International Living Community

Hi Giles,

Congratulations on your upcoming trip! Spain and Portugal are both beautiful European countries, with a lot to offer visitors and expats.

There’s a lot to recommend in each country, and no way I can cover it all here (or you can see it all in just one month). But let’s look at some options.

We’ll start with Portugal.

Obviously, Lisbon, Porto, and the Algarve are the main places that most first-time visitors will want to see.

But for something more unusual, you might consider following in the footsteps of IL contributor Terry Coles, and taking a road trip along Portugal’s “Route 66.” She details her eight-day journey exploring off-the-beaten-path Portugal in this article, which could serve as some inspiration for you.

Last year, we sent three of our editors to explore Portugal top to bottom. I think you’ll find their discoveries pretty useful too, especially Nazareen Heazle’s “Hidden” Algarve… Away From the Crowds. Read the full feature here.

Now, on to Spain.

The major places for tourists are, of course, Barcelona, Madrid, and the Costa del Sol. The Costa Blanca, around Alicante, is also popular with European tourists.

But for some off-the-beaten-path options, IL contributor Tricia Pimental has suggestions for Three Towns Worth Taking a Detour For in this article.

Or if you fancy going a bit farther afield, our Lifestyle Editor Sean Keenan was recently up north in “Green Spain” and loved what he found. Read his full account here.

I hope that’s served as some food for thought to help you plan your visit in March.

If you’d like some more specifics on traveling Spain and Portugal, we have some pre-planned itineraries for both countries available on our Bookstore. These pre-planned routes are designed to be modular, so if you’re spending one week, two weeks, or four weeks in the country, you’ll find an itinerary to suit.

Check out the Portugal itineraries here. And the Spain itineraries here.

Hi Gary,

Great choice on visiting Lima. It’s Peru’s business, culinary, and retail hub and is also home to the country’s largest concentration of expats.

Using taxis overseas can be daunting. We all heard stories of people getting ripped off because they don’t know how to navigate the system. But you just need to follow a few simple rules.

First off, it seems that anybody who is unemployed in Peru attaches a taxi sign to the top of their car and becomes a cab driver. Although most are both safe and fairly priced, you should take precautions, especially late at night.

Taxis are not metered so if the price is not already fixed for specific distances, you will need to negotiate. Be sure to agree on a price before you set off in the taxi.

Registered taxis can be recognized by the yellow stripe across the top of their license plates. It’s always better to have your hotel summon a taxi for you, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the system.

And the taxis available from the airport desks are the best option when you arrive. Unlike other countries, prices are more competitive than the ones you will find outside.

Learn more about Peru on the dedicated pages of our website here.

Hi Aaron,

Your existing credit and debit cards will likely work in Thailand, but using them can be costly.

When you withdraw cash using a foreign card, you’ll be charged an ATM fee of about 220 THB (around $6.12; it will likely appear as part of the withdrawal amount and not as a separate fee on your statement).

Your bank back home may charge its own fees on top of this. Plus, many institutions may give a poor exchange rate and/or charge fees up to as much as 5%.

Credit cards can be used at larger businesses, but some add a fee or surcharge of up to 1.5% , and your bank may apply additional fees and charges.

Before leaving home, tell your bank representative that you’re planning on spending time in Thailand and discuss these fees. You may find that opening an account in a different bank in the U.S., Canada, or wherever home may be, can save you money when you get to Thailand.

Some banks—like Charles Schwab—have special offers for things like foreign ATM fee reimbursement, or better bill paying options, while others (like Capital One) may offer credit cards with no foreign currency fees. You’ll find it well worth your while to research these options exhaustively.

Be sure to check out our dedicated Thailand resource page before you visit.

No, Costa Rica is not in the United States. It is located in Central America and borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. Canadian Passport holders can travel to Costa Rica as tourists for up to a maximum 180 days, no visa is required.

You can find a lot more information on our Visa and Residency in Costa Rica page on the website: https://internationalliving.com/countries/costa-rica/visa/

Hello, hope you had/are having a wonderful time in Panama. Rosalind Baitel was at the conference as an expat speaker, she is not a tour guide. Generally expat speakers participate in IL conferences to talk abut their full and enriching lives as expats. They do not sell real estate or offer tours. In your conference materials you have contact information for Pangea's RETA concierge who can help answer questions about neighborhoods and real estate and put you in contact with brokers who offer tours. Generally speaking you'll spend upwards of $900 a month for an apartment like that in a nice neighborhood in Pamama City and in the city electric is usually billed separately. Happy apartment hunting!