September 2011 Vol.31 No.5www.InternationalLiving.com

The Best Place in the World to Retire

Make Money with a Travel Blog

Where to Pick Up a Bargain Beach Home on Ecuador’s Coast

How to Get an Irish Passport

A Romantic Corner of France from $92,000

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Plus GLOBETROTTER

LIFESTYLE PROFILES

CALENDAR

REAL ESTATE

CLASSIFIEDS

LIVINGLIVINGI N T E R N A T I O N A LI N T E R N A T I O N A L

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ECIAL ISSUE

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THE WORLD ʼS BEST

RETIREMENT HAVEN

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SEPTEMBER 2011 I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V I N G 1

From the Editor 2 All your IL extras

International Dates 3 Thai boat races and oysters in Ireland

Savvy Traveler 5 Where to find a miracle in Colombia

Market Watch 6 The best beach deal in the “Europe of South America”

Retirement Lifestyle 8 Spain: Medieval towns and sandy beaches

Living the Dream 10 IL readers enjoy the “Old World” pace

Travel for Free 12 How to land a house-sitting gig

Travel for Free 13 Make money with a travel blog

Fund Your Life 14 Escape the snow and fund your overseas winter

Real Estate 15 Tulúm’s Caribbean coast—not just for millionaires

Real Estate 16 Where to pick up a beach bargain on Ecuador’s coast

Cover Story 18 The world’s best retirement haven

Investment 22 Three tips for profiting from passive paychecks

Offshore 23 How to get an Irish passport and citizenship

Real Estate 24 A romantic corner of France from $92,000

Entrepreneur Profile 26 From British rocker to Argentine farmer

Calendar of Events 27 Explore the secrets of Costa Rica

Travel 28 Italy’s Maremma: Savor “the sweet life” 90 minutes from Rome

Property Picks 30 Homes near historic and protected sites

Window on the World 32 Guatemala’s giant kite festival

Classifieds 33 Opportunities from around the world

The Last Word 36 A victim of my own analysis

International Living (ISSN 0277-2442), © Copyright 2011 by International Living Publishing Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Protected by copyright laws of the United States and international treaties. This Magazine may only be used pursuant to the subscription agreement and any reproduction, copying, or redistribution (electronic or otherwise, including on the world wide web), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of International Living Publishing Ltd., Elysium House, Waterford, Ireland. International Living is published monthly. Subscriptions: In the United States US$69 for one year, in Canada C$89 for one year, elsewhere US$89 for one year. Printed in the USA. Postmaster: Send address changes to International Living, International Living Publishing Ltd., Elysium House, Ballytruckle, Waterford, Ireland. Copies of this magazine are not available on newsstands but are furnished directly to the public by mail subscriptions only. International Living presents information and research believed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. There are many dangers associated with international travel and investment, and readers should investigate any opportunity fully before committing to it. How to contact us: Customer service: To place an order for a product/subscription, renew a subscription, pay a maintenance fee, change an address, follow up on the status of an order, or inquire about a missed issue, etc., see: www.internationalliving.com/about-il/customer-service. Editorial offi ces: Editors, International Living, International Living Publishing Ltd., fax (353)51-304-561. For our writers’ guidelines, see: www.internationalliving.com/about-il/write-for-il. International Living is happy to receive manuscripts on speculation, but the publisher cannot be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts received for review. All editorial requests will be reviewed and considered when we plan our issues. Not all requests, however, can be answered personally due to the volume of inquiries we receive. Media inquiries: For all press and media enquiries and to discuss syndication, contact Associate Editor, Carol Barron, tel. (772) 678 - 0287, email: CBarron@InternationalLiving.com.

ContentsSEPTEMBER 2011

INTERNATIONAL LIVING®

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SEPTEMBER 2011 I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V I N G 27

Winner of the 2011 Global Retirement Index, Ecuador offers sophisticated historical

cities…miles of unspoiled, sun-kissed beaches…fertile farmland…and temperate mountain hideaways…and all of it for pennies on the dollar. You can live well for a fraction of the cost of living back in the U.S.—your budget here will be reduced to as little as a fi fth of what it was.

And with Ecuador’s offi cial currency the U.S. dollar, you needn’t worry about complicated currency calculations or exchange risks. And real estate costs? They’re among the lowest we’ve found anywhere in the world. For example, you can get a

brand-new home one row off the beach with a gorgeous ocean view for just $115,000.

And Ecuador is just a four-hour fl ight from the U.S.—less time than it takes to fl y from New York to Los Angeles.

If you’re intrigued by the benefi ts our number one retirement haven in the world offers, then join us in Ecuador this November for our Live and Invest in Ecuador Seminar. We’ll show you the best-value destinations, walk you through all the how-to secrets you need to save

time, money, and effort, and introduce you to our best contacts on the ground. For more information go to: Intliving.com/events.

IL’s Calendar of Events

This Time Next Year, You Could Be Living Your Dream

Las Vegas, NV • October 6 – 8

Visit Costa RicaOjochal, Costa Rica November 17 – 20

In Costa Rica’s Southern Zone, knife-edge mountain ridges curve like a dragon’s spine, dropping sharply to the coast’s long, sandy beaches. Rich, pristine forests teeming with wildlife cloak the mountain slopes. Yet here you’re only three hours from an international airport.It might sound like a pricey fantasy, but in fact, you can own a lot here for only $40,000. And it’s in a place poised to boom. With a new road making access much easier than ever before, this region is well positioned to see an infl ux of tourists and transplants. Prices are likely to rise, just as they did along Costa Rica’s northern coast. But right now, the values remain excellent. You can see the place for yourself on a Pathfi nder Chill Weekend. For only $250, you’ll get four days here…meals, accommodation and transport included. For more information, see: Pathfi nderinternational.net/Southern.

Thailand Through a Lens

December 10 – 16

From the magnifi cent, glittering temples and bustling street markets of busy Bangkok to the vast, verdant rice fi elds, elephant farms and enchanting rainforests of Chiang Mai… Thailand is truly a photographer’s dream.

How better to capture heart-stopping beauty of “The Land of Smiles” than alongside professional photographers on AWAI’s Thailand Photography Expedition. As well as being introduced to the locations to get the best possible shots, you’ll also get the chance to attend a Thai cooking class and tour the jungle on the back of an elephant.

Travel to Thailand this winter on what promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and you’ll be sure to walk away with some breath-taking photos as well as a new appreciation for this beautiful country and culture. For more details and pricing, visit: Thephotographerslife.com/phw/thailand/il.

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Ecuador… A Retirement Haven That Has it All…Quito, Ecuador • November 9 – 12, 2011

I f money were no object, what would your dream retirement look like? This fall, we’ll show you where you can easily make that dream your reality…for $697 (or less) a month. Your

own cottage on a quiet beach…an apartment in a city vibrant with concerts and cafés…a mountain villa where the air is crisp…

Whatever you dream about, come with that in mind. And dream big. Because at our Live and Invest Overseas Conference in Las Vegas, we’ll pinpoint for you on a map the places where you can turn your dream into reality…for a small fraction of what you’d pay at home.

You’ll fi nd about the best-value communities and our favorite fi nds in destinations like Belize, Panama, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, France, Ireland and beyond. We’ll introduce you to the folks you need to know.

You’ll hear from our editors fl ying in from around the world…experts in real estate, fi nance…and from readers like you who are already “doing it,” living better for less in their new homes abroad.

You’ll have plenty of time to pick their brains about everything from renovating a home to shopping for groceries, from wealth-protection strategies to fi nding good medical care, from funding your life overseas to renting or buying that ideal escape.

This is our only U.S. event of the year. There’s no more effi cient, enjoyable, or cost-effective way to put yourself on the path to the place that’s right for you. For more information, see: Intliving.com/LIOSMag.

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