• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
*No spam: We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result
Home Countries Dominican Republic

Life In The Dominican Republic Is All About New Adventures

Why Charles And Katherine Chose To Launch Their Overseas Adventures In This Historic Caribbean City

Live And Invest Overseas by Live And Invest Overseas
Jan 18, 2017
in Dominican Republic, Lifestyle, Retirement/Living
0
Life In The Dominican Republic
217
SHARES
3.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The decision to quit our jobs, rent out our two homes, sell our cars, and give our children most of our furniture so we could relocate to the Dominican Republic puzzled and stunned our family and friends.

Perhaps my wife Katherine and I are becoming real adventurous… or, maybe, as some have suggested, we have simply lost our minds.

Whatever the reason, the die has been cast. Since August 2015, we have been making the Dominican Republic our home and teaching English our occupation.

Certainly it has not been a perfect transition, but any difficulties have been offset by the Caribbean breezes, the almost constant blue skies, and the genuine warmth of the Dominican people.

Like many before us, we were lured to this beautiful island by frequent vacations to the tropical paradise of Punta Cana. We could easily see ourselves enjoying our later years in such a setting.

However, when we made our move, we decided to base ourselves in Santo Domingo, at least to start. We felt that the capital city, the cultural and business center of this country, would be the ideal location for getting the lay of the land and exploring all the options this country offers for retirement living. We’ve been able to visit many fantastic beach towns, including Samaná, Las Terrenas, Juan Dolio, and Cabarete.

The island is small enough to make travel anywhere convenient but large enough so we don’t think we’ll fall prey to island fever like others we’ve known living on smaller Caribbean islands.

The DR is unique in its geography for this part of the world. The central part of the island has lovely mountains, scenic rivers, and many waterfalls. And all of these natural attractions are only a short drive away from white-water rafting, kiteboarding, fishing excursions, and afternoons enjoying ice-cold Presidente beer beneath a coconut tree.

Before the Dominican Republic, my wife and I lived in South Carolina, where we were blessed with a favorable climate. We had to endure the occasional thunderstorm, some snow once every few years, and a hurricane every decade or so.

Here in the DR the weather has been the best I have ever experienced. No need to watch the weather report. Practically every morning brings blue skies and that glorious Caribbean breeze. Daytime temperatures are 75 to 80 degrees year-round. No need to bring your winter clothes.

In the rainy season, we have evening showers several times a week and a brief daytime shower once or twice a week. It makes it easy to plan outdoor activities or to go for a long walk or pleasant jog.

We’re particularly happy to be here this time of year. How nice to be able to have lunch in January at one of the many outdoor cafés.

We love the convenience of the colmados, the neighborhood corner stores found on almost every block. Not only do they stock almost anything you might need, but they will deliver it right to your front door for no extra charge.

Should you need one more egg while cooking, have a sudden craving for chocolate ice cream, or have unexpected company and realize you need another bottle of rum or a few more beers, all you have to do is pick up the phone and in a few short minutes your order is at your door.

Many of the other stores and restaurants here, including U.S. chains like TGI Fridays and KFC, also deliver.

Some of our family and friends have worried about our safety, and my wife and I realize that our lack of Spanish fluency could make us easy targets for being taken advantage of.

I’m pleased to be able to report, to you as well as to our family back home, that, as yet, nothing like this has been the case. We have been treated with nothing but kindness and consideration. Most everyone we’ve met seems sincerely to want us to be happy in their country. They go out of their way to help us any way possible.

This move would have been a lot more difficult a few decades ago.

Our biggest misgiving in pursuing this adventure was knowing how much we would miss family and friends. This has been eased by the technology now available in the DR. For US$48 a year we have MagicJack service on our phones, allowing us to have daily conversations with the folks back home.

We also have many affordable package options for cable TV and internet service, all with good selections of the major U.S. networks and channels, including HBO, Lifetime, Discovery, History, CNN, and Fox News.

When we want to watch a movie out, we can walk to theater complexes to see an American movie shown in English.

Currently we are renting. We thought this would be the best choice for us while we’re exploring all of our retirement options.

For only US$660 per month, we have a huge three-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath seventh-floor apartment with a balcony view of the Caribbean. We enjoy the sea breezes from our comfortable Dominican rocking chairs every day.

These breezes are not only a great pleasure but mean we only have to use air conditioning in our bedroom at night. This helps to keep our electricity cost between US$40 and US$60 a month.

Our rent really is a great deal when you consider the quality of the place we’re renting. We have beautiful marble floors, crown molding, and wonderful woodwork throughout our home.

No need for a car here, as public transportation and taxi services are readily available and quite affordable.

Although we enjoy the local Dominican foods, occasionally it is nice to be able to walk to American chains such as Tony Roma’s, Chili’s, Hooters, Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs… they’re all here. Being from South Carolina we were stunned and thrilled to find a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts a block-and-a-half away.

No, not all is perfect in paradise. Santo Domingo is not a quiet, relaxing place to call home. The Dominican Republic offers those kinds of places, both at the beach and in the mountains. Santo Domingo, though, is more like New York City, Los Angeles, or Chicago on steroids.

Traffic is heavy and traffic laws merely advisory in nature. The sounds of motorbikes, honking horns, and street vendors may be too much for some. Our ability to ignore loud noise has proven an advantage living here.

And, for the first time ever, I can play my own music at whatever volume I choose without worrying about disturbing anyone. Hopefully my Dominican neighbors are enjoying my Carolina beach music and the sounds of Memphis, New Orleans, and Nashville. No one has complained!

Despite some of the difficulties we’ve experienced to do with adjusting to a new culture, not being fluent in Spanish, and mastering the currency exchange rate, we feel we have made the right decision to leave the stress of our old lives behind and look forward to all of our new adventures.

We’ve made great friends here. Really, we have never been happier.

Charles C. Fritz

Originally published on May 24, 2016.

Tags: charles fritzexpats Dominican republicexpats santo domingoLife In The Dominican Republiclive and invest in the Dominican republic conferenceliving Caribbeanliving Dominican republicliving santo domingoretire Caribbeanretire dominican republicretire santo domingotravel Dominican republic
Share87Tweet54
Previous Post

Discover Belize: The Crown Jewel Of The Caribbean

Next Post

Dominican Republic: The Caribbean’s King Of Rental Property

Live And Invest Overseas

Live And Invest Overseas

Live and Invest Overseas is the world's savviest source for top opportunities to live better, retire in style, invest for profit, do business, and own real estate overseas. Established in 2008, the Live and Invest Overseas' editors and correspondents have more experience researching and reporting on top opportunities for living well, investing for profit, doing business, and owning real estate around the world than anyone else you'll find.

Related Posts

Happy senior men and woman holding an American flag at the beach
How to

Does Living Overseas Make You Less American?

by Kathleen Peddicord
July 4, 2022
0

Do I feel more or less American living overseas? I get this question a lot. I've been living outside the...

Read more
Christopher Columbus Palace on Plaza de España in the historic center of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo: Dominican Republic’s Colonial Capital

July 3, 2022
Small tropical island at Barrier Reef with paradise beach in Belize

10 Of The Best Places To Live Or Retire In Latin America

July 1, 2022
Caribbean beach in Dominican Republic

12 Reasons Why We Chose To Live In The Dominican Republic

June 30, 2022
Mangrove trees grow on the beach in crystal clear tropical water in Las Terrenas beach, Dominican Republic

Top 10 Things To Do In Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic

June 29, 2022
Beautiful wild and tropical beach in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic

The Best Beaches In The Dominican Republic For A Simple And Affordable Living

June 28, 2022
Senior woman with pink skirt and white shirt who retired alone at the beach

Retiring Abroad Alone? Here Are 6 Things To Know

June 27, 2022
Next Post
a dock leading up to a palm tree lined beach with cabanas

Dominican Republic: The Caribbean’s King Of Rental Property

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.







LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2022

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2022 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2022 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

Sign up for FREE and learn how to live the good life on a modest budget, find bargain property, and more. Plus, check out our free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE.

RETIRE OVERSEAS AND LIVE LIKE ROYALTY

The World’s Best Places To Be In 2022?

Discover Them Here…