Culinary Arts Study In France

“Kathleen, your Live & Invest in France Conference sounds great. We are trying to make plans to attend with the thought in mind of a possible relocation next spring or as early as November. My husband’s 15-year-old would be moving with us, and I am interested in information on schooling options for him. This could be a great opportunity for him to attend a culinary arts program, too. He’s not out of high school yet but is interested in getting his GED and then attending a culinary school in France. I think that would be amazing for him.

“We understand it might take us a few years to learn the language!”

— Hope B., United States

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“Kathleen, my husband and I are looking to retire overseas in about a year and find your posts helpful as we compare and narrow possible locations that meet our interests. We want to be near water to enjoy those pursuits, but we want to have other interesting and beautiful options nearby to explore, as well.

“While Central America seems to be on its way up, offers QRP programs, and seems to have much natural beauty and beautiful Caribbean or Pacific beaches, Croatia, particularly the Dalmatian Coast, seems to be coming out on top of our list, for the water as well as for the architecture, history, and charm.

“We have read your book, but we still have questions about the feasibility of having a business in Croatia should we be interested in pursuing that option while living there. I also have questions about the tax/investment advantages. Would love to hear more from you about this.”

— Angela B., United States

Croatia is one of my favorite places in the world, for the reasons you cite. It has a gloriously long coast, plus a long and interesting history that has resulted in both a sophisticated, eclectic, and open-minded population and many architectural treasures.

As a lifestyle choice, Croatia is tops. As a doing-business choice, not so much. You can set up a business in Croatia as a foreigner, but the language and legal requirements make it more difficult than other places.

Further, there are no tax advantages to doing business in Croatia on the Croatian side. All the U.S. advantages remain, of course–the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, etc.