I meet thousands of our Live and Invest Overseas readers at conferences we host each year.
And I love hearing about their live-and-invest-overseas adventures post-conference.
Past attendee Gary N., for example, recently updated us on how his retire-overseas plans are coming along…
“When I attended the Retire Overseas Conference in Orlando last year, I already knew that I wanted to be near an ocean (preferably the Caribbean Sea) and had narrowed down my destination choices to a few islands that have excellent diving.
“So next I attended the 2018 Live and Invest in Belize Conference.
“My initial move will be to Ambergris Caye, Belize, in May or June of next year.
“Next April I will spend a few weeks on Ambergris to locate a long-term rental and begin the QRP residency process. I will then return to the United States to complete the sale of my house, car, and other household goods.
“Even though the QRP allows duty-free importation of household goods, I am not shipping anything. This move is helping me eliminate the unimportant ‘stuff’ that I have accumulated over many years.
“I am looking forward to starting a new phase of my retirement in Belize. I can fly three hours from Belize to reach Atlanta and visit grandkids. Another hour flight from Atlanta puts me in touch with many friends and relatives.
“My main reason for attending the Retire Overseas Conference in Orlando was to meet others with a plan similar to mine. As a retired widower, I was not in the same demographic as most of the attendees that I met. However, I was able to speak with many couples also thinking about going overseas. The conference helped confirm that my plan to become a full-time expat was not unusual.”
As we count down to this year’s Retire Overseas Conference, we’re hearing from other ROC alumni, as well.
Cheryl K., from Nevada, writes:
“The Vegas conference in 2016 really motivated us to get going.
“We sold everything (house, cars, furniture, etc.). Steve and I then arrived in Panama on Oct. 30 of last year, spent four days in Panama City working on our pensionado visas, then drove west to Puerto Armuelles.
“We had only spent a half-day in Puerto Armuelles prior to our move, but when we found a rental house online we decided to go for it!
“We are renting a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,800-square-foot house with an ocean view for US$750/month. Our highest electric bill was two months ago (US$38) during dry season. I do run the air conditioner in the bedroom all night but not during the day. The living area and kitchen do not have air conditioning.
“The home is on approximately 2.5 acres with various fruit trees, including noni, mango, guava, soursop, lemon, orange, cashew, and coconut.
“We really lucked out on the town. Puerto is, in our opinions, the friendliest town in Panama! Everyone says ‘good morning,’ ‘hello,’ ‘excuse me,’ etc., even when entering a restaurant or getting on a bus.
“Even though our Spanish is still limited, we find that most people are willing to try to have a conversation with us or help us if needed. In observing the locals, I have noticed that many people stop to chat with each other, shake hands as they pass on the street, offer a woman their seat, and wave as you drive by. We are so impressed by this.”
And, Jayne and Gordon H. in Oregon, got in touch to tell us:
“We really enjoyed learning at the conference we attended about all the steps we need to consider before moving abroad. Since then, we have listened to several of the sessions again from the recordings that were made and sent to us as part of our registration.
“We’ve also created a checklist from Lee Harrison’s final talk and put dates down next to each item on the list. Just doing that one thing started to make it all real!
“In the last month, we’ve opened an account at Moneycorp to convert dollars to euros and also a Schwab account so that we’ll have a financial partner who is used to dealing with international situations.
“Next month we’ll start to deal with updating our documents so that they’re ready for the visa process. We’re looking at a two- to three-year timeframe, so we’re just taking everything slowly, but deliberately.
“Thanks for checking in with us. We know we want to look at Portugal very carefully, so we’re planning to attend the conference there in 2019, when we’ll be ready to start scouting out the real estate market.
“Cheers to all!”
Meanwhile, Kevin B. writes:
“We are taking the steps to make the move somewhere around next June. We have narrowed our choices to either Ambergris Caye, Belize, or Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The closing on our house sale is tomorrow, and we have found a rental house here in Iowa to get us through until we make the move. Exciting times for sure!”
Every attendee’s story is different, and I love that.
Everyone comes to the table with an open mind… and, with the help of the experts and expats we gather for our biggest event of the year, they find their own way… and at their own pace.
One thing, though, is the same for everyone who participates in our Retire Overseas Conference each year…
As soon as we’re all together in the room, there’s a tremendous sense of excitement and positivity.
Suddenly the barriers that may have been there before disappear. You realize, as Gary did, that you can make this move on your own… or, as Cheryl and Steve are finding in Panama, that you can get by on limited Spanish…
So, no more excuses…
This time next year, I’d love to be sharing your story with your fellow readers.
Begin your journey now by securing your seat for our 2018 Retire Overseas Conference in Las Vegas, Sept. 8–11, here.
Remember, the Early Bird Discount is still in effect… but only until this Friday, July 27 at midnight.
Let’s do this!
Valentine Fouché
