What I have found out so far...

Ecuador is promoted by many as the country with the lowest cost of living and the best options for climates. I am subscribed to 3 well known sites and I receive regular updates from all of them. They do promote their products all the time which can be a bit annoying but they also do seem to do thorough research as well.

1. International Living check out Google ads and search Ecuador
   
2. Live and Invest Overseas check out Google ads and search Ecuador
   
3. Search Gary A Scott and Ecuador
   

Panama is also promoted as the retirement haven with all kinds of benefits especially for a retiree. It seems to be a bit more costly to live there. For sure it is in Panama City as compared to the smaller towns or rural areas. It is a bit closer to home though... just a bit. It also may be more developed than Ecuador.

1. International Living check out Google ads and search Panama
   
2. Live and Invest Overseas check out Google ads and search Panama

Mexico has lots of negative press right now but we found it safe and friendly. It also has varying climates. One can choose the hotter climates along the coast line or retreat to the mountain areas for the "spring like climates". Unfortunately, spring like climates are just too cold for me. When we went to San Cristobal de Las Casas we thought it was beautiful. We also enjoyed the beach on the north coast of Mexico but found it surprisingly cold too. The winds blow off the ocean and in February it can feel cold.

Looking for Real Estate? With the help of Mr. Carlos Hassey Esparza from http://www.tierrayucatan.com/ we found a place in Merida that had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a wrap around verandah and a swimming pool with an asking price of only $67,000 USD. The owner also said if it didn't sell and we wanted to rent it for, say 3 months, he would rent it to us for only $500 CAD per month. He said he would leave it all furnished for us and take the time to go off and investigate Brazil as it looks the most promising to him as the up and coming place. Brazil is just too far away for me.He was a very interesting old guy. A former Canadian diplomat and he had served a lot of places. He seemed very honest with us about the down side of his house and living in Mexico but he also said how much he has enjoyed living there. Carlos was wonderful and we highly recommend him as a realtor. He was so friendly and polite and helpful. He showed us around and answered so many questions for us.

1. International Living check out Google ads and search Mexico
   
2. Live and Invest Overseas check out Google ads and search Mexico

Here I go....

Hi there.  I am new to this so just learning how to post and everything.  My desire is to share my experiences with you as I research everything we need to know to embark on the transition to our Snowbird Lifestyle.  Here we are seniors I suppose since we both are well over 55.   Hopefully we will both see semi-retirement at least, as of December 31, 2009. Retirement planning isn't easy... so much to think about and anticipate.   My husband and I want to escape our  Canadian winters. Frankly, it is more me than him who can no longer stand the cold.  I swear I will not spend another whole winter in Alberta.  The tropics of Central America and South America are calling me and I will do just about anything to allow us to go south where it is warm.

Last winter we spent a month in Mexico so we have gotten a small taste of what it can be like.  We had a ball. We stayed in touch with family by Skype.  Wireless Networking was available many places which was grand. We couldn't afford a car so we used local transportation, of which Mexico has lots of varying styles and types. We squished into small vans with 12 people at a time and also rode the ADO luxury line buses into the mountains of Chiapas.  We stayed in a beach house, a small hotel and 2 different hostels.  We ate quesadillas and other local food and shopped at the market so we could mostly cook our own.  We found a lovely coffee shop in Merida that satisfied our craving for latte coffees.  We enjoyed the hammocks, walked the beach, swam in cenotes and visited with another Canadian couple we met.  They were seasoned snow birders and were so generous with their information.  It was so nice to have someone to ask questions of.

My husband was doing very well learning Spanish.  He could speak toddler Spanish which is way more than I could manage.  He was very brave trying it out whenever he could and the Mexican people were very friendly and helpful.  At no time did we feel unsafe... whether on the streets of downtown Merida or San Cristobal de las Casas or the beach at Chelem.

We have been fortunate, as we have already traveled to the Cook Islands, Belize and the Dominican Republic prior to our Mexico adventure.  But there is so much more out there to explore and we are just beginning I hope.  Luckily we are house sharing with our grown daughter and granddaughter so we can leave our house knowing that it and the dogs and cat will be well taken care of.  What a relief that is!   

Now, I am heavily into researching where to go next winter.  My tentative plan is to go to Ecuador and maybe also Panama and/or Peru.  It all depends on how far I can make our limited dollars stretch.  If you are interested in traveling on a budget you may want to follow along as I share what I learn.