Live a More Fulfilling Life in the World’s Top Havens

“We Feel We Are in the Perfect Place”

Name: Cynthia Campbell
From: Palm Springs, California
Living in: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

For almost 20 years, Cynthia Campbell lived in Palm Springs, California. But over time, the intense summer heat took a toll on her. “Leaving Palm Springs in the summer became a necessity,” she says. “But, where to next?”

Cynthia’s close friend, Lydia, had already retired in San Miguel de Allende (SMA) and convinced her to come check it out. “You could live in San Miguel on half, or less, than you live on in California,” Lydia told her.

“My first trip to SMA was in the summer of 2016. I loved the people, the art, the cultural events, and the beauty of the historical city.” For her next visit, in 2017, Cynthia drove from Palm Springs to SMA. “It was a four-day trip. The long drive gave me time to review my life and seriously think about retirement,” she says.

For the next few summers, Cynthia returned to the colonial city. “I checked out real estate rentals and home prices while exploring the open-air produce markets, the neighborhoods, parks, and celebrations,” she says. “I took a mix of classes— from dancing to ceramics. Everything was perfect! I even went through the process and became a Permanent Resident.”

In 2018, Cynthia met a special man and began a relationship. “When Louie came into my life, we spent considerable time together in SMA,” she says. “We shared great dining experiences, massages, facials, and many other activities that are very affordable here. We kept very busy.”

Unable to travel during the COVID lockdown, Cynthia took advantage of the downtime in the U.S. She underwent a full knee replacement and recuperation. “Fond memories of SMA helped me get through that tough time. I remembered the enchanting sound of the church bells ringing, music playing, and watching a wedding party stroll down the street with laughter, music and so much happiness!”

By 2022, Cynthia was finally back in San Miguel, now with a long-term rental to make into a home. “Louie and I are filled with joy every morning,” says Cynthia. “We are grateful for the wonderful weather. We love the evening rains and rolling thunder in the summer. In the morning we open our windows and watch the hot air balloons drift by. It’s so peaceful. We feel we are in the perfect place with an excellent quality of life and lifestyle. We are content here.”

Cynthia’s calendar is now filled with things to do, and people to meet. “It’s been easy to develop new friendships in SMA and to socialize. I didn’t do that much in Palm Springs. It’s hot and expensive there. I’m more active, and healthier here.”

Cynthia also appreciates how affordable it is to live in SMA. “The cost of living here is at least 30% to 40% less than that in Palm Springs,” she says. “Housing in SMA is more affordable. Transportation is easy and inexpensive. There are taxi services, private companies, bus and luxury motor coaches to take trips to the beaches or other cities. The only stress in my life is finding time to meet up with friends and enjoy all that is available here in San Miguel.”—Ann Kuffner

“We Needed a Country Where English Was Widely Spoken”

Names: Julie Chen and Erik Fuson
From: Denver, Colorado
Living in: Tavira, Portugal

World traveler Julie Chen was no stranger to living abroad, or to speaking foreign languages, but her husband Erik had not been so fortunate. Erik worked in web design and marketing automation in Colorado. When the couple decided to tie the knot, Julie, with her adventurous spirit and wanderlust, convinced Erik to splurge on a destination wedding in Mexico as a way to force him out of his comfort zone. “At least he would get to experience one other culture,” Julie says.

They’d been planning a vacation to either Spain, Morocco, or Portugal, but the pandemic put the trip on hold. Missing travel and overworked, Julie thought that instead of a trip, they should just move to one of the three countries.

As a senior manager with Ernst & Young, Julie looked like she was living the American Dream. In fact, she was burning out. “I was working 60 or more hours a week, traveling much of the year, staying up late to work with clients in other time zones. I rarely even saw Erik anymore,” she says. “One day I had to stop and ask myself the question, ‘Is this all there is to life?’”

Inspired by her reflections, Julie pushed Erik into a life-changing decision that would better both of their lives and their relationship. They moved to Portugal in 2021, sight unseen.

“Since Erik had never traveled and speaks only English, we needed to find a country where English was widely spoken to make his transition easier,” Julie says. “Our new country would need to be safe, have excellent internet for Erik to continue working, and if we could someday apply for citizenship, that would be a great perk too.” Portugal offered all of this and more.

Julie and Erik chose the Algarve for its year-round mild weather with plenty of sunshine and English speakers. Their first apartment was in Lagos, but after a summer packed with tourists, they opted to move east to Tavira. Soon after settling in, Julie’s mom decided to follow along, staying with the couple until she could find a place of her own, which she did with Julie’s help.

All foreigners who apply for resident visas in Portugal need to show proof of long-term accommodation, usually a oneyear rental lease. After helping her mother find a rental, Julie decided to offer her services to others, and the idea of Tavira Long Lets (see: taviralonglets.com) was born.

From the U.S. or Canada, future expats can reach out to Julie who will look for rentals, make detailed videos of possible properties, and answer any questions. She has extensive contacts with agents, property managers, and other expats who may have property they wish to rent out for yearly leases.

Portugal’s popularity in recent years has made finding long-term rentals a challenge, especially in popular expat locations like Tavira. For investors with rental properties, business has never been better. While it’s possible to find rentals the oldfashioned way, by checking with individual agents in Portugal, that’s not practical for everyone. Julie’s business smooths the way for prospective expats.

In fact, when my husband and I (I’m International Living’s Portugal correspondent) decided recently to relocate from Vilamoura to Tavira, we reached out to Julie for help. We gave her a long list of wants and, to our surprise, within a few days she showed us a fantastic apartment. She’d received an inside tip from a friend that the apartment was available, we were the only ones to view it, and it was just what we wanted.

It’s not the right approach for everybody, but for Julie, having her own business and the opportunity to set her own schedule is just one of many reasons why moving to Portugal, sight unseen, proved for her to be a gamble worth taking.—Terry Coles

“It’s Quiet and Peaceful With a Strong Sense of Community”

Names: Ben and Sue Ostrem
From: Alberta, Canada
Living in: El Valle de San Antón, Panama

“We retired to Panama in 2019, after vacationing in most areas of the country over the years,” says Sue Ostrem. “We have never regretted it for a single moment and, even though we have recently relocated from our original place in Pedasí on the Azuero Peninsula to the El Valle de San Antón area, we will never leave Panama,” she declares with conviction.

Not many places in the world give you the chance to live on a volcanic crater, surrounded by steep, forest-clad peaks, deep river ravines, acres of deep pasture…and long, sandy beaches within 20 miles. But Panama does.

In what must be one of the world’s most diverse, most compact collection of expat living options on the planet (beaches, mountains, and a major world city are all within 100 miles in Panama), it would be a shame not to explore. That’s exactly what Sue and her husband, Ben, chose to do.

When Sue and Ben first moved to Panama, they decided early on to be renters rather than purchasers, meaning that they could stay mobile and try different parts of this diverse country. Prior to their move to the El Valle region, Sue combed the internet for a suitable rental and in December 2020, found the perfect place.

Her search led them to a two-bedroom rental house in El Valle Village, a gated community surrounded by lush forests, vibrant flowers and spectacular birdlife, just four miles from El Valle de San Antón’s center.

“We initially had no intention of living in a gated community, but we have discovered many benefits,” Sue explains. “Two large swimming pools, tennis courts, barbecue areas, and three miles of pathways for daily walks are available for residents.”

Ben and Sue love their new location. “It’s a quiet, peaceful place, with a strong sense of community,” Sue says. El Valle may look sleepy and rural on first glance, but there are a surprising number of amenities there—including a small zoo, thermal baths, multiple cafés and bars, a produce market, pharmacy, and veterinary clinic. What’s more, it’s only 20 miles or so from the amenities of Coronado, where you find good supermarkets, banks, medical center, and the like.

Great weather was Ben and Sue’s main incentive for relocating to Panama, but living right on the beach isn’t a priority. Instead, a rural location is important, as horseback riding is their passion, and a temperate climate like the one they find in the high country of El Valle suits them perfectly. Unlike their old home in Alberta, Canada, with snow and cold during the winter months, Panama is warm.

“We love it here,” Sue confirms. “Yes, there is the rainy season, but there are very few days which don’t include at least some hours of sunshine.”

The people are another plus. They find the Panamanians throughout the country warm, friendly, and helpful, as well as family- and community-oriented—they feel accepted and safe among them. Also, the cost of living is considerably cheaper than in Canada, especially as they emulate a Panamanian lifestyle in most ways.

These days, there are fewer expats in their immediate area than there were in Pedasí. However, there are active expat communities close by in El Valle, Coronado, and Nuevo Gorgona. Once a week Ben and Sue join a group of them for trivia and conversation at a popular Coronado restaurant—Picasso’s—which has become an expat hangout.

Having had very few health issues during their time in Panama, Ben and Sue have had minimal interaction with the healthcare system other than the odd doctor’s consultation and a bit of lab work. “We’ve been very pleased with the accessibility, cost, and quality of the care we received,” Sue says. “We plan to enjoy our lives in Panama to the fullest for as long as we can,” Sue says. “We call Panama our forever home.”—Larke Newell