Fast Track Panama Seminar, April 9-11, 2015

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi there everyone

Here’s some helpful information for those of you who’ll be attending the Fast Track Panama Seminar this April!

Hope this helps and you enjoy your trip! Look forward to seeing you at the event!

Best,

Jessica

IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

Here’s some important information to help you plan for your trip to Panama!

The hotel and the area: The seminar will be held at the new Hilton Panama in the Banking District (downtown Panama City). This area features quite a few hotels and restaurants within walking distance. The hotel overlooks the Cinta Costera, a broad avenue lined with pedestrian walkways that is popular for morning and evening walks. (Please wear sunscreen when out of doors during the day!) You will receive an email from International Living Events about any special Hilton hotel rates.

If you’re not staying at the Hilton, you may want to choose a hotel in the downtown area. Hotels are constantly opening in Panama. For help choosing a hotel and other information try review sites such as TripAdvisor.com, as they will have the most updated reviews. Some convenient areas to the Hilton/Banking District include: Bella Vista, Calle Uruguay, Marbella, and El Cangrejo.

The Casco Viejo, Amador, Costa del Este, and Ancon sectors of Panama City are a ways away and may not be the most convenient to travel to and from every day.

Tours: You will be receiving information via email from International Living Events about tours offered immediately after the seminar. These tours are operated by event exhibitors, not by International Living. If you have questions please contact IL Events (contact info below) or, for real estate tour information, contact Pathfinder International (info below).

Also remember, we have tour company information, visa and airport information, and more here on your Panama Insider website and on the forum (check out this post: https://internationalliving.com/forums/topic/helpful-know-before-you-go-travel-tips-and-info/)

Flights: Promotional airfares are often available via Copa/United websites. Panama is served by many of the worlds major airlines. Spirit offers budget flights to Panama.

A few of our editors were recently researching flights to Panama City and came up with some surprising results. Flights that are usually between $500 and $800 were showing for $350 to $450 (perhaps we have the recent fall in fuel prices to thank…we were all hoping to see some sort of benefit from that, right?). I ran a search on January 28 to see if I, too, came up with similar results. I used Kayak.com to compare and my search results turned up flights for as little as:

$411 from Newark on American
$366 from Chicago on Copa
$365 from Los Angeles on Copa
$409 from Houston on American
$391 from Montreal on American (multiple stops)
$744 from Montreal on Copa (non-stop)
$386 from Toronto on American (one stop in Miami)
$731 from Toronto on Copa (non-stop)
$389 from Vancouver on American (multiple stops)
$566 from Vancouver on United (one stop in Denver or Houston)

These prices are $200 to $500 less than I have paid recently. They’re likely to fluctuate a bit, so don’t expect to see the exact same dollar amounts when you do your own search. However, if you’re like me (a committed procrastinator), you may want to make an exeption and book your flights sooner rather than later. I hope you’re able to lock in a nice low rate!

Climate & comfort: Panama is tropical with average temperatures of 88º F and two seasons: dry (summer) and wet (“winter”). The dry season is December through April in most parts of the country. Panama City in April is usually warm and sunny, humid but with little to no rain. Over the past few years, many parts of the world have experienced atypical weather (during any given season), so it’s not possible to predict exactly what the weather will be. That said, Panama’s weather is mild…there are no hurricanes here nor do we experience extreme heat in the 100s F.

No matter where you go in Panama, consider bringing a light cardigan or jacket. In highland regions temperatures can drop to 60º F at night. If you’re coming back from the beach and are wet from swimming, the breeze can feel cold. Also air conditioning in restaurants etc. can be cold.

Resources: As IL’s Panama Editor I travel the country in order to write about it. It is my pleasure to answer your questions about Panama. I will be at the Fast Track Panama seminar and, when not on stage, I will be at the International Living Panama table in the exhibitor area. Please come say hello! You will also receive, at the event, a booklet containing your event schedule and a list of important contacts, including resident expats who have agreed to speak at the event, legal and real estate experts, and much more. As I am a full-time writer, I do not offer office appointments, tours, or consulting services. We won’t have the full list until April, but here are a few of our confirmed contacts, in case you’d like to reach out to them before the event:

Legal assistance: Whether you plan to live, invest, retire, or have a home in Panama, you’ll need a Panamanian lawyer to assist you with legal matters. If you don’t already have one, send your legal questions to:

The Law Offices of Rainelda Mata-Kelly
Suite 406-407, Tower B, Torres de las Americas
Punta Pacifica, Panama City, Panama
Local tel: +(507) 216-9299
From the U.S. or Canada tel: (011 507) 216-9299
Email: rmk@mata-kelly.com
Website: http://www.mata-kelly.com

Real estate: Send your real estate/rental queries to Pathfinder International Real Estate, exclusive marketer to International Living:

Pathfinder International Real Estate
info@pathfinderinternational.net
Website: http://www.pathfinderinternational.net

*Kindly note that International Living does not sell or broker real estate or rentals.

International Living Events: If you have questions about registration, cancellations, guests, event schedules, Hilton hotel rates, airport transfers, etc., please contact International Living Events via https://internationalliving.com/customer-service/events-questions/

Event attendees will have access to a special attendee website containing a wealth of information. And there’s some great information on event presenters (TBC), cost of living, and more in the “additional information” section of the event promo, just go to this link and click the “Find Out More” button: https://internationalliving.com/events/fast-track-panama-conference-2/

[COUNTRY EXPERT – LINDA CARD]

Hi everyone- We are gearing up for the big event here in Panama City in April! Jessica has shared some great information, very thorough and useful to all our readers.

I’ll be attending, of course, for the entire conference, and will have a table in the exhibitor’s hall, as well as giving a couple of presentations.

Between Jessica and me, we have the entire country covered and will be happy to field your questions or just have a chat.
I look forward to hearing from you and hope to meet you in April.

Linda Card, IL Chiriquí Correspondent

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Thanks Linda, glad to have you onboard and covering the Chiriqui region for us!

Best,

Jessica Ramesch
Panama Editor
International Living

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