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      Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

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    • Budgets

      How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

      The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

      Super Cheap

      • Chitré, Panama
      • Santa Marta, Colombia
      • Phuket, Thailand
      • Dumaguete, The Philippines

      Cheap

      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Kyrenia, Cyprus
      • Hua Hin, Thailand
      • The Algarve, Portugal

      Affordable

      • Valencia, Spain
      • Cascais, Portugal
      • Las Terrenas, The DR
      • Pisa, Italy
      • La Rochelle, France
      • Mazatlán, Mexico

      Luxury

      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Kotor, Montenegro
      • The Panama City Beaches
      • Paris, France
    • Resources

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      • Home
      • Countries

        Top Destinations:

        Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

        • Spain
        • Portugal
        • Panama
        • Belize
        • Colombia
        • Cyprus
        • Mexico
        • France
        • Montenegro
        • Browse All Countries

        Best For:

        • The Best Places To Retire
        • Health Care Abroad
        • Cost Of Living
        • Investing in Real Estate
        • Establishing Residency
        • Gun Laws In The World
        • English-Speaking Countries
        • Safest Places For Retirement
        • Best Places In Latin America
      • Budgets

        How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

        The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

        Super Cheap

        • Chitré, Panama
        • Santa Marta, Colombia
        • Phuket, Thailand
        • Dumaguete, The Philippines

        Cheap

        • Medellin, Colombia
        • Boquete, Panama
        • Kyrenia, Cyprus
        • Hua Hin, Thailand
        • The Algarve, Portugal

        Affordable

        • Valencia, Spain
        • Cascais, Portugal
        • Las Terrenas, The DR
        • Pisa, Italy
        • La Rochelle, France
        • Mazatlán, Mexico

        Luxury

        • Ambergris Caye, Belize
        • Kotor, Montenegro
        • The Panama City Beaches
        • Paris, France
      • Resources

        Global Living

        • Living & Retiring Overseas
        • Raising A Family Abroad
        • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
        • Offshore & Diversification

        Making Money

        • International Real Estate
        • Banking
        • Employment
        • Investing

        Follow Us:

        • Meet Our Experts
      • Real Estate

        Join our Weekly Newsletter
        Overseas Property Alert

        Sign up for our weekly newsletter to receive expert insights on the best international real estate investment opportunities.






          We Value Your Privacy! We will not share your email address with anyone else, period.

          Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

          • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

          Explore Our Latest Posts

          • Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

          Go To The Overseas Property Alert Site

          • How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
        • Conferences

          Upcoming Events

          • Explore Our Events Site

          International Property Summit

          Caribbean Virtual Conference

          Live and Invest In Spain Conference

          PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

          June 18-20, 2025

          VIRTUAL

          July 17-19, 2025

          Valencia, Spain

          Sep. 17-19, 2025

          LEARN MORE
          LEARN MORE
          PRE-REGISTER
          LEARN MORE
          PRE-REGISTER
          • MORE EVENTS

          Contact Our Events Team

          Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
          1 (888) 627 8834
          From Outside North America:
          1 (443) 599 1221
          Working Hours
          Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

          Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

        • Store

          Unlock The World

          • Access Your Library

          Overseas Havens Reports

          • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

          Conference Kits

          • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

          Lahardan Books

          • Titles on living and investing around the world
          • Explore Our Store
          Your passport to a life well-lived abroad

          Services

          overseas living letter offers affordable retirement guidance
          The Simon Letter Wealth Protection Insights
          Global Property Advisor Global Investment Opportunities

          Our Customer Service team is here to assist with any questions or concerns CustomerService@LiveandInvestOverseas.com

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        Live and Invest Overseas
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          Home Countries Colombia

          Retire Overseas Conference Helps Couple Retire To Medellín

          Belize Versus Ecuador Versus Colombia— One Couple’s Journey To The Retirement Of Their Dreams

          by Wendy Howarter
          May 04, 2021
          in Colombia, How to, Lifestyle
          0 0
          Medellin Botanical Garden.

          Alamy/Carlos Mora

          wendy and darren in medellin

          “I get two weeks of vacation a year from my stressful job, and you want me to spend one of those weeks in a hotel meeting room at a conference in Orlando?” 

          That was my response to my husband Darren 10 years ago when he suggested we should fly to Florida for the Live and Invest Overseas Retire Overseas Conference.

          At that point in my career, I had been practicing law (mostly contentious divorce and custody cases) for almost 20 years, and I was burned out. I cherished my vacation time, lounging on a beach or traveling through Europe or the Caribbean. Sitting in a hotel conference room and listening to people talk about their adventures overseas was the last thing I wanted to do with any of my precious vacation days.

          I was 43, resigned to working 50 to 60 hours per week at a job I no longer enjoyed until retirement age—whenever that might be. Darren was relentless, though, and, finally, begrudgingly, I agreed to attend the conference. 

          What I hadn’t realized yet was that the Retire Overseas Conference was exactly where I needed to be at that time in my life. 

          Discovering Our Retirement Haven 

          Before the conference, we started thinking about country options. Originally, we narrowed our search to three—Belize, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. Then, bright and early on the first morning of the conference, Kathleen Peddicord greeted the crowd of adventurers. She briefly discussed each of the countries being featured, including one that was completely off our radar, Colombia, but what Kathleen said about Medellín got our attention. 

          We attended as many sessions as we could, even splitting up to get more information from different presentations. We called it our divide and conquer strategy. We spoke to as many experts and expats as we could. We were determined to soak up all the available knowledge we could over those two-and-a-half days. 

          By the end of the third day, returning to our hotel room, we were exhausted, and our brains were full of facts, opinions, photos, and stories to digest. However, we were certain about two things. First, Costa Rica was off our short list and Colombia was on. 

          Second, and more important, I was now fully on board with the plan to “retire” early and make a move overseas as soon as possible. 

          Our next step was to attend LIOS conferences in each of the three countries we were considering, to get our “boots on the ground” in each location. 

          We decided that the best way to get a feel for each place would be to spend time living like a local. So, after attending each in-country conference, we booked an apartment and spent at least a week doing the things the natives do. We shopped at grocery stores and markets, we cooked our own meals, and we walked the streets and neighborhoods as much as we could, to see what living in each place would be like as opposed to just visiting. 

          Initially, my retirement daydream featured a romantic lifestyle on a Caribbean island, swinging from a hammock and sipping margaritas while watching the sunset. 

          Visiting Belize 

          Our first overseas LIOS conference was in Belize. Following the event, we booked an apartment on Ambergris Caye for the next week. Belize and especially San Pedro Town on Ambergris are lovely places to visit, and we had a great time on that trip, but, at the end of our stay, we agreed that Belize was not the place where we wanted to hang our hammock. We were disappointed, but we still had two other countries to visit. 

          Visiting Colombia 

          The next conference was in Medellín, Colombia. I was unable to make the trip due to work conflicts, so Darren went alone. His job was to attend the conference and soak up as much information and make as many contacts as possible. Then he would scout the location and report back. We agreed that, if he didn’t like the city, we wouldn’t waste time or money planning a return trip for me to check it out. 

          Within 48 hours of his return, we had booked a two-week trip back to Medellín a couple of months later. That’s how sold Darren was on the place. 

          After our extended stay in this gorgeous city, we were both in love with Medellín. But we still had one more location on our list, and we decided to carry through with our plan and experience our third choice before making a final decision. 

          Visiting Ecuador 

          Our last conference was in Ecuador. We focused our interest on Cuenca because of the amazing things we had heard and read about this expat haven, including the low cost of living. After the conference in Guayaquil, we took the harrowing, I-think-my-life-passed-before-my-eyes, four-hour van ride through the Andes to Cuenca. We agreed that Cuenca, like Ambergris, could be a nice place to live, but, when we made the comparison to Medellín, there was no comparison. Our decision was made. We were moving to Colombia. 

          Starting Our Adventure In Colombia 

          Now we just had to break the news to our families, sell everything, and quit our jobs… which we did. 

          Fast forward to today and here we are, at home in Medellín. We’re enjoying a semi-retirement lifestyle years before I imagined we’d be able to and a standard of living we wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise. We are in love with this city and proud of ourselves for having taken what at times seemed like a crazy leap. 

          It all started with the Retire Overseas Conference in Orlando, where we met incredibly friendly and knowledgeable people, several of whom have become friends. 

          While each country conference was worth every penny, the Retire Overseas Conference in Orlando was invaluable for Darren and me. It was the first stepping stone on our path toward making our overseas dreams come true. 

          Our life in Medellín is everything we hoped for and better than we expected, mainly because of the great people we met and the helpful advice and accurate information we received over those three fateful days in Orlando 10 years ago. 

          More on our impressions of Medellin now that we’ve really gotten to know this city tomorrow… 

          Wendy Howarter
          Full-Time Colombia Expat 

          Tags: 'Colombia''Cuenca''Ecuador'costa ricaexpatsLive abroadMedellinmove overseasretire abroadRetirees
          Share103Tweet64
          Wendy Howarter

          Wendy Howarter

          In 2014 Darren and Wendy Howarter left their rural, small-town life in Northern Illinois, USA, and full-time careers to start a new adventure in Colombia, South America. Darren enjoyed selling fine wine and spirits, while Wendy was an attorney for more than 23 years. Since settling in the city of Medellín almost six years ago, they now enjoy a semi-retired lifestyle in the City of Eternal Spring. Darren tracks and trades the U.S. stock market while Wendy is pursuing her passion for writing. They have been conference presenters for the past several years, and enjoy sharing their overseas trials and tribulations, along with tips about moving to Colombia.

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                HOME

                Top Countries

                • Spain
                • Portugal
                • Panama
                • Belize
                • Colombia
                • Cyprus
                • Mexico
                • France
                • Montenegro

                Best For:

                • Health Care Abroad
                • Retirement Living
                • Cost Of Living
                • Investing in Real Estate
                • Establishing Residency
                • Gun Ownership
                • English Speakers
                • Safety
                BROWSE ALL COUNTRIES

                Budgets

                How Much Will It Cost
                To Live Overseas?

                Super Cheap

                • Chitré, Panama
                • Santa Marta, Colombia
                • Phuket, Thailand
                • Dumaguete, The Philippines

                Cheap

                • Medellin, Colombia
                • Boquete, Panama
                • Kyrenia, Cyprus
                • Hua Hin, Thailand
                • The Algarve, Portugal

                Affordable

                • Valencia, Spain
                • Cascais, Portugal
                • Las Terrenas, The DR
                • Pisa, Italy
                • La Rochelle, France
                • Mazatlán, Mexico

                Luxury

                • Ambergris Caye, Belize
                • Kotor, Montenegro
                • The Panama City Beaches
                • Paris, France

                Resources

                Global Living

                • Living & Retiring Overseas
                • Raising A Family Abroad
                • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
                • Offshore & Diversification

                Making Money

                • International Real Estate
                • Banking
                • Employment
                • Investing
                Meet Our Experts

                Real Estate

                Overseas Property Alert 

                 

                How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams

                VISIT SITE

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                Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

                READ MORE

                Explore Our Latest Posts

                 

                Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

                EXPLORE

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                INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY SUMMIT

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                CARIBBEAN VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

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                PRE-REGISTER

                Live and Invest In Spain Conference

                Valencia, Spain Sep. 17-19, 2025
                LEARN MORE
                PRE-REGISTER
                MORE EVENTS

                Contact Our Events Team:

                Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
                1 (888) 627 8834

                From Outside North America:
                1 (443) 599 1221

                Working Hours
                Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

                Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

                Store

                Overseas Havens Reports

                • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

                Conference Kits

                • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

                Lahardan Books

                • Titles on living and investing around the world

                Services

                • Overseas Living Letter: Affordable Retirement Guidance
                • The Simon Letter: Wealth Protection Insights
                • Global Property Advisor: Global Investment Opportunitites
                VISIT OUR STORE

                Free Report

                THE 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN 2025

                FREE REPORT: The 10 Best Places To retire in 2025

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