A Taste of France

Dear Reader,

La vie française. Imagine relaxing in the garden of your own French home, a pretty stonecottage set among orchards, vineyards, and flowery meadows. The sun is shining, there’s nota cloud in the sky. The only sound is the drone of honeybees and the blissful strains of one ofSatie’s Gymnopédies playing in the background. You’ve just returned from the market, andnow you’re savoring the thought of lunch. It’s such a perfect day, you decide to dine picnic-style, spread out over an old oak table under a shady canopy of trees.

A Taste of France http://www1.internationalliving.com/sem/country/france/report/ppc.html

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Freshly baked baguettes, a ripe Camembert cheese, a tangy ratatouille of tomatoes, peppers,and eggplant—and don’t forget to add those deliciously plump black olives straight from thestallholder’s barrel.

Glass of chilled Chablis in hand, you sit happily planning your next day’s adventures.Decisions, decisions…it would be fun to go to that truffle festival in the little village perchéin the next valley. How about a day trip to the seaside to sample the seafood in the restaurantyour neighbors recommended? Or maybe now’s the time to go to Paris for a couple of days tocheck out the new season’s fashions. Then again, you might do nothing more strenuous thanget out your newly acquired easel and brushes and meander down-stream to where the ducksare nesting beside the old mill. The light is incredibly clear, and you’ve always wanted to tryyour hand at watercolor painting…

France has all the ingredients we look for at International Living: good food, good wine,haute couture, a good climate, unspoiled countryside, glittering culture, excellent health care,colorfultraditions and history, and, as a bonus, the glamour and sophistication of Paris—arguably the world’smost bewitching capital.

And France is more affordable than you think…if you know where to look. The trickiestthing will be deciding which bit of France holds the most allure for you. It could be the wild,rocky shores of Celtic Brittany, steeped in heritage and tradition…or sun-drenched Provence,with its rolling hills and lavender fields, broken by the turquoise sea of the Côte d’Azur…orthe castles and sleepy villages of medieval holdings in the Dordogne…

If good health care, a relaxed lifestyle, and all the modern comforts you enjoy at home areamong your top priorities, then France should be on your radar.

Best Regards,

Jackie FlynnPublisher, International Living

Table of Contents

France Fast Facts

Communications

The Economy in France

Where to Buy Real Estate in France


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Buying Real Estate

Renting in France

France Healthcare

Visa Requirements

Embassies

Retiree Benefits in France

Cost of Living in France

Financial Matters

Moving to France

Expat Contacts

Travel Info: How to Get to France

Making Money in France

History: Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensivelosses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless,France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader amongEuropean nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentarygoverning system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier more purely


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parliamentary administrations.

In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to theeconomic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency,the euro, in January 1999.

Location: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, betweenBelgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy andSpain.

France also has a number of overseas regions:

French Guiana: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,between Brazil and Suriname.

Guadeloupe: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North AtlanticOcean, southeast of Puerto Rico.

Martinique: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean,north of Trinidad and Tobago.

Mayotte: Southern Indian Ocean, island in the Mozambique Channel, about half waybetween northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique.

Reunion: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar.

Area: 212,935 square miles (551,500 square kilometers). Slightly less than the size of Texas.

Population: 65,312,249 (July 2011 est.)

Capital: Paris

Geography: France is largest West European nation.

Map Sat Ter Earth


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View France in a larger map

Climate: Generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers alongthe Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known asmistral.

Government: Republic

Head of State: President Nicolas Sarkozy (since 16 May 2007)

Head of Government: Prime Minister Francois Fillon (since 17 May 2007)

Language: French (official) 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages(Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish).

Religion: Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%,unaffiliated 4%.

Time Zone: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Electricity: EDF (Electricité de France) and GDF (Gaz de France) are state-owned bodiesthat operate under a single entity called EGF. The system in France is 220-voltelectricity/50-Hz current. Two-pin plugs are the most common, but some fittings takethree-pin plugs. You will receive an electric bill every two months.

Telephone system: Highly developed telephone system. Extensive cable and microwaveradio relay; extensive use of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system.

International country code: +33

Cell phones users: 59.543 million (2009)

Internet users: 44.625 million (2009)

Internet country code: .fr

France is in the midst of transition from a well-to-do modern economy that has featuredextensive government ownership and intervention to one that relies more on marketmechanisms. The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies, banks,and insurers, and has ceded stakes in such leading firms as Air France, France Telecom,Renault, and Thales. It maintains a strong presence in some sectors, particularly power,public transport, and defense industries.

With at least 75 million foreign tourists per year, France is the most visited country in theworld and maintains the third largest income in the world from tourism. France’s leadersremain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by means of laws, taxpolicies, and social spending that reduce income disparity and the impact of free markets on


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public health and welfare. France has weathered the global economic crisis better than mostother big EU economies because of the relative resilience of domestic consumer spending, alarge public sector, and less exposure to the downturn in global demand than in some othercountries.

Nonetheless, France’s real GDP contracted 2.5% in 2009, but recovered somewhat in 2010,while the unemployment rate increased from 7.4% in 2008 to 9.5% in 2010. The governmentpursuit of aggressive stimulus and investment measures in response to the economic crisis,however, are contributing to a deterioration of France's public finances. The governmentbudget deficit rose sharply from 3.4% of GDP in 2008 to 7.8% of GDP in 2010, whileFrance’s public debt rose from 68% of GDP to 84% over the same period.

Paris is terminating stimulus measures, eliminating tax credits, and freezing most governmentspending to bring the budget deficit under the 3% euro-zone ceiling by 2013, and to highlightFrance’s commitment to fiscal discipline at a time of intense financial market scrutiny of eurozone debt levels. President Sarkozy—who secured passage of pension reform in 2010—isexpected to seek passage of some tax reforms in 2011, but he may delay additional, morecostly, reforms until after the 2012 election.

Labor force: 28.21 million (2010 est.)

Labor force by occupation: Agriculture: 3.8%Industry: 24.3%Services: 71.8% (2005)

Exports:$508.7 billion (2010 est.)

Export commodities: Machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals,pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, and beverages.

Imports: $577.7 billion (2010 est.)

Import commodities: Machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, andchemicals.

Paris

What must it be like to be a real Parisian, living among 15 centuries of history, beauty, andromance in arguably the world’s most bewitching capital? Paris is one of the world’s greatcities and many expatriates have found a home away from home here. No other city in theworld exerts the same charm or sophistication as Paris. Every year more than 80 milliontourists come to tread the well-worn cobbles by the Louvre, browse the booksellers’ wares onthe banks of the Seine, or get dazzled by the EiffelTower at night.

As well as being known for all things sophisticated, Paris is also notorious for being anexpensive place to buy property. But whether you are looking for a second home or aninvestment opportunity, Paris offers a whole host of property options. Areas like the10tharrondissement with its covered St.Quentin market…or the artisan quarter of the12tharrondissement…or the18th arrondissement, an area that many see as being the epitomeof Paris, all have properties you can buy at very affordable prices…and just because you


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don’t live right in the center of the city, doesn’t mean that you are missing out. Eacharrondissement has its own unique character and with a good transport system, the rest ofParis is very accessible.

Property samples in Paris: Whether you’re looking to buy or rent, Parisian properties canbe affordable—probably a lot more affordable than you imagine. Admittedly it will be small,but you can still buy a place in artsy Montmartre for under $250,000.

A 130-square-foot studio in the 12tharrondissemen, near a Métro station. Althoughthis needs a little work, it is in an up-and-coming area. Price: $152,900.

A 200-square-foot studio with lots of charm, sun and unobstructed views near theAbbesses Métro is on the market. Price: $249,000.

Located in the desirable Butte aux Cailles district of the 13tharrondissement, is asunny one-bedroom apartment of 250 square feet with new parquet. Price: $298,850.

Corsica

Dramatic, unspoiled, sensual. This is Corsica, France’s ÎledeBeauté (Isle of Beauty).Anchored 100 miles south off the Côte d’Azur, it’s a mystery island to most NorthAmericans. History buffs may pinpoint it as Napoleon’s birthplace, but that’s about it.Frenchand Italian vacationers have long enjoyed its silver beaches and azure-blue seas. But to therest of the world, Corsica is so far under the radar that even a travel writer can forget it’s thewestern Mediterranean’s third-largest island.

Corsica’s 800-mile coastline is punctuated with small resorts, fishing ports and medievalcitadel towns that could have been stolen from Italy. There are orchards, chestnut woods andolive groves…the balconies of bougainvillea-draped hill villages look out over the sea.

Aside from the university town of Corte, most settlements of any size are within 15 miles ofthe coast. With Italy the nearest landfall, the climate is similar to the Italian Riviera—mildwinters and hot summers.

Corsica’s capitalof Ajaccio hasa small Genoese quarter was where Napoleon Bonaparte wasborn in 1769. Fittingly for an imperial birthplace, the city planners gave Ajaccio an extensionof broad avenues, palm-lined squares, parks and a seafront promenade.Cours Napoleon is themain avenue, a mile-long stretch between the center and a large harbor that serves bothyachts and ferries from the mainland.Within walking distance of downtown, St FrancoisPlage is Ajaccio’s beach area. The views are stunning: sailboats bobbing across the Gulf ofAjaccio; the Old Town framed by distant mountains.

Property samples in Corsica:

In the east coast town of MorianiPlage, a one-bedroom apartment with a small terraceand sea view. Price: $159,519.

Less than half-a-mile inland, two-bedroom houses with a garden in Ste Lucie deMoriani start at $217,289.

In the Ajaccio’s Old Town and along the Route des Sanguinaires (where Ajaccio’s bestbeaches lie), studios of around 375 square feet cost from $159,273 to $183,128.


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Purchasing Procedure

More than 11,000 French agents belong to FNAIM (FédérationNationale de l’Immobilier).The organization’s website (www.fnaim.org) has a comprehensive listing of agents and adatabase detailing the properties and member agents available in any given area.

House buying in France is not a difficult process, once you are aware of some of thecountry’s real estate quirks and in most cases, the procedure is completed within two to threemonths.

The agent will draw up an initial contract of sale, or a compromis de vente. Remember, unlessyou are completely au fait with the process, we recommend that you get your own lawyerand/or an independent notary to look it over before you sign it.

Although the compromis de venteis the most commonly used contract, there are other typesof preliminary contracts also. It is vital you remember that there is no standard form so youmust be sure about what you’re signing—and especially sure that it contains any necessaryconditions suspensives. These are conditions that, if not met, render a contract null and voidand entitle the prospective purchaser to recover his/her deposit. For example, the preliminarycontract could be conditional upon the prospective buyer being able to arrange a loan topurchase the property.

The promesse de venteand promessed’achatare two other options, both of which constitute acommitment to sell or buy. In the case of both these contracts the other party is not legallybound. On the other hand, the compromis de venteis a binding agreement that fixes the priceand obligates both the vendor and buyer to come to an eventual completion. However, with apromesse de venteor a promessed’achat, a buyer who decides to back out won’t lose his/herdeposit, although they could be subject to a claim for damages. The same applies to thevendor. If he/she pulls out of the sale, he/she can be liable for compensation up to an amountequivalent to the buyer’s deposit.

Buying Restrictions

There are no restrictions for foreigners buying property in France.


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A location is a long-term rental, locations saisonnièresare holiday rentals, and the wordlouermeans “to rent.” Vacation rentals are always furnished. Unless you’re looking to rent inParis, one of the larger provincial towns or cities, or along the Riviera, you might run into afurniture problem with a long-term rental. Generally speaking, long-term rentals in ruralFrance are unfurnished. Although it’s possible to rent furnished homes in the countryside, thechoice is limited. Most furnished rentals are let by the week or month as vacation homes.However, you can sometimes rent holiday homes for longer periods at discount rates duringthe winter.

For longer stays, the best thing to do is to get in touch with an immobilier(sales and rentalagency). The FNAIM website carries rentals as well as sales (see www.fnaim.fr). Althoughmost are unfurnished, you can find furnished properties. Each property description lists therelevant realtor with an office address and phone number. Once you’ve chosen a home, theagent arranges all the rental details with the owner.

Despite their meat-and-cream-rich diet augmented by alcohol and cigarettes, the French havebeen living much longer in recent years. Life expectancy now averages 84 years for womenand 77 for men. In the past 10 years the number of people living over the age of 100 hasdoubled, with 15,459people reaching the three-digit mark.

The low cost of health insurance and the superb quality of care meant that France romped tovictory in the health category of International Living’s Quality of Life Index 2011. And theWorld Health Organization shares our view, naming France number one in their world healthreport. They say France provides the best overall health care system in the world. And forthose who are paying into the French Social Security System, it’s a lot cheaper than takingout private health care plans (which North American retirees will have to do). Privatemedical insurance is mandatory for non-E.U. citizens wishing to take up residence in France.

Once you move to France, you may be able to transfer your health care plan to a Frenchprovider, or even to one of the many British companies that specialize in providing coveragefor individual expatriates. This may prove cheaper: Costs depend on age and medical history,but if you’re in good health, monthly premiums average $125.

Private medical insurance generally covers hospital treatment, but under some plans you mustfund the cost of doctor’s visits yourself. Others will reimburse around 75% of doctor’s fees.As with household insurance, the consular section of the U.S. Embassy can provide you witha list of English-speaking insurance agencies offering health coverage.

You could also join the Association of Americans Resident Overseas (website: www.aaro.org)and buy into their group plan.

For visits of less than 90 days, North American citizens need a passport but not an entry visa.Staying longer, though, means applying for a visa de séjourtemporaire (a residency visa)from your nearest French Consulate in the U.S. or Canada. This isn’t something you can


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apply for while you’re vacationing in France. The authorities do not allow you to change yourstatus from tourist to resident without jumping through the right hoops.

Generally, it isn’t difficult for North American retirees to gain long-term residency in France,but you should check out your particular situation before making plans.Plenty ofdocumentation will be needed. The website www.consulfrance-washington.org/spip.php?rubrique gives detailed information about visas.

U.S. Embassy in France, 2 avenue Gabriel, 75008 Paris; tel. +33 (1) 4312-2222;website: http://france.usembassy.gov.

French Embassy in the U.S.,4101 Reservoir Road N.W., Washington, DC 20007; tel.(202)944-6195; fax (202)944-6166; e-mail: [email protected]; website:http://ambafrance-us.org.

Canadian Embassy in France, 35 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris, France; tel. +33(1) 4443-2900; fax +33 (1) 4443-2999; website:www.canadainternational.gc.ca/france.

French Consulate in Canada, 2 Bloor Street West, Suite #2200, Toronto ON, M4W1A8; tel. (416) 847-1900; fax (416) 847-1901; website: www.consulfrance-toronto.org.

France doesn’t have a retiree program. But it does have benefits that we think more thanmake up forthat…an amazing health care system, stunning scenery, affordable real estate,some of the finest cuisine in the world…the list is endless.

How much you spend on living costs each month will depend on your own lifestyle and


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where you plan to take up residence. Opting for the highlife in Paris is likely to make largerholes in any budget than modest tranquility in a quiet corner of France, such as the Charentesor the Auvergne.

Here’s a sample of some monthly costs for running an apartment for two people:

Euro U.S. Dollar

Gas for heating and a stove €55 $72

Electricity €45 $59

Monthly telephone rental fee €20 $26 + cost of calls

Unleaded gas super 97 per liter €1.36 $1.76

Diesel €1.17 $1.52

Broadband Internet fee €30 $39

Cable TV €25 $33

Ticket for the movies €12 $16

Lunch for two with wine €30 $39

Note: The exchange rate used here is $1.30 = 1 euro.

Anything to do with tax in France used to be horrendously tricky and, of course, depends onyour personal circumstances. Increasingly, it’s possible to file your tax returns and pay mosttaxes online via the Ministry of Finance’s tax website: www.impots.gouv.fr.

If you spend more than 183 days a year in France, it is, in most cases, safe to assume that youare resident for French tax purposes. But if you spend less than 183 days you may still beconsidered “resident” if you have your permanent home in France, conduct your mainprofessional activity in France, or your center of economic interest is in France. In suchcases, you may be liable to pay French income tax. Very simply, everyone who is not“resident” is “non-resident.”

Income tax: Income tax is known as the IRPP (Impôtsur le Revenu des PersonnesPhysiques).A non-resident may be liable to French income tax on all income from a Frenchsource—in particular rental income from a French property and income paid by a Frenchemployer.

French taxes aren’t low, particularly if you’re single and a high earner. The income of Frenchresidents is subject to progressive bands of taxation, ranging from nil to a punitive rate of53.25% for taxable income in excess of $45,000. Taxation is calculated on the total incomeof the fiscal household, which includes income from a spouse, children younger than 18, and,in some cases, adult children, too. Almost half of French households do not pay any tax at all.

Rental income and property tax: Whether you reside in France or not, you will be liable fortax on any rental income earned from your French property. This is levied at regular incometax rates, but not less than 25% for non-residents.

There is also an annual real estate tax, as well as an annual occupancy tax. Usually paid inarrears, the amount depends on the type of residence and location.The rates basically relate


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to the house or apartment’s size and location. In rural Provence, a village house that’scurrently on the market is being levied $412 per annum for taxes, water, and waste disposal.

Currency and exchange: France uses the euro.

Opening a bank account: If you have a French residential address and a residency permit,you’ll be able to open both checking and savings bank accounts in France. You do not needto be permanently resident in the country. Depending on your situation, it may be more taxbeneficial for you to have a non-resident rather than a resident account. Speak with anattorney and an international tax accountant.

To open a bank account, you have to produce the following documents:

Valid passportCarte de séjour(resident’s permit)Proof of address such as a telephone or electricity bill, rent receipt, etc.

ATMs: ATMs are widespread. Rather than a magnetic strip, French debit cards contain achip, containing the ID information. Foreign credit cards with magnetic strips are equallyvalid, but are not always easily read by machines in shops, restaurants, gas stations, etc.

Moving your household goods: If you are relocating to France on a permanent basis andyou have been living outside the European Union for the last 12 months, you may import anumber of items free of duty and tax. Personal items include clothes, jewelry, hunting andfishing equipment, and similar effects. Household goods include furniture, carpets, dishes,linen, books, pictures, and other household furnishings.

Moving with your pets: France has no quarantine and you are allowed to bring certain typesof pets—lizards and rats included—into the country, providing you follow correctprocedures.

Travelers may bring their dogs and cats from the U.S. into France under the followingconditions:

Each family is limited to three animals, only one of which can be a puppy or akitten(under six months of age).

Dogs and cats have a rabies vaccination certificate signed by a legallypracticingveterinarian in the U.S. This certificate must be presented at the port of entryinFrance and must accurately identify the pets.

Someone must be in charge of the pet(s) for the duration of the trip and also attheairport (owner, representative of the airline, etc.).

Firearms: France has stringent regulations on firearms and ammunition. As a rule, firearmswhich have no legitimate sporting or recreational use are not permitted entry into France. Formore information, see the French Embassy website: http://ambafrance-us.org


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/spip.php?article777.

When you move, or if you’re just thinking of moving, somewhere new, it’s a good idea to talkto people who have already done what you’re about to. Get in touch with expats in France,they’ll be able to help you with any questions or concerns you might have and you’ll be ableto compare notes on moving here.

Here are some resources you might find helpful:

International Living Facebook Europe page:www.facebook.com/InternationalLivingEurope. This is a great place to meet otherlike-minded, France-bound expats and get advice.

The Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO), 34 avenue de New York,75116 Paris; tel. +33 (1) 4720-2415; fax +33 (1) 4720-2416; website: www.aaro.org.

American Library in Paris, 10 rue du GénéralCamou, 75012 Paris; tel.+33 (1)5359-1260; fax +33 (1) 4550-2583; e-mail: [email protected];website: www.americanlibraryinparis.org. This library contains over 100,000 Englishlanguage books. The library also has a modern research center with CD-ROM indexesand a periodicals collection, a special CAPES/ Agregation section, a Children’sServices Department with a weekly story hour on Wednesdays, and a monthly evening“With an Author.” This lecture series is free and open to the public.

Association of American Wives of Europeans (AAWE), 34 avenue de New York;75116 Paris; tel. +33 (1) 4070-1180; e-mail: [email protected]; website:www.aaweparis.org. This organization is for American women married to Europeansand living in Europe but who wish to maintain American links.

As a major European hub and as one of the most visited cities in the world, Paris is served bymany domestic and international airline carriers. Budget carriers, particularly coming fromother European destinations, have increasingly more frequent service into Paris, making forcompetitive fares from many major airlines. Most of the world’s major carriers serve Paris.

American airlines that fly into Paris:

American Airlines (website: www.aa.com)United Airlines (website: www.united.com)Delta Airlines [partner of Air France] (website: www.delta.com)Continental (website: www.continental.com)US Airways (website: www.usairways.com)

International airlines that fly into Paris:

Air Canada (website: www.aircanada.com)Air France (website: www.airfrance.com)British Airways (website: www.ba.com)


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Lufthansa (website: www.lufthansa.com)KLM (website: www.KLM.com)

Getting a work visa

Without very specialized skills that a French employer is crying out for, North Americans willfind it very difficult to find legal salaried employment in France.

Unless you’ve been a legal resident in France for at least the past three years, and have thusacquired a carte de résident, you’ll find a well-paid job with legal status hard to come by. Aprospective employer must obtain authorization from the Ministry of Labor. It is unlikely thiswill be given if there are French citizens who could do the same job.

The unemployment rate in France right now is just under 9.1%. Furthermore, citizens of theother E.U. member states have priority over you in the European job market.

Setting up your own business

If you want to establish a company in France you’ll need to be in possession of a carte decommercantétranger (a foreign trader’s card for the self-employed), regardless of whetheryou intend to live in France or not. The card is issued by the local authorities via thepréfecture once a visa de long séjour (visa for a period longer than three months) has beenissued by the French Consulate in the person’s country of residence.

Once the application is completed, the file is sent to the French Trade Commission for thesignature of the French Trade Commissioner, then to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, andfinally, the regional authorities or préfecturebefore it is returned to the consulate.

Making money overseas

If you’re interested in finding a way to fund your life overseas, there are a whole host of“jobs” that you can do from anywhere in the world. These are jobs that you can do from thefront porch of your beach house…jobs that allow you to work in the morning, leaving theafternoon free for relaxing, reading, snorkeling, sailing…

These days, the world is more interconnected than ever and the possibilities for a portablepaycheck are almost never-ending. You don’t need an MBA or thousands upon thousands ofstart-up cash to create a business for yourself that can easily fund your life overseas.

Here are just some of the ways you can do that.

Travel writing: Of all the kinds of writing you can do—fiction, academic, marketing,technical, etc.—travel writing is the most fun…and the most rewarding. Perhaps you alreadytook a long vacation this year. You might find it hard to explain to that voice in yourhead—the one that monitors your bank account—that you’re going to take another. But ifyou can make enough money selling a story about your trip to cover its cost…or at leastdefray, say, the cost of the airfare…well, then, that is not such a bad arrangement.

Take Sandra Kennedy. She retired from teaching and wasn’t sure how she’d keep myselfbusy. But now here she gets paid to travel, take pictures along the way, and write about what


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she recommends other people do and see. She finds it hard to believe it’s even a real job!

Sandra has stayed at lavish haciendas, eaten the freshest foods in Ecuador, gotten to knowthe smiling, helpful locals. She’s been to a Shaman healing ceremony, rode horses in theAndes and learned to weave. And then she sat sipping fresh mango juice, relaxing by thepool.Sandra takes notes and photos along the way and spends a few evenings writing up herimpressions while they’re fresh in her mind. Once she’s back home, she puts them into propersentences and then finds an editor who will pay her for them.

Five-years on, and Sandra’s portfolio is filled with travel articles and photographs from Chile,Ecuador, Guatemala, Portugal, Uruguay, Argentina, Alaska, Maine, Oregon and Washington.And many of those articles came out of trips she enjoyed for next-to-nothing or even free.

An online business: Did you know that there’s a great way to make money from the comfortof your own home anywhere in the world, doing exactly what you’re doing now?

When Larry and Beatriz visited Medellin, Colombia they fell in love and knew they had tolive there.Luckily for them, they were easily able to use their existing skills to create abusiness opportunity that translated from Coral Springs to Colombia.

At first, it was every two months. Then once a month. But that wasn’t often enough for LarrySnyder. So in 2008 he packed his bags, and he and his German shepherd, Hans, took aone-way flight to Medellin, Colombia.

“I started traveling to Colombia with my girlfriend Beatriz—who’s now my wife. She wasmaking frequent trips for her clothing business in Florida. My work as a nurse in the CoralSprings E.R. meant I could schedule six days back-to-back and then take eight days off,”Larry says.

Beatriz started her own clothes manufacturing company in Colombia and Larry had an onlinebusiness offering continuing education to nurses—something he could run from anywhere. Sohe went back to America and cleaned out the house.As a registered nurse, Larry knows abouthealth care and hospitals so he turned his existing skills into an online business he can runfrom anywhere. And he couldn’t be happier.

Photography: Walk into your back yard, kneel down, and snap a photo of a flower in yourgarden…or capture a shot of your grandchildren playing with a football. Did you know thatthese photos could earn you $25…$50…even $150 or more for each one?

Imagine if, every time you went on vacation, with your camera in tow, you could make up to$800 for those pictures you snap.There is no great secret to breaking into photography—evenif you have no experience and only use a simple point-and-shoot camera, it can still be a wayto fund a new, more relaxed, and fun lifestyle.

Photos are used everywhere…newspapers, magazines, billboards, websites, technicalmanuals, and almost any published material. Someone has to take those pictures. Whyshouldn’t that someone be you?

Take David Morgan. He wasn’t any hot-shot photographer when, with a Vivitar camera inhand, he traveled across Asia for six months. He dined with the Privy Counsel to the King ofThailand…met the late Mother Teresa…and shook hands with the Dalai Lama. He took aweek-long, four-wheel-drive journey across Tibet. He went trout fishing in a pristine


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mountain stream in Bumburet, a hidden valley in the Hindu Kush. He also got to see secretreligious ceremonies rarely witnessed by outsiders.

The icing on the cake was that he found a textbook publisher who needed the photos from histrip. Not only did his connections save him money, but he actually made money… over$6,000! What’s more, a few years later, the publisher offered to pay him again when the bookwent to a second edition.

Photography really can open up the world to you. As a “working” photographer, you canpickup-and-go any time you choose…get on a flight to any number of far-flungdestinations…and enjoy the freedom of the photographer’s life.

A money-making website: A few years ago I decided to try my hand at creating a websitethat would make me some extra money.My idea was simply to create an informational sitethat would make money through people clicking on ads and other money-making links.

When it comes to retirement income, I want the money coming in, regardless of where I live.Having a money-making website gives me that flexibility.I can do this from anywhere in theworld. All I need is a laptop and an internet connection.If I choose to retire abroadpermanently, I just have to make sure I have internet access.And if I decide to spend a yearor more traveling the world, I can just plug in at hotels or cafes along the way.

I didn’t want to “go into business” and have to source and ship products, or deal withcustomers. I just wanted to write informative pages, and make some money with ads.

The site I created was CoffeeDetective.com. As its name suggest, it’s about coffee. I’m not acoffee professional, and have never worked in the coffee business. I just like coffee.I wanted to write about something that interested me, and see if I could make some moneyalong the way.Well, the site has been up for almost five years. It now gets over 3,000 visitorsa day. And this month it looks like the site will be making me about $6,000.

Copywriting: Why exactly did you buy a whole caseload of nutritional supplement madefrom the oils of mold-infested Bolivian tree bark? Spend $3,000 to drink foul-tasting mare’smilk whilst undergoing the Spartan regime of a yoga retreat in Outer Mongolia?

Undoubtedly, it was because some devilishly clever person persuaded you to. It wassomething that you simply had to have...had to experience.

The big earners of the writing market are copywriters. Effectively dream sellers, many ofthem can earn fantastic money. By writing letters for the direct mail market (you and I mightcall it junk mail or spam), they persuade consumers to buy companies’ products—healthproducts, financial products, self-improvement products, and travel products. You name it,and you can bet there’s a copywriter involved somewhere along the line.

Hospitals use copywriters, charities use copywriters. Whenever a business or organizationneeds to pro-mote itself (through a press release, leafleting, online, a newsletter, or otherforms of media), it also generally hires a copywriter.

Paul Hollingshead went from making $6.50 an hour stacking shelves in a grocery store tomaking $400,000 a year as a copywriter. Paul “works” a few hours a day. He writes one,maybe two letters a month. Recently, he moved with his family to a little historic town in theVermont countryside. He has no bosses, no commute. He writes from a little cottage stepsfrom his house, where he is surrounded by peace and quiet. For a break, he says he’ll walk


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over to the old Inn across the street for lunch…grab a coffee at the local market...

A top-notch copywriter can easily command $8,000 per letter. Imagine getting $96,000 infees each year just for writing 12 letters. But that’s only the start of things. But, before youget carried away, note that not all copywriters earn quite as much. To get a six-figure income,you’ll first need to establish a track record. Of course, there are many countries in the worldwhere that kind of money goes a long way. And again, it’s another wonderful career you cando from anywhere in the world.

For 30 years International Living has been the number one resource to help people find thebest places to retire and live better, for less, in France and around the world.

More comprehensive, and regularly updated, information is available in the pages ofInternational Living’s Magazine and through the members-only section of our website.

Check it out for yourself and see how membership with International Living can help youlive the life you’ve always wanted. Visit us here to learn more about the industry’s mostrespected magazine on living and investing abroad...International Living Magazine.

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© Copyright 2012, International Living Publishing Ltd., Elysium House, Ballytruckle,Waterford, Ireland. All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced by anymeans without the express written consent of the publisher. The information contained hereinis obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.Registered in Ireland No. 8285214I.


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Documents

A Taste of France