Here’s the last in our 12 Days of Christmas series of gift-giving ideas for expats. Everything recommended in Days 1-12 will help you or someone near and dear to you plan and execute their overseas move.

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!

It’s been a while since I shared some of the expat-related blogs and websites I’ve been reading. Time for another roundup of interesting blogs by and about expats! Here are an even dozen for your enjoyment.

Africa

Africa Expat Wives, a UK citizen moves to Africa two days after her marriage, and raises a family there.

Middle East

Intercultural Meanderings. Lynne Diligent, a long-time expat and Middle Eastern resident since 1990, writes about interesting questions relating to intercultural business, expat issues and multicultural issues.

Asia

Our Big Expat Adventure, moving the family from Australia to Singapore.

The Dropout Diaries. No, not education related, this is one person’s account of packing it all in and going to China to teach. . . and what happens next.

The Sublime Portal, an online community and reference sites for all things Turkey.

Europe

Kitchen Chinese Adventures in Food, France and Beyond with chef and journalist Ann Mah.

Expat-En-Provence, tales of a young American woman in the south of France.

Central and South America

What’s Up El Salvador, an American woman falls in love with El Salvador and moves there with her husband and young daughter.

Xpat Escape tells about one woman’s move to Panama, with stunningly gorgeous photos.

Ecuador 4 U, a lovely photo blog about life in Ecuador.

Global Nomads

The Displaced Nation, a site devoted to global nomads.

Unwire Me — Work Anytime from Anywhere. All about portable careers.

If you’d like to see more of the sites I follow, check out my bookmarks page on Delicious.com – it’s all there!

Do you have an expat blog or website you’d like to recommend? You can share it on Facebook, or add it to the Comments below.

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 earned it a spot as a UNESCO World Heritage city. In fact, say the Zimmermans, they are exactly 55 steps from the city’s colonial heart, the picturesque and lively Parque Calderon, putting them at the hub of every festival that this renowned “City of Festivals” celebrates.



“The pleasure of being in this vibrant city keeps us feeling energized, fit, and young,” says Kent. “Our place has a wonderful penthouse deck looking straight across the street at the sparkling blue-tiled domes of the huge cathedral that anchors the park. The deck has become our outdoor dining room, because the temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit all year.”

The healthy, relaxed, and friendly lifestyle the Zimmerman’s found in Cuenca is just one of the reasons Ecuador tops International Living’s Annual Retirement Index for the second year running.

“Ecuador is simply the world’s most affordable retirement haven,” says Eoin Bassett, editor of International Living magazine, which published the complete 2010 Retirement Index in its September issue.

“In Ecuador, there’s something for everyone,” says Bassett, “beaches, rural highlands, jungle escapes, colonial cities. You can find a four-course lunch for $2. A taxi ride in the capital, Quito, costs $1. You can stay in a nice hotel for less than $20 or get a 30-minute massage for $15.”

In addition, says Bassett, Ecuador offers the best-value real estate in Latin America. “You can find a brand-new two-bedroom, two-bath condo—with city or ocean views—for less than $50,000. A hacienda-style home in the mountains lists for $90,000. A high-end home with floor- to-ceiling windows on two acres of hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean goes for $83,000.”

But as the Zimmermans and hundreds of other North American expats have found, the real draw is the climate. The beaches are tropical, but in the Andes Mountains, the weather is mild and spring-like. And because Ecuador lies on the equator, the weather is constant year around. In Ecuador you chose your ideal climate simply by choosing your elevation.

In addition to the ideal weather and low cost of living, Ecuador also offers top-notch health care and some appealing benefits for retirees, including half-price airfares and other transportation costs, and big discounts on a variety of other expenses like taxes, utilities, and entertainment.

All these qualities combined to earn Ecuador the #1 spot on International Living’s 2010 Annual Retirement Index.

To determine the Annual Retirement Index, Bassett says 25 countries are analyzed and ranked in categories including real estate costs, special benefits offered to retirees, culture, safety and stability, health care, climate, infrastructure, and cost of living.

“We give top priority to those things that matter most to retirees, such as special retiree benefit programs that include tax breaks and discounts,” says Bassett. “Ecuador first won the top honor in 1999, and it has been high on the list ever since.”

On this year’s Annual Retirement Index, the world’s top five retirement havens are Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, France and Italy.

The United States moved up seven spots on the 2010 Index, reaching #15 for 2010 from a ranking of #22 last year. Total score for the U.S. was hurt by relatively high cost of living and high carrying costs for real estate such as taxes and insurance. The United Kingdom comes in at #22 this year, and Thailand takes #25.

Bassett says that to determine the index rankings, data is analyzed in eight categories from a huge range of sources.

“Then we run the results past our in-country experts for their judgments based on their first-hand experience,” says Bassett. “So it’s not a purely by-the-numbers, scientific call… it’s more nuanced. We’ve crunched the numbers, but we’ve also made adjustments based on what we know to be the reality on the ground.”

“No place gets a perfect score,” says Bassett. “Every place has pros and cons, pockets where living is easier, or cheaper, than another. But all of the countries in our Index have something to offer. Even if they score poorly in a specific category, they’re still the best places in the world to retire that we’ve found.”

The top 10 best places to retire, with possible points out of 100, are:

1. Ecuador – 81

2. Panama – 80

3. Mexico – 79

4. France – 78

5. Italy – 78

6. Uruguay – 77

7. Malta – 76

7. Malta – 76

8. Chile – 76

9. Spain – 75

10. Costa Rica – 75

This is the 18th year that International Living, founded in 1981, has compiled its Annual Retirement Index. See here for the complete 2010 Annual Retirement Index.

In a few days, my youngest child is going off to college in another state.

photo by Robert S. Donovan on flickr

Theoretically it won’t matter to them whether the plane takes off from Orlando or from Panama City, Panama, Quito, Ecuador or Cancun, Mexico.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple — when is it ever?

We do have one big hurdle to jump before we go anywhere. You see, we’re driving her up to her college, and stopping on the way to spend a couple of days with my husband’s parents. They’re the family members who seem to be having the hardest time with our plans to leave the country.

Either our plans will be the 800 pound gorilla in the room, or we’ll (hopefully) be able to talk honestly with them and leave them feeling more comfortable with what we’re doing.



I’m certainly hoping for the latter.

Frankly, their attitude has surprised me so far. Perhaps it’s because I’m hearing what they say through a filter, since it’s my husband who’s been speaking with them about it. I definitely want to hear from them directly.

There are several reasons I’ve been surprised at their attitude:

• My in-laws are seasoned travelers. In just the past couple of years they’ve been to several European countries, Mexico, Panama and Canada. Years ago, my father-in-law worked for a number of months in Saudi Arabia.
• They’ve also lived all over the US: upstate New York, California, Georgia, North Carolina and Washington, DC.
• My mother-in-law uses Skype more than I do, so they know how easy it is to communicate via internet.
• We already live a good 8 hour drive away from them, and flying time isn’t much less when you add the time to and from the airport.

So I’m hoping we can defuse whatever fears they may have. Wish me luck!

For a change of pace today, I thought I’d share with you some YouTube videos about expats and their new homes. A quick YouTube search of “expat” turns up over 4,000 videos. As you’d expect, some are good, some are terrible and most are in between. Some are slick, commercially produced efforts, most are not. The ones I find most interesting are individuals who shares specifics about their new homes.



I’ve chosen 14 videos worth a look. We’ll come back to this from time to time, so please don’t think I’m ignoring large chunks of the world.

Latin America

1. Retire Early in Mexico

2. Live, work and retire in Mexico. This video looks specifically at Merida, on the Yucatan Peninsula.
3. Living in Mexico, Moving to Mexico and Retiring in Mexico. An American couple moves to San Miguel de Allende.
4. A Retirement in Panama: Everything Under the Sun. This is a professionally created video by International Living.
5. Ecuador – One Man’s Dream
6. To Live in Cuenca, Ecuador
7. Cuenca Day and Night
8. Costa Rica Expat interviews w/Wayne

Asia

1. The Expat Life: Dumpling 101 An adventure in Chinese cooking. This is a really cute video of a US expat in China trying to make Chinese dumplings, to his daughter’s disapproval.

2. Life in Korea. The first month’s of a young American teacher’s adventures in Korea.
3. Life as an Expat in Thailand: Getting a Job
4. How to Live and Work as a Teacher in Thailand
5. Why Malaysia? A British expat explains his reasons.
6. Expat Women in Hong Kong Society. This video gives a glimpse of the down side of expatriation — what do you know when the society you’re living in doesn’t want to mingle with you?

Last month I listed 9 Expat Blogs that I personally follow. Got such a great response I thought I’d add a few more. This list is focused on Central and South America, and I’ll add more recommendations later for other regions.

Personal Blogs

1. Expat Alley. Tom Frost shares his expat knowledge and interviews other expats. Originally from Oregon, USA, Tom has lived in Japan, Mexico, Argentina and is currently establishing a farm in Uruguay.

2. Flavors of Ecuador author Carrie explores Ecuadorian culture and history through one of my favorite media, food. Yummy pictures throughout! (Warning — when I’ve visited, the site has loaded rather slowly, but it’s worth the wait.)
3. From LA to BA. Argentine native grew up in Los Angeles, then moved back to Buenos Aires.
4. Balanced Melting Pot. Haitian national grew up in the US, then went back to Haiti and now lives and raises her family in Caracas, Venezuela.
5. Living in Patagonia. US couple from Lake Tahoe moved to Patagonia, Argentina.
6. 2 Gringos in the Caribbean. Couple moved, with their child and dog, from the northeast US to Turks & Caicos Islands.

   Professional Blogs

7. Yucatan Living. Online magazine for expats in the Yucatan, and for those considering the Yucatan as a destination for retiring, starting a business or owning a second home.

8. Nomadas Globales Argentina. Intercultural training and coaching from Natalia Sarro.
9. Expat Daily News, with editions for Central America and South America.
10. Traveling4Health. Excellent resources for both medical tourists and expats.

Do you have a favorite expat blog (or blogs) that you would like to recommend? Just click the comment button below. We love new blog recommendations!

About 500 people are gathered in Quito, Ecuador right now for International Living‘s Ultimate Event 2010. They’re learning about life in a bunch of countries where it’s possible to live well on $2,000 a month or less. Can’t be there with them? They’re offering the Ultimate Event 2010 Conference-At-Home Kit, and guaranteeing satisfaction. “If This Information Doesn’t Help You, Pay Nothing” they state. Substantial discounts are available if you order now.

by Suzan Haskins, International Living

Back in the U.S. another winter storm threatens the east coast, stock prices are diving thanks to high unemployment rates, the painful health care debate continues to make us all sick, and Conan O’Brien is in the news. For joining Twitter.

Who cares…about any of it?

Nothing works back home any more…from health care to child care, from banks to politics, from cars to bars. OK, the bars still work. But who really wants to pay $8 for a draft beer these days? Not me, and especially not when I can get a 22-ounce bottle of Pilsener, a mighty fine beer, here in Ecuador for $1. (And a full four-course meal for $2. And a three-bedroom condo for less than $50,000.)

Wouldn’t it be nice to fall in love with your life again? To find a place with better views out your windows, better weather, a lower cost of living, and where things really work?

According to Lee Harrison, who has lived in Ecuador, Brazil and Uruguay:

“Everything [in Uruguay] runs like clockwork. All the roads are safe and well-kept, the parks are clean, the hardware stores and grocery stores are well-stocked, trains and buses run on time….”

And the cost of living is low. In Montevideo, Uruguay’s famous colonial city, Lee showed us photos of a two-bedroom apartment in a building offered for $65,000. “This is a nice apartment—I would happily live in it,” he said.

Glynna Prentice acknowledges that Mexico, where she lives, isn’t the least-expensive country. But, she says, in Mexico you can get government health insurance for $300 or less a year. And that includes all your prescription medications.

A private insurance plan, she says, is half the cost you pay at home, as are out-of-pocket expenses.

And this isn’t publicized, but Mexico offers a great retirement program for anyone living there as a resident. Lots of discounts on things like restaurants, cultural activities and medical care.

Glynna says Mexico may be the easiest country for a foreigner to get a resident visa in.

But Lee Harrison says that about Uruguay, where he plans to apply for permanent citizenship. And Dan Prescher says the same about Belize and its famous Qualified Retirement Program, which allows a host of benefits including importing your household goods, vehicle and boat duty-free and tax residency…whether you actually live there or not.

Belize may be the easiest country to relocate to—especially if you’re concerned about the difficulties of learning a foreign language.

There’s so much more to tell you! But of course, I can’t type up everything that’s happened here in Quito. In just two days so far, we’ve already spent 13 hours in presentations and workshops. And we have two days yet to go!

We’ve learned about the best countries for second citizenship, the best countries to obtain residency easily and at little cost, and which provide free or very low-cost health care to residents.

That definitely helps us know where to look to find the location of our dreams. And thanks to our speakers, we now have a very good idea of how much it will cost us to live in these countries, including the costs to buy a home, apartment, or acreage.

Would you like to learn more about all the countries and opportunities we’re discovering here at the Ultimate Event? Let me tell you how you can…

We’re putting together a complete package of nearly everything that’s happening at this event, with audio recordings of all 76 of the presentations.

We’re also making copies of all the speaker handouts, PowerPoint and visual presentations. And, of course, the complete dossier we give to each attendee when they showed up here at the Swissotel in Quito.

It’s the Ultimate Event 2010 Conference-at-Home Kit—and it covers every aspect of the 2010 Ultimate Event.

Would you be interested in attending a conference or workshop to learn more about living overseas? Have you ever attended one? Share your thoughts by clicking the comment link below.

Don’t miss another Future Expats update! Sign up for convenient email RSS delivery here.

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I have a confession to make. I love chocolate. It’s my drug of choice, my not-so-secret pleasure.

That’s why I was tickled recently to find that Ecuador, one of the countries we’re considering as a place to live, is a good source of the luscious beans. According to MarketWire,

“Where do the Swiss go to buy the best chocolate in the world? The Trade Commission of Ecuador says it’s a little known fact that Swiss chocolatiers have been traveling to South America for centuries, specifically Ecuador, to stock up on Arriba Nacional cacao.”

Eduardo Borrero, Ecuadorian trade commissioner, stated in the same article:

“Ecuadorian chocolate is organic, sustainable, fair trade, superior in quality and when Americans discover they can drastically reduce their carbon footprint by cutting out the ‘middleman’ they will take a serious look at the label for the word ‘Arriba’ before their next chocolate purchase.”

I say, “bring it on!”

The World Wide Chocolate website describes Ecuadorian Arriba chocolate as:

“a special cocoa varietal with a perfumed floral scent. Its flavor is smooth, with a dominant jasmine note and nutty after-tones.”

National Geographic Traveler describes the Kallari Association, a chocolate cooperative which grows the cacao and makes the chocolate. According to the article by Sarah Aldrich, Association members have the opportunity to earn a living without clearcutting the Amazon rainforest. So we can feel really good about eating their product!

Ecuador just moved up a few points in my “next country to live in” stakes.

Would locally grown cacao induce you to choose one country to live in over another? Weigh in by clicking the comment link below.

International Living’s annual Quality of Life Index. Every year, IL produces a Quality of Life index, which usually differs quite a bit from their recommendations on best places to retire. France has topped the list for several years running.

1. France (was #1 last year as well)
2. Australia (moved up from #5 in 2009)
3. Switzerland (down one spot)
4. Germany (up from the #8 spot in 2009)
5. New Zealand (up from #9)
6. Luxembourg (down from #4)
7. USA (down from #3)
8. Belgium (down from #6)
9. Canada (a big jump up, from #19)
10. Italy (down from #7)

Top Ten Retirement Havens from Live and Invest Overseas

1. Argentina
2. Belize
3. Chile
4. Croatia
5. Dominican Republic
6. France
7. Malaysia
8. Panama
9. Uruguay
10. Vietnam

Mercer’s Best Cities for 2009:

1. Vienna, Austria (1st)
2. Zurich, Switzerland (2nd)
3. Geneva, Switzerland (3rd )
4. Vancouver, Canada (tied 4th)
5. Auckland, New Zealand (tied 4th)

Forbes list of The World’s Most Expensive Cities to Live. According to Forbes, the 10 most expensive cities are:

1. Tokyo, Japan
2. Osaka, Japan
3. Moscow, Russia
4. Geneva, Switzerland
5. Hong Kong, China
6. Zurich, Switzerland
7. Copenhagen, Denmark
8. New York, USA
9. Beijing, China
10. Singapore

2009 Best Retirement Havens, according to International Living:

1. Cuenca, Ecuador
2. Merida, Mexico
3. Coronado, Panama
4. Punta del Este, Uruguay
5. Calitri, Italy

So there you have it. Some highly respected lists from 2009, and one for 2010.

Best wishes for a happy expat New Year!

I thought I’d post a list of some well known and not-so-well known personal expat blogs to enjoy over the long Labor Day (in the US anyway) weekend. In no particular order. . .

• Bleeding Espresso, by an American who moved from Pennsylvania to her ancestors’ village in Italy.

• Chris Winchester, who moved very recently from the UK to New Zealand, and who promised to write a guest post here but hasn’t gotten around to it yet. (Wink!)
• Mid-Atlantic English, subtitled “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Host Culture.
  
  
  
  

• Jim & Carole’s Mexico Adventure. A former community organizer and his wife moved to Ajicic, Mexico and photo-blog about it.
• Cuenca, Ecuador, New Life in Retirement. A CPA and an acupuncturist retire to Cuenca. I especially like his commentary about their multi-year process of deciding where to retire, and then implementing their plan!

  I’ll try to post more links to expat blogs once a month or so. I find them fascinating, and hope you do too.

  If you have a favorite blog you’d like to recommend, contact me or click the Comment link below to pass along the information.

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