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"I just got sick of living for vacations, you know?" says Connecticut native Rebekah Bottone. "Counting down the days to those two weeks where you get to be who you really are? Here, I get to be me all the time." Rebekah doesn't have to live for vacations anymore. Not since moving to Tamarindo—a surf town on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
I recently spent some time in the charming seaside city of Durrës, quite by accident. With the COVID-19 restrictions still lingering into 2022, I was denied entry to Malta traveling from a “dark red” country. Malta has a rotating stoplight chart (green-amber-red-dark red) based on infection numbers and other factors. Therefore, I was required to find a red country...
Affordable healthcare, a slower pace of life, reduced stress—there is a long shopping list of factors to consider when you make the decision to move abroad. For many, finances might top that list. For others, perhaps it’s a longing for adventure, or an urge to live in a more pleasant climate. These are the big things; the non-negotiables.
Most of the time, countries cut off the family tree at grandparent. A tiny few go back to great-grandparent. Italy goes so far as great-great-grandfather. And then there’s Hungary. The country quietly passed a citizenship law in 2011 that might just be the most generous citizenship-by-ancestry plan ever. If you can prove that anyone in your family tree was Hungarian...
The Costa del Sol is aptly named. This stretch of Mediterranean shoreline promises 320 days of sunshine a year, making it popular with expats escaping northern Europe’s frigid winters. International communities thrive in small cities strung like pearls along the coast. This geology, flora, coastline, and bright winter sun remind me...
Whenever I mention I live in Greece, people get a faraway look in their eyes and often share with me that they had a really amazing Greek holiday at some point in their past. They tell me about island hopping after college, a Santorini hotel they stayed at for their honeymoon...
White-sand beaches, turquoise waters, a tropical climate, and the world’s second-largest barrier reef system offshore make this a physically beautiful region that offers every sort of water sport imaginable. Throw in the rich Maya culture found inland from the beach, and you have a region that offers something for practically everyone.
Halfway between Valencia and Alicante, you’ll find one of the most appealing coastal towns in the country. Dénia lies at the northern edge of the spectacular, 120-mile-long Costa Blanca, a region renowned for blue water, soft, sandy beaches, and enough history, nightlife, outdoor fun, and yummy local food to enchant any visitor.
For less than $200,000 in 2017, we purchased a fully furnished home in a gated community. Our neighbors are a wonderful mix of local business owners and professionals from Mexico, the U.S., Canada, and even Holland and Austria. After breakfast, I head down to my home office to work a remote position in the U.S. I only work 20 or so hours a week to maintain...
In the town of Saint-Remy-de-Provence, Keith and Val discovered rich cuisine, sun-splashed farmers’ markets, and a certain quality of light illuminating the fabled Alpilles (“little Alps”) mountain range at sunset.