The Best Regions in the World for Retirement 2025
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good afternoon, I’m going to be starting a roaming retiree plan this year, but I’ve gotten conflicting answers on medical care available. What kind of medical plan do I need to live in a country for one month or two say France or Italy? I have international Blue Cross, but I’m told that I would have to pay out-of-pocket and then get reimbursed by the insurance company. Are there any health medical plans if an emergency were to arise in the country? I’m staying in?
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Can we get emails for some of the individuals in the Community Workshop today for specific questions? In particular Jess Ramesch and Bel Woodhouse.
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Hello,
There are English friendly cities in France. One of them is Nice and Paris is good too. Of course you'll pick up a lot of the language when you live there.
Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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Global warming is affecting every continent in the world so I would expect that every country will notice a difference in the years to come. I was concerned about hurricanes where I live here in the Mexican Caribbean but over the last 8 years we haven't seen that much difference. Each year there is a hurricane season but most are tropical storms and don't escalate into hurricanes. Having said that, the risk is always there. It is the same in any tropic region in every country worldwide so if this is of concern, I would recommend to just have a little Google search and see how it has affected the countries you are interested in moving to.
Bel- IL Mexico Correspondent. -
Healthcare in Portugal is excellent, especially in the private sector. The only company that covers those over age 70 is called MGEN. You can go online and request a quote to give you an idea of cost. Just to to give you an idea my husband is 70 and I am 64 and we pay around 550 euros per month for the two of us, and the coverage is excellent. We are with another company because we have been here for 6 years.
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Hello,
You can get international health insurance to cover you while you're in France. That being said, anyone can make an appoint at the doctor here and it will cost you €25 - the fees for healthcare are very low compared to the US. You can also use any French medical services while you're here, if you need them.Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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In my situation I can't afford to keep paying rent AND travel. Maybe yours is different and you can travel while you make up your mind about going all in. Also, the cost of shipping goods internationally is prohibitive for most and you can buy everything you need once you find housing. Or rent a furnished place for the first year. Lots to think about!
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try Panama Relocation Tours. a TON of info
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Beach areas in Portugal just like the rest of the world get tourists in the summer, and we just need to deal with it., there is no way around it. We live in the Algarve, the area I am talking about here and we put up with summer tourists to enjoy the best weather in EUrope the rest of the year.
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If you have a VPN connection, pause it and reload the page. The workshop should come up shortly after. Hope that helps.
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Hello,
Yes, there are storage units in France you can use. A good idea would be to start researching moving companies or shipping providers to have an idea of the cost to move your items.
Tuula, IL France Correspondent
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try Panama Relocation Services. a TON of info
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As others have mentioned here - thank you all for chiming in - Panama runs the Panama Canal, not China.
As a non-political "autonomous" entity the Canal is not affected by changes in presidents/administrations.
Panamanian enginners, geologists and others were already working at the Canal alongside Americans long before Panama took over running the Canal.
Panama was prepared by the US to run the waterway over a 20-year transition period, as laid out in the Torrijos-Carter treaty. Panama has been running the Canal extremely successfully since Panama officially took over in 1999 (so we're talking over two decades, 25+ years)
I do understand these concerns are coming from comments the type of which are unprecedented by a US president or president-elect.
I may not be able to predict exactly what's in store but we have good reason to expect that on a macro level things won't be changing much.
Some of you may be justifiably concerned because there just isn't a lot of LatAm foreign policy info or past examples to go on. Over the past years particularly with the covid crisis as a major concern, LatAm has not received nearly as much attention from the US government and now we're seeing new focus and interest.
But I agree with the experts who say: Looks like it’s all about 1- pressuring countries like Panama to do even more to try stem the refugee tide and 2- the always popular topic of tariffs and trade. Not any real belief that any US leader could rally enough support to “invade and annex Panama” or "take back the Canal."
With Panama's stellar track record and long history of close ties with the US (and a long list of other countries) I like many others here am still feeling great about my decision to live in this incredibly peaceful country often referred to as the Switzerland of Central America.
(This moniker stems from Panama's commitment - as home of the Panama Canal - to stay neutral. Panama has no military. The country has this year once again rotated into a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2025 & 2026. Panama became a sovereign republic with major support from the US over 100 years ago, in 1903. Panama has used the US dollar for over 100 years. The long history of friendship and respect between the US and Panama cannot be overstated.)
Best,
IL Panama Editor Jess Ramesch -
Ronan is very excited about Northern Portugal, expecially Caminha. Are there expats who live in the area. What is the winter weather in Northern Portugal. I am very interested in moving to Portugal. I am a 75 yr single woman. Is it practicle for me to move to Eruope? I lived in Italy when I was much yournger and loved it.
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Yes absolutely, I have several friends that go back to the US or Canada to use their Medicare. In Mexico there is excellent health care and it's very affordable. You can use the public system, have private health insurance, or just pay as you go. For health insurance, I would recommend contacting an insurance broker that specializes in living abroad like VITALSURANCE. Gabriel has a lot of information and you can find him at www.Vitalsurance.com
Bel - IL Mexico Correspondent.
Where is the Silver Coast? You mentioned it was north of the Algarve.