How to Choose the Perfect Country for Your Expat Retirement — without Spending a Fortune

A real map for expats

Nobody can completely take away the challenges of an overseas move. No matter how carefully you plan and prepare, life will invariably throw you some curves and you’ll have to cope with the unexpected, unanticipated, or just plain frustrations that are part of the process. You can lessen that pain by having lots of good [...]

Countdown! When is Moving Out Not Really Moving Out?

the almost-empty living room

Little did I realize, when I told you last week we had vacated the Florida house, that the vacating process would take this long. . . We moved out, with our suitcases, dogs and laptops, one week ago. The estate sale happened on February 18. Somehow, I had visions of walking back in after the [...]

Countdown! On the Move to Panama

traveling light?

Well, it’s official. We’ve vacated our house in Florida. Even as I type this, the estate sales company is in there pulling everything out of cupboards and drawers, tagging it and getting ready to sell it all off on Saturday. And, frighteningly, even though we feel as though we’re selling off everything we own, we [...]

Countdown: All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

Countdown to expat moving day

Tomorrow is February 1, the day we had planned to move to Panama. But we’re not going. Why? Still no tenants for our Florida house. Everything else is poised and ready. Once we get the go-ahead — in the form of a signed lease agreement — we’re ready to whip into our last-minute action. Until [...]

Holding On and Letting Go

Accumulated junk - not mine, thank goodness

My parents both had hoarding tendencies. Oh, I don’t mean their house was like some of those horrible places you see on TV shows — you didn’t have to weave your way through towering piles of old newspapers or anything like that. But they held onto stuff. After my mother died last summer, we found [...]

Countdown! Uncertainty Rules

Countdown to expat moving day

As we approach our planned exit date, uncertainty has taken over. No, not uncertainty about whether we should go, uncertainty about the timing. Until we have a signed lease agreement for our house, we’re not buying tickets or going anywhere. Our rental agent had been very sanguine about finding tenants in the allotted time, but [...]

Leaving the Country – is it Worth the Hassle?

mergozo waterfront

Guest Post by Steve Harris New Year is a time when people take stock of their lot, with many pondering “would I be better off somewhere else?” Millions of Brits live abroad both temporarily and permanently, and if you are considering joining them for an exciting new life in the sun — or just an [...]

Countdown! Less than 30 Days to Panama

Countdown to expat moving day

Wow, the time is really flying by as we get closer to our move to Panama. It seems just last week When I started this weekly recount of all the preparation steps we’d taken toward our upcoming Panama move. But actually, it was two months ago! Now we’re within 30 days of our projected move [...]

Countdown: Why Did I Ever Think Moving Right After Christmas was a Good Idea?

Countdown to expat moving day

Last week we skipped the Countdown post because we were doing the 12 Days of Christmas guide to expat gift-giving, so we’ll combine weeks 6 & 7 this week. In this installment we’ll review the steps we took over the last two weeks toward getting ourselves moved from Orlando to Panama. At this point, I’m [...]

Countdown! Week 5 Already!

Countdown to expat moving day

Wow, I can’t believe this is the fifth week of Countdown! posts. When we got within the 90-day window for our move to Panama, I started this weekly recount of all the preparation steps we’d taken during the week. Any move is a big undertaking, but the first overseas move is ginormous, so I thought [...]