Balancing Timing and Opportunity

Every time I read one of Ronan’s real estate pieces, I find myself doing the same thing: opening a new browser tab to check flight prices. Last month, it was to Tamarindo, and in my mind I was trying to navigate which surfboards to take and which to leave behind.

This month led me to dreams of Caminha, Lagos, Cap Cana, and beyond. All these places where the math seems to be mathing more than it does in the States.

In his annual index of the world’s best places to buy real estate for profit, Ronan and his team rank the 25 best markets for overseas property in the year ahead—and what stands out this time isn’t just the potential, but the timing. These are places in that perfect pre-boom moment—where beauty meets value, and life still moves at its own pace before the rest of the world catches on.

The art of recognizing a turning point—whether in a market or in life—runs through this issue. It’s about knowing when something is shifting… and having the courage to follow it. In Thailand, IL Correspondent Bart Walters reflects on connection and what it means to feel at home half a world away. In Brittany, Tim Ward reminds us that belonging sometimes finds you, not the other way around. And IL’s Global Diversification Expert, Ted Bauman, takes a wider view—showing how citizenship itself can be a different kind of investment in freedom.

And maybe that’s what makes this issue feel especially timely. As the year winds down and thoughts turn homeward—wherever home happens to be—it’s hard not to think about what we’re holding onto, and what we’re ready to let go.

For many, food and wine are the best bridge between those worlds—and this month’s Globetrotters offer a culinary detour with international discoveries that remind us wherever we land, comfort often begins at the table.

And maybe that’s the balance—finding comfort where you are, but knowing when it’s time to move on. Maybe it always comes back to timing—knowing when to move, and trusting yourself enough to do it before everyone else does.

 

 

 

 

Holly Andrew
Managing Editor