Retirement Without Borders: How to Retire Abroad in Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, Costa Rica, Panama, and Other Sunny Foreign Places (And the Secret to Making it Happen Without Stress) »

Barry Golson tried to retire, but put it on hold to launch a travel website for Forbes.com. He and his wife Thia are also researching a new book on living abroad to be called Retirement Without Borders. Golson is a former editor of the Playboy interviews, TV Guide, and Yahoo! Internet Life. He has written for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Ski, and Salon. His article for AARP on Mexico won a Lowell Thomas award. He and Thia divide their time between New York and Sayulita, and look forward someday to re-retiring.

Barry Golson knows all about retiring abroad — he and his wife, Thia, have lived in six different countries. Now they choose expatriate-friendly locales around the world for their low cost and their high quality of living and explain how to investigate and settle in each country with minimum hassle and maximum pleasure.

Taking you step-by-step through the process of researching, testing, and finally living abroad, the Golsons' practical how-to guide covers all the major issues, including health care, finances, real estate, taxes, and immigration. Each location is profiled by an expatriate writer who has made that country his or her home and who knows how to answer all the questions about living richly and economically in some of the world's most beautiful places.

Prologue 1

Chapter 1 Daydreams: Ten Reasons to Consider Moving Abroad 6

Chapter 2 Reality Check: Uh-oh: Seven Reasons Not to Retire Abroad 13

Chapter 3 Medical Checkup: Health: The Big One 20

Chapter 4 Do Your Home Work: At Last: Real Estate! Our Secret Sauce 29

Chapter 5 Do the Math: Money: OK, Maybe This Is the Big One 37

Chapter 6 Test Yourself: Checklist: What's Important to You (and Your Spouse) 45

Chapter 7 Get Your Grades: A Report Card 55

Chapter 8 Add It Up: How Much Will I Need to Live On? 64

Country by Country: Prepare to Submerge

Latin America: Wait! Pop Quiz! Should You Retire in Mexico? 71

Chapter 9 Mexico: The Primary Destination 74

Chapter 10 Belize: The English-spoken Enclave 122

Chapter 11 Nicaragua: Coming Up on the Radar 144

Chapter 12 Costa Rica: The Peaceful One 168

Chapter 13 Panama: Best Retirement Benefits 195

Chapter 14 Field Trip: Panama's New Settlers 213

Europe: Wait! Pop Quiz! Should You Retire in France? 228

Chapter 15 France: La Grande Dame 231

Chapter 16 Italy: La Dolce Vita 260

Chapter 17 Croatia: The New Frontier 288

Chapter 18 Spain: The Possible Dream 309

Chapter 19 Portugal: Touch of Old Europe 332

Chapter 20 Also Consider ...: A Sampler of Other Retirement Destinations 355

Argentina

Australia

The Caribbean

Ecuador

Greece

Honduras

New Zealand

The Philippines

Thailand

Chapter 21 Volunteering Without Borders 366

Acknowledgments 373

Appendix 1 The Charts 375

Appendix 2 Trend Spotting: A Chat with the Professor of Expatology 379

Resources 383

Index 403