The Best Places in the World to Retire in 2025 Workshop
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Is it cheaper and easy to ship a car to Panama, Costa Rica or Portugal or purchase a car in country?
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Female - 84 in February, 2025
Active and mentally alert/Multi-lingual
Somewhat limited financial resources
Any suggestions? -
France is great for live music! All around the country... Every June 21st, they have a national music festival where bands, singers, etc play all around France, even in small villages. Loads of jazz festivals, especially in the summer. Nice, Toulon, and Antibes, to name a few.
Check out "Fete de la Musique" on Google.-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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Are you recording this so I can share it with my Fiance' No need to answer live
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In Costa Rica, to maintain temporary residency, you depending on the type of residency you have, you need to spend 3-4 months in the country (I need to confirm with my laywer). Once you obtain permanent residency, you need to visit Costa Rica once a year to keep your status (for 3 days).
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Hello,
For France, the visa is not too difficult. Many IL readers have done it on their own. You can see the steps on the IL website. I do have attorney contacts if you need them. Also, Adrian Leeds is the French real estate expert if you'd like to contact her.-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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Hi Wendy,
You'll need to note each country's particularities individually. Panama has one of the world's most stable banking centers so many expats have accounts in the US and here in Panama.
Research your US banks before a move abroad. Some banks—like Charles Schwab—may be able to offer you important perks like foreign ATM fee reimbursement. Others—like Capital One—may offer credit cards with zero foreign currency fees.
Best,
Jess Ramesch, IL Panama Editor -
Hi Pat,
I know there is a beautiful CCRC here in Mexican Caribbean, in Cancun. I spoke to the owners at our big annual Bootcamp in Las Vegas last month and it was also a lot more affordable. The name of the place is Kiosko and here is the link to their website - https://kioskoseniorliving.com/. I hope that helps.
Warm Regards,
Bel Woodhouse - Mexico Correspondent. -
Hello,
For France, you can expect to pay $1800 a year, or less, per person for healthcare. There are no age restrictions and the public system provides great care.-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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Hi Doug, yes we are. The recording will be posted on this page afterwards.
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Hello,
If you contact the correspondents, they can usually set you up with some expat contacts that live in the spot you'd like to visit. In France, there's an app where you can search for English-speaking doctors, if that's helpful.
-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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Hello,
No, there are no health restrictions for France.
-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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Hi,
Most places in Mexico are very open to foreigners and the warmth of the Mexican people means it's easy to meet people and form friendships or something more.
As for being a writer, I myself am a writer and have never had any issues. We have excellent internet, and places like San Miguel de Allende in Mexico has a wonderful creative expat community full of writers. They also hold an annual literary festival which attracts thousands of participants from all over the world so I'm sure you would meet some amazing people in San Miguel.
Regards,
Bel - Il Mexico Correspondent. -
I have a unique question...I started playing Senior Softball here in Florida last year, and I really enjoy it. Does Panama have any Senior Softball leagues or pickup games? I know baseball is popular there. I'd be interested to see if Mexico or Costa Rica has Senior Softball also, but I would tend to think not...Thanks!
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In Mexico, you'll find options in San Miguel de Allende and in Lake Chapala. Here's a piece we ran a little bit ago with Three Case Studies for Long-Term Care in Mexico that should give you some insights:
https://members.internationalliving.com/articles/three-case-studies-on-affordable-long-term-care-in-mexico-mag-10-2019/Tuula mentioned they exist in France as well.
Related: you might find this article useful, too, just FYI... Medical Tourism: How Insiders Afford New Hips, Hair Plugs, and Facelifts https://magazine.internationalliving.com/internationalliving/library/item/october_2023/4138620/
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Hello,
You should have some luck with France. They have in-home health aides and care homes if that is a needed. You could start to do some research to find what's available in the area of the country where you'd like to move.-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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I love how someone recommended Facebook groups. I would totally see if there are any single or expat groups where you want to visit to reach out and see what is available.
I am a single woman in Costa Rica; I have always felt safe here, even when I was young.er I always compared Costa Rica to Jamaica, where I was horrified at what the people yelled at me on the street-- it was so vulgar compared to what I had experienced in Costa Rica prior to that trip.
I always suggest not meeting people alone and being in a group setting in a busy place, not walking at night alone, and following one's gut feelings.
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Hello,
I think France is good... especially the south of France or Paris. There are several gay expat couples that I know who have moved here. They found the south the most welcoming outside of Paris.
-Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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UK has horrendous waits to see a dr. how are wait times in the countries you mention?