International Living Community

Hi Sherryl, I'm Bel, the Mexico Correspondent and yes, there are expats living in Mazatlan. Here are a coupld of Facebook groups: Mazatlan Expats and Mazatlan Buy and Sell so you have contacts for those living there right now to answer your questions. https://www.facebook.com/groups/421874412236301 https://www.facebook.com/groups/498042901476569

It's hard to go wrong RLBarker, there are so many great options that you're better off deciding which country you'd love to spend time in and then zeroing in on towns within that country with good language programs. That said I think Panama, where I live, is a great option. There's a Spanish school in the capital's colonial sector, Casco Viejo, that gets great reviews and the owner has spoken at IL Event in Panama so we know the school is real (IL's annual Fast Track Panama conference), see https://cascospanish.com/. Many say the easiest Latin American Spanish accent to learn in is Mexican or Colombian. I find the accent in Panama City to be very straightforward, it's not sing-songy but rather more like newscaster accents. Outside of Panama City if you get into rural parts you will find that people speak a bit differently (clipping words/omitting the end syllable, for example) but this is true in much of Latin America (easier for learners to understand "posher" accents in cities versus rural parts) If you love countries like Argentina and Uruguay then that's a quite different type of Spanish so you'd maybe want to go to a school that can teach you Rioplatense Spanish. And if you fancy spending a lot of time in Spain, same thing - it's a quite different version Spanish, probably best to study it in Spain itself. ~IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

Hi, IL Events should be able to help you with that, go to https://internationalliving.com/contact-us/ and send them a note or call the listed number (there's a toll-free and a direct dial).

Hi Bekah, Thanks so much for the valuable insights. Will definitely get in touch with the attorney you highly recommended. Be happy and healthy! Joan

Hello! You can set up a Wise account before you leave to France. You don’t need a French bank account to apply for the visa. With a Wise account you have a European routing number so you can secure a short term or long-term rental, set up utilities, and mobile phone service, etc. Then when you arrive in France, you can walk into an establishment to set up a brick and mortar French account. I hope that is helpful, please let me know if you have any follow-up questions. Tuula Rampont, IL France Correspondent

Hi Cheri, That is very cool! And actually great timing... I wrote a comprehensive guide to the Olympics that is going to be published in the June edition of IL. Keep an eye out for it in the coming weeks. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to post them, or email me directly: france@internationalliving.com. IL France Correspondent, Tuula Rampont

Im young at heart and spirit but old in number hehe im here to get to know much more

Hi, emergency healthcare is actually not free in Greece. I was on the island of Crete just last year and had to go to the hospital. I got excellent care, the doctors spoke great English and explained things more thoroughly that what I have had in Canada. That said, the visit was not free. I had to pay around $100 - $125 Euros after I was seen. You also have to pay immediately before you leave the hospital. Can be in cash or cc. This is coming from my time as a tourist there. If you are a resident, EU passport holder - maybe healthcare it's free.

Yes, recent changes to Belize's QRP (Qualified Retirement Program) have reduced the age at which you can apply to 40 as well as added a number of accepted ways you can prove that you meet the $2,000 per month in retirement income. To get the latest on this program, visit: https://www.belizetourismboard.org/

I just wanted to add that Semana Santa (Holy Week) is a very busy time (big vacation time for Ticos) on the beaches and one of the most expensive times too. You may see prices increase during that time. If you have trouble finding something that week or notice prices are super high, it may be a good time to visit some places inland and then return back to the beach after Easter. Just an idea. Have you thought about which beach area you prefer? Choose from the following: Guancaste, Nicoya, the Central Pacific coast, the South Pacific coast, or the Carribbean coast. Guanacaste is the dryest area and the South Pacific and Carribbean are the wetest ones. Yet March and April are the end of the dry seaon in Costa Rica.

By the way, if you have good reviews on Airbnb, those can help convince a homeowner to give you a shot even if you have no reviews on THS.com. (I am a "host" on THS and have seen some sitters link to their Airbnb profiles.) As a somewhat nervous home and cat owner I never consider applicants unless they have at least three five-star reviews (these generally show that the person is caring with animals and also takes good care of the homes they are entrusted with). That said, there have to be hosts our there who are willing to give new sitters their first break. As a host I have 6 sits under my belt and each has been a five-star experience. Here are some insights: I only consider applicants who 1- send a coherent message with their application, showing that they've read my listing with care (many do not; my listing states that these will be automatically rejected), 2- have a lot of cat-sitting experience as evidenced by their reviews (many sitters have experience with dogs and not cats), and 3- are self-professed cat-lovers (extra points if they say they have/have had their own). Once I've verified that the candidate(s) look good on paper, I always have a zoom call and only then, if my gut feeling is that we are a good match, do I offer them the sit.

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!

Your response was so helpful - thank you very much!

Hi Don and Yvonne, To aswer you question I would need a lot more information. Are you asking about income tax, property tax, corporate tax, etc.? Are you looking for a tax expert in Spain? I would like to answer better, but I need a more specific question with details. Regards, Sally

Currently Canadian citizens can visit Panama as tourists for up to 180 days without any special visa. It's a good idea to make sure each person's passport has over a year left on it if you're coming down for a six month stay. (Good rule of thumb for travel to any country: make sure your passport has more than 6 months left before it expires.) Panama is a popular destination for tourists and expats because it's generally safe and prosperous, you can read lots more more about it in International Living magazine (visit www.InternationalLiving.com, log in/click "members site" to search the archive).

I agree with Jim, above. In places like Coronado, where there are typially plenty of options, I will sometimes book myself into an Airbnb for a few days and then go to see longer-term options in person, tapping the expat facebook groups for recommendations as Jim mentions above.

Loads more great informaion fond in the Escape to Portugal guidebook.