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Before I moved to Ecuador, my idea of restoration was coming home after a long stressful day at work, drinking a few glasses of wine, reading People magazine, tuning into Netflix, and then taking an Ambien to get to sleep. By the weekend, all I wanted to do was lay on the couch. I’d try to motivate myself to go hiking, or bicycling...
It was a cool winter day in the bustling city of Vila Nova de Gaia, just across the bridge from Porto, Portugal’s second largest metropolitan area. New expats Debbie, 57, and David Billings, 70, were out eagerly exploring their newly adopted country. It had only been three months since they landed in Portugal to begin the next chapter of their lives.
Susan, 60, and her husband, Tom Englehart, 71, have immersed themselves in the culture of Portugal’s Silver Coast for over three years now. But Susan and Tom are no strangers to expat life since Portugal is not where their expat story begins. Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Susan worked in the healthcare industry before giving it up to pursue...
When planning your retirement overseas, many factors come into play. Low costs, affordable real estate, and high-quality healthcare are some of the main concerns…but what about being able to mix well with the community or make friends with the locals?
A couple years back, Cristina traded in the concrete jungle for the actual jungle when she moved from the U.S. to Belize’s Toledo District. Last year was her sixth, and was different for a very special reason: she built her first-ever home there…and she did it all for just $18,000.
“We decided to sell our Lisbon apartment and look for a house with some land, but we ended up buying a farm,” Bill says. In central Portugal, the quaint village of Figueiró dos Vinhos is where they found their dream home, casa da lomba. Situated on a large plot of land with fruit trees, vegetation, and even a bio pool, the property offers the couple...
After a while we started to feel a little limited without our own vehicle, and about nine months after moving to Ecuador we finally caved in. So here are the ins and outs of car ownership in Ecuador, and what you might want to know before deciding to buy or not to buy…
Traditional Chilean dishes reflect the country’s many cultural influences, such as Indigenous Mapuche culture and European cuisines, with hints of Arabic culture mixed in. Typical dishes from Chile feature unique species of fish and clams. Many recipes use beans, pumpkin, and corn as staple ingredients. As well, traditional Chilean food tends to include...
We were on the wild east coast where the mighty Atlantic Ocean crashes into the shore. This is not an area for swimming, but surfing or just walking along the beach. The scenery is stunning, unique rock formations jutting out of the ocean, long white silvery sands and the wild blues of an every-changing ocean.
What is an Expat? Our experts discuss what it means to be an expat.