´t be easier. And the opportunities in Panama right now couldn´t be bigger. 

   Go Here Now To Learn More About This Special Offer

   
   

5. If Europe Hits Your Hot Buttons. . . Here´s What To Do If Developing World Living Isn´t For You
   
   Not everyone is cut out for life in the Tropics or the developing world…
   If you´re more interested in Old World living, consider France. 
   France is the good life defined. The food, the wine, the art, the shopping, the history…
   And here´s what you may not realize about France: Living here, even in Paris, can be far more affordable than you might ever imagine. 
   Go Here Now To Learn More

   
   

6. Exotic — and Incredibly Affordable — Asia, Home of the World’s Cheapest Retirement Havens

   Amidst vistas of nearly indescribable beauty, you can pay US$100 a month for rent, spend only 1% of the usual cost of health care, and eat a full lunch for only 50 cents.

   The world doesn’t get any cheaper.

   This land of ancient kingdoms, emperors, explorers, adventurers, traders, and pioneers is also beautiful, safe, welcoming, and, in some parts, completely at peace.

   Go Here Now For More Details

   
   

7. If the Land of Vino and Tango Appeals. . .

   
   Own Your Own Vineyard In The Next Napa

   Live your dreams and plan for your retirement with a 12% annual yield.

   Here´s how to own your own vineyard, at a fraction of the price you´d find elsewhere
   
   

8. An English-speaking Paradise On The Caribbean
   
   
   Belize is a tiny, under-populated, under-developed country (there are but three highways in the whole place) blessed with a long Caribbean coast and a sprinkling of islands just offshore fringed by white sand and palm trees. It´s quintessential Caribbean served up for the non-jet-setter. For, while Belize is more expensive today, certainly, than it was the first time I set eyes on it, more than 20 years ago, it still can be called a bargain. 
   Plus, Belize has a great deal to offer beyond its Caribbean coast and islands. Inland, in the Cayo, Belize is a land of off-road mountain, jungle, river, cave, and waterfall adventures. And that´s not to mention the countless (and sometimes undiscovered) Mayan ruins. 
   Would it be a “good” place to live? Not for everyone. Belize is a 21st-century corsair´s playground, a frontier where you make your own way and the government interferes nearly not at all. This is a country for independent thinkers and self-sufficient sorts. 
   On the other hand: Belize is, in fact, one of the easiest places in the world to obtain foreign residency. It´s also one of the best tax havens in the world…
   Go Here Now To Learn More

   
   

9. Overseas Retirement Letter, and Bonus Report on Seven Places to Retire on Social Security Income Alone
   The average Social Security payment in the United States is slightly less than US$1,200 per month. If you qualify for Social Security, you can receive your monthly payment almost anywhere in the world. You can even have it direct-deposited to your overseas account in many countries. Then, Social Security check in hand, even if you have no other retirement income whatsoever, you could retire quite well in seven places our editors have identified. 
   A new report has just been prepared, detailing everything you need to know about receiving your monthly Social Security payments overseas. 
   Plus, this current special report introduces you to the seven most Social Security-friendly overseas retirement havens. 
   It can be yours free with our compliments when you take this opportunity to become a subscriber to the flagship retire-overseas publication, the “Overseas Retirement Letter.” 

   Find out how to receive your free copy of this new report here

   
   

10. Ecuador is consistently rated one of the best overseas retirement destinations. Learn all about it in the Ecuador Owner’s Manual New 2010 Edition
11. Mexico Owner’s Manual
12. France: The Owner’s Manual

So there you have it! I hope you’ve enjoyed our Twelve Days of Christmas gift ideas for expats and plan-to-be expats.

Merry Christmas!

I’ve divided them into categories for you. At the top, the Time Sensitive Sales are special deals that will expire after this weekend. Below those I’ve divided them into our two main categories, Prepping the Move and Portable Careers. These are top-quality items I recommend.

All of them make wonderful Christmas gifts for that hard-to-buy-for expat on your list.

Time-Sensitive Sales

50% Off all Host Gator Website Hosting Black Friday Only, expires 11:59 PM EST on November 25.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog, Revised and updated for 2012. If you plan to blog as part or all of your expat portable career, you can get a jump start and save 25% through next Tuesday, November 29. Learn more.

25% off everything at StudioPress
Using the code THANKS at checkout (don’t forget that), you can save 25% off of anything you’d like at WordPress design shop, StudioPress. All you need to do is use the code THANKS when you check out and you’ll save 25% on anything and everything at StudioPress.com. This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and claim your new WordPress theme before the code expires!

Premise for WordPress Get the best WordPress landing page plugin for sweet savings over Black Friday weekend. Only $95 for Premise Ultimate. All you need to do is use the code THANKS when you check out. This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and get Premise Ultimate before they come to their senses!

International Coach Academy teaches you everything you need to know to become a certified life coach. It’s a growing field, and coaches — especially expat coaches — are in high demand. They’re offering 22% off if you enroll in their premier course before November 30.

Entire Live & Invest Overseas Bookstore!. Country reports, conference recordings, monthly Overseas Retirement Letter, the whole enchilada. Click here for more information.

Prepping the Move

Technology and Entertainment

I’m an avid reader, and I love to re-read books as well. Parting with my extensive library would be torture. Fortunately, we live in the digital age. With my trusty Kindle e-reader, I can get almost everything in a digital version.

There are quite a few choices now, unlike when I bought my first-generation device. The two I recommend are the Kindle Touch 3G and the new Kindle Fire.

Kindle Touch 3G

With this device you can download books from almost anywhere in the world, even if there’s no WiFi available, using the 3G network. There’s no charge for this connectivity. The device holds about 3,000 books, and newer features including borrowing Kindle books from your local public library in the US.

There’s a built-in browser, so you can even use it for light web surfing.

This Kindle uses e-Ink technology, which is easy on your eyes and allows you to read even in bright sunlight. Excellent battery life, lightweight, and available for either $149 or $189.

Click here for more information or to purchase the Kindle Touch 3G

Kindle Fire

This is Kindle’s latest offering, just released earlier this month. Think of this Kindle as a “tablet lite” more than an e-reader. Yes, of course you can read your Kindle books on it. But it comes in color, not e-Ink, has a fully functional web browser and allows you to download apps like a tablet.

You can stream videos, listen to internet radio, and lots more.

If you read for hours at a time, this is probably not the best choice for you as the display will not be as easy on the eyes. Also, because this is a lighted display, it’ll wash out in full sunlight. But if you want something you can surf the web with, enjoy some apps with, and do some reading with — all in a brilliant color display — this is the Kindle for you.

Click here for more information or to purchase the Kindle Fire

Books, Movies, Music and More

If you absolutely, positively need to have wrapped packages under a tree, take advantage of Black Friday specials throughout Amazon.com.

Narrowing your Country/City Search and Planning

After lots of searching and a few false hopes raised, I finally found something that will actually help you plan your overseas move, step by logical step.

52-Days to Your New Life Overseas

 

Don´t Let Another Single Day Pass You By–Launch Your New Life Overseas Now

It took me more than 12 years to launch my live overseas adventures…

Today, 13 years later, I´ve reinvented my life from Baltimore, Maryland, to Waterford, Ireland…then from there to Paris and on to Panama City, where I´m living today…

My advice to you?

Don´t let another single day pass you by.

Leverage my experience to launch your own dream retirement overseas in as few as 52 days from today.

That´s a specific promise that I mean literally and that I take seriously.

Research and reading will get you only so far. To make your live- or retire-overseas dream come true, you need a detailed plan. Here´s mine…for you…

Here´s How

Specific Country Information

There’s tons of good information available about specific countries. Here’s a representative sampling:

Panama:

• Live & Invest in Panama Home Conference Kit
• Panama Bridge Kit
• Panama Starter Kit

France:

Not everyone is cut out for life in the Tropics or the developing world…

If you´re more interested in Old World living, consider France.

France is the good life defined. The food, the wine, the art, the shopping, the history…

And here´s what you may not realize about France: Living here, even in Paris, can be far more affordable than you might ever imagine.

Go Here Now To Learn More

Asia: Yes, I know, Asia’s not a country. . . Around Asia

Colombia:

 

Revealed: The World’s Top Undiscovered Retirement And Investment Haven

I’ve found the city that I believe is on track to become one of the world’s most sought-after destinations, for both retirement and investment.

This overlooked destination checks every box:

Perfect weather…it’s springtime all year long…
World-class health care (5 of the best hospitals in all Latin America are here)…

Very affordable cost of living…

And the real estate? It’s a screaming bargain, both to buy and to rent…
Plus, the people are friendly, the streets are clean and safe, the infrastructure international-standard…with its restaurants, cafes, galleries, and shops, this place feels more European than Latin American…

Go here now to learn more

Argentina: The Argentine Vineyard Buyer’s Guide

Upcoming Country Conferences

The right conference can be a great way to jumpstart your transition from future expat to expat. I’ve attended two. One was specific to Panama, and the other took a broader view with information about 20 countries that should be on your radar for overseas retirement.

I recommend the functions that Live and Invest Overseas puts on. You can see a list of their upcoming events here.

Portable Careers

Writing

Travel Writing

There are two programs I recommend for future travel writers.

MatadorU Travel Writing Course A dynamic program for launching or advancing new media and travel writing careers is based on 12 weeks of rigorous coursework, including lessons, recommended reading, and weekly assignments critiqued by editors and peers. As a graduate, you’ll have lifelong access to the curriculum, all the forums and future Bonus Modules.

Learn more about it here.

AWAI’s Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program. It’ll take years off your learning curve on both the writing and the business sides of developing your career as a travel writer. Learn more about it here.

Copywriting

Copywriting 2.0 Your Complete Guide to Writing Web Copy that Converts. The market for copywriting is huge, and the market for web copywriting is exploding. Highly successful copywriter Bob Bly has called this program “the Bible of website copywriting.”

Learn more about copywriting for the web and this program here.

Secrets of Writing High-Performance B2B Copy takes your copywriting skills and shows you how to use them to specialize in writing for the B2B business to business) market. Learn how to take advantage of this $55 billion a year market — that’s not a typo.

Learn more about Business-to-Business Copywriting here.

Blogging

Blogging for Expats. First, although it’s not something you can buy, if you haven’t been following my Blogging for Expats tutorial series, check it out.

How to Become a Successful Freelance Blogger. Don’t want to maintain your own blog but still want to earn money blogging? Freelance blogging is the answer, and this guide by my friend Paul Cunningham will show you how.

Learn More about How to Become a Successful Freelance Blogger here.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog, Revised and updated for 2012. If you plan to blog as part or all of your expat portable career, you can get a jump start and save 25% through next Tuesday, November 29.

I highly recommend this ebook program, which I followed earlier in my blogging career. Learn more about it here.

Studio Press Premium WordPress Themes 25% off everything at StudioPress over Black Friday weekend.

Using the code THANKS at checkout (don’t forget that) you can save 25% off of anything you’d like at WordPress design shop, StudioPress.

1. Get the Genesis Framework for only $45
2. Snag most Genesis / design combos for a song and save close to $20
3. Wipe the entire shop clean and get the StudioPress Pro Plus All-Theme Package. Get Genesis plus every design they’ve made, plus every design they make in the future, and save more than $74 off the regular price and over $875 off the retail price — and that’s just the existing 43 designs!

All you need to do is use the code THANKS when you check out and you’ll save 25% on anything and everything at StudioPress.com. This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and claim your new WordPress theme before the code expires!

Take Advantage of the Studio Press Black Friday Sale

Premise for WordPress
Get Premise Ultimate for only $95

Copyblogger Media just released version 1.2 of their Premise landing page software for WordPress, and it includes lots of cool new features and refinements. Most impressive of all is the introduction of an innovative 8th landing page type — the social sharing page. Premise Ultimate usually goes for $165, as it gives you:

1. All the landing pages you can build
2. Use on as many domains as you want
3. Access to ongoing optimization seminars
4. Copywriting advice from inside WordPress
5. 1,100+ custom graphics by Rafal
6. Unlimited technical support
7. Unlimited updates (you’ll thank yourself for this next year)

During their Thanksgiving sale, you can get Premise Ultimate for only $95. Yes, really. Just use the code THANKS when you check out and you’ll save $70 on the best landing page software available for WordPress. This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and get Premise Ultimate before they come to their senses!

Photography

Turn Your Pictures into Cash. Photography is amazing. It can feed the soul and inspire people. It also provides a measure of freedom I suspect you value highly. You can live wherever you like, work whenever you feel like it.

Learn how to turn photography into a portable career that can support you wherever you live or travel.

MatadorU Travel Photography Course is based on 12 chapters of rigorous coursework, including lessons, recommended reading, and weekly assignments critiqued by editors and peers in Photo Labs. As with their Travel Writing program, graduates have ongoing access to the forums and new modules.

Learn more about it here

Coaching

Life coaching is a growing field, and expats and finding it meets all the criteria for a worthwhile and rewarding portable career. Get your training and certification from the International Coach Academy.

Enroll in the Certified Professional Coach Program before November 30 and save 22%.

Click here for more information about International Coach Academy’s course.

Websites

How to Write Your Own Money-Making Websites. Not exactly blogging and not exactly a corporate website, learn how to create a content-rich site that provides an ongoing income — in just a few hours per week.

The traditional approach to savings and retirement doesn’t work anymore.
It’s time to take control!Turn a few “spare-time” hours a week into $750 … $1,500 … $3,500 and up per month.
Money that comes in whether you’re working, sleeping, playing golf, or relaxing on the beach.

Learn more about creating your own money-making website here.

Site Build It. Combine the fantastic tools and guidance available at SBI with the Money-Making Websites program above for incredible results. They’ve just upgraded the tools for building the site itself, keyword research and more.

Learn More About Site Build It here.

Website Hosting and Domain Name Registration

Dreamhost. Optimized for WordPress hosting, Dreamhost offers lots of “unlimited” features including:

• Disk storage
• Bandwidth
• Domains Hosted
• Email Accounts
• MySQL 5 Databases

DreamHost has also gone green — they’re carbon neutral.

Find Out More

Blue Host also offers a slew of “unlimited” features, including:

• Disk storage
• Bandwidth
• Domains Hosted
• Email Accounts
• MySQL 5 Databases

They’re a couple of dollars less than DreamHost.

Find Out More

Host Gator is also greening up, having purchased Renewable Energy Certificates for its servers.Their least expensive plan only allows for one domain to be hosted, but if you move up to the next plan, you’ll get unlimited disk space, bandwidth and domains.

50% Off all hosting plans today only, until 11:59 PM EST.

Find Out More

NameCheap domain name registration. Great prices and service for domain name hosting.

Find Out More

Don’t see what you’re looking for here? Check out our Resources section.

Note: Many of the links here are affiliate links. That means if you purchase something you’ve clicked on, I’ll earn a small commission. I only recommend products or services I have used myself, or from a company I’ve done business with and have a high level of confidence in. You can see my entire policy here. Buying from affiliates helps keep this website running.

photo by djlicious on flickr

Prepping the move is anything you have to do to prepare for moving overseas, from getting rid of stuff you don’t want to move or store, to telling your friends and family your plans, to arranging the sale or rental of your current home.

It also includes more general considerations, like how to determine where you want to move, whether to learn the language in your new country, and technology that can help you along your way.

At the conference I attended recently in Orlando, Live and Invest Overseas publisher Kathleen Peddicord divided “prepping the move” into seven categories:

1. Planning and getting your finances into shape
2. Buying (or not buying) property
3. Visas and residency
4. Funding your new life (where I spoke about Portable Careers)
5. Taxes
6. Health Care
7. Nuts and bolts of getting established overseas

Here at Future Expats, we talk mostly about #1, #2, #4 and #6.

Financial planning, of course, is very important. It costs money to move and to get set up in your new home, so no matter how much you figure you’ll save once you’re there, you need funds to move yourself. And, if you’re retired and planning to live on investments, pensions and the like, you need a realistic budget.

Other kinds of planning involve questions like:

• Where will you move to
• What’s your time frame
• Will you move household goods
• If not, what will you do with them
• Will you learn the language before you go
• How will you handle your day-to-day expenses and other administrative tasks in your new country
• How will you handle any remaining administrative tasks in your home country
• What kinds of technology will help you stay in touch, work, or take care of administrative tasks
• What about schools for the kids, if you still have children at home

There are many more items that could go on this list.

Along with Health Care, these are the basics of what I include under the broad heading of “Prepping the Move.” I don’t get into taxes, visas and residency — there are plenty of experts in those areas to consult.

Here are some links that will take you to popular articles on Prepping the Move.

Narrowing your Country Search
Health Care
Learning the Language
Technology
Househhold Goods
Selling, Renting or Buying a Home
Quality of Life

And, of course, if you’re looking for something not on this list, you can always search the site using the Search box in the upper right-hand corner.

Are there other elements of Prepping the Move you’d like to see here? Let me know in the Comments

photo by Katie Tegtmeyer on flickr

Last week I shared with you the top 20 picks for overseas retirement on a budget, according to Live and Invest Overseas.

Six of the countries are located in southeast Asia, which is the cheapest region of the world right now. These countries are:

• China
• India
• Laos
• Malaysia
• Thailand
• Vietnam

What About Residency?

Malaysia is the only country on this list to offer a retirement visa, called Malaysia, My Second Home.

Known as “MM2H,” the visa is good for 10 years and allows you to enter and leave the country as often as you want. It also lets you work part-time while you’re there. At this time, the visa does not lead to permanent residency, so if that’s your goal you should look elsewhere.

You don’t have to buy property to qualify for the MM2H. If you choose to, though, you’re required to spend a minimum amount which varies depending on location. For more details, visit the official website.

While it’s theoretically possible to get a residence visa in Thailand, it’s not practical for most people. (For one thing, they only give 100 of them each year.)

US citizens can stay in Thailand for 30 days without a visa if they arrive by air, but only 15 if they enter by land. That visa can be renewed by leaving the country and returning, but you can’t stay longer than 90 days out of any six-month period. If you’re over 50, you can apply for a one-year visa.

Expats in Thailand can purchase property, but not land. Buying a condo is straightforward, but if you want a house, you lease the land it’s on instead of owning it outright.

Other Asian countries are not so easy, however. In fact, gaining permanent residency is quite difficult. Additionally, restrictions on property ownership make it inadvisable to purchase property in India, China, Laos and Vietnam.

Why Asia?

So why live in Asia if you can’t gain residency or buy property?

Because you won’t find a lower cost, more interesting or exotic retirement anywhere else in the world! The region is quite safe, and you’ll find excellent — and affordable — health care in the major cities.

If you’re the kind of person who needs to put down roots, this won’t work for you. (But then again, if you were that kind of person you probably wouldn’t be reading about retirement in Asia anyway.)

The solution is to move around. Travel within the region is very inexpensive, so spend the time your visa allows in Thailand, then head to Laos for some relaxation. Enjoy the hustle and bustle of Vietnam’s vibrant economy, then head up into China.

In the past two weeks, I’ve met several people who are doing just that.

One couple has been retired for 30 years. They own a home in Argentina, but they spend very little time there. Instead, most of their year is spent in Asia. They believe Chiang Mai, Thailand, where they’ve been living part-time since 1988, is one of the best places in the world to retire.

Another couple started out a few years ago to travel around the world, but got to Asia and decided to stay. They’re back in the US now for a few months, but plan to head to Asia again after that.

A single young woman has been traveling extensively all over the world. I spoke with her last week, and she’s now planning a six-month trip to Asia with her 11-year old niece! They’ll start in Chiang Mai, which is one of her favorite places in the world and a place she feels very safe bringing her young relative.

These seasoned travelers shared some advice about where to go and what to see.

In China, Kunming and Chendu are welcoming and inexpensive.

If you want beaches, go to Vietnam or Thailand, particularly Hua Hin.

Want completely laid back? Then Laos is for you.

If you love big city life, pick Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia or Bangkok, Thailand.

If health care is your concern, the medical facilities in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Chiang Mai are excellent. One of the Asia travelers I met was an RN in the US for 20 years, and he finds their medical care better than what’s in the US. If you’re in a more rural area, though, you probably want an evacuation plan in case you become ill.

photo by docnic on flickr