You're Not Late to the Ball—We've Been Saving You the Best Dances

Some cities are easy to love. Others play a little hard to get—then quietly steal every spot on your dance card.

This month’s cover story lands us in La Rochelle, a French coastal city with medieval towers, oyster bars, and just enough salt in the air to keep your hair interesting. It’s the kind of place that doesn’t beg for attention—but once you arrive, you start imagining what your life might look like if you stayed.

With endlessly walkable streets, donkeys in pants (it’s a thing), a sinful pastry scene, and real estate that hasn’t entirely caught up with its charm, La Rochelle makes a compelling case for the part-time expat or full-time flâneur.

If France isn’t your flavor, don’t worry—we’re covering plenty of ground (and tax zones). In Scotland’s Borders, we’ll take you through misty hills that tourists haven’t trampled yet.

We also unpack what Trump’s push for a weaker dollar means for your overseas plans, how to wrangle multi-country real estate taxes without crying, and what Social Security changes could mean for your budget.

For families, we look at the perks of educating your kids overseas (spoiler: it’s not just the college tuition).

About now you may be thinking, “get to the palm trees already.” Well, we’ve got those too… along Panama’s hidden Riviera, the Turkish coast, and in breezy Belize.

If you’ve had your eye on Portugal’s Golden Visa program, we explain why Greece is the new belle of the EU-residency ball, and might be the smarter move.

I’d like to give a brief shout-out to Christopher Cruise over at the National Library Service, who narrates IL Magazine each month for the visually impaired. We’ve struck up a correspondence about his short list for retirement (Thailand’s the top contender)… and my many grammar mistakes. Thanks, Chris—you’re the voice in my head (in the best possible way).

Finally, to all of you who’ve written in to share what you’ve enjoyed in these pages—and what you want more of—please keep those thoughts coming. We read every word. We appreciate every note.

Stephanie Reed, Editor-in-Chief