Living Abroad Guides - Your Guide To A Better Life Abroad

Could Panama Be Your Perfect Low Cost Retirement Paradise?

Report filed under: Offshore Living Country Guides » Retirement Abroad Living Guide

Wed, September 08, 2010 - 6:00 am EET

Could Panama Be Your Perfect Low Cost Retirement Paradise?Panama, a stunning Caribbean facing country located in Central America, is already a very popular choice with our North American cousins who are looking for an affordable and attractive place to live, work or retire.  In part this is because Panama is far more easily accessible from the US and Canada than it is from Europe for example, and is so more widely known – and in part it’s because America has very strong ties with Panama thanks to the strategic importance of the Panama Canal, and so the nation has been in the American/Canadian conscience for a long time.

However, Panama is not a country explored by many Britons, and until recently it has remained a much less popular choice for retirees for example, who were looking around the world for an affordable retirement hotspot.  Things are beginning to change though… Europe is no longer a realistic option if you want true affordability, and those in the know are beginning to see real opportunity in Panama that needs promoting more widely.

We have been speaking to Jack and Ruthie Burns, Shelter Offshore readers who have permanently settled in Panama following detailed exploration of multiple nations - from Canada to Costa Rica.  They have provided us with an exceptionally valuable and detailed overview of what life is really like in Panama for retirees for example – and so in this article, we’re going to use their findings to help you determine whether Panama could be your perfect low cost retirement paradise…

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10 Best Countries to Work in Abroad if You Want More Money

Report filed under: Offshore Living Country Guides » Working Abroad Living Guide

Mon, September 06, 2010 - 12:20 pm EET

10 Best Countries to Work in Abroad if You Want More MoneyIt’s a well-known fact that professional expatriates tend to earn more than their peers back in the UK.  In part this is because they may pay less income tax and encounter fewer hidden taxes locally, and in part it’s because many other nations are far stronger than the UK economically speaking at the moment.

The latest survey of 4,127 expats in 100 different countries by HSBC has revealed that there are specifically 10 nations where professionals are currently earning much more than their peers in the UK – and so if you’d like to know which are the 10 best countries to work in abroad if you just want more money, read on!

We’ve based our findings purely on the basis of the average income enjoyed by the average expatriate located in the following 10 locations around the world, according to the wealth related findings of HSBC’s Expat Explorer survey.  You may not like any of the nations suggested, alternatively you may not be able to find work in your profession in any of the nations cited.  However, if you simply want to expatriate to chase more cash to enable your future financial dreams, here’s where you need to be headed: -

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Beat Post-Holiday Blues - Plan a Permanent Move Abroad

Report filed under: Offshore Living Country Guides » Overseas Living Guide

Tue, August 31, 2010 - 10:26 am EET

Beat Post-Holiday Blues – Plan a Permanent Move AbroadThe kids will be back at school soon, and for many people the summer holidays will be a distant memory any day now!  It hasn’t helped that the weather in the UK has been bad all summer either – so it’s no surprise that we’ve received quite a bit of correspondence from dejected individuals wondering how they can recapture that summer holiday feeling.

So today, for our fed-up readers in the UK and those of you who want to beat the post-holiday blues, we have a plan for you to make your dreams of a permanent move abroad a reality.

If you want summer sunshine for most of the year, you want to escape the monotony of your every day life, you want to expand your horizons, live the dream and find your perfect life abroad you have to set yourself goals and targets and actively plan and work towards achieving your ambitions.  A half-hearted wish will not carry you all the way abroad.  Here’s how to plan your permanent move abroad.

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7 Essential Personality Traits to be a Successful Expatriate

Report filed under: Offshore Living Country Guides » Expatriate Living Guide

Mon, August 23, 2010 - 8:24 am EET

7 Essential Personality Traits to be a Successful ExpatriateWe received an interesting email over the weekend from a British man who’s been offered a job abroad.  Essentially he wanted to know whether he should accept the (very generous) job offer and relocate to Asia, having never lived or worked overseas before…and he wanted our advice.

The email has inspired this article because it provoked a very strong reaction in me!  The guy listed all the concerns he had about adapting to a new life abroad, juxtaposed against this really attractive job offer, but never once did he display any excitement at the prospect of starting a new life abroad in what is a fascinating yet particularly challenging country!

Far be it for us at Shelter Offshore to give advice to anyone about any aspect of their life – we just don’t feel qualified!  But what we can tell you are the 7 personality traits you really do require if you want to be successful as an expatriate – and as we told the man in question, ‘are you really ready for a complete change of every aspect of your life?’  If you are then you’re on the right track, and if you’re not, then why are you even thinking about moving abroad!

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The Cheapest Country To Live In?

Report filed under: Offshore Living Country Guides » Expatriate Living Guide

Wed, August 18, 2010 - 11:07 am EET

The Cheapest Country To Live In?As you can probably imagine, we are contacted every single day by readers who are thinking about starting a new life abroad – and a very common question we’re asked by such people is: ‘what’s the cheapest country to live in?’ 

Inflation in the UK is far outpacing interest rates which means that anyone with any saved or invested wealth in Britain is seeing their asset pot dwindling, and at the same time, the cost of living in the UK is far from comfortably affordable for many people.  Other people are fed up with the number of hours they have to work just to keep their heads above water – and the one thing all of these people have in common is a desire to know if there is a more affordable place to enjoy a decent quality of life abroad.

Because affordability is a driving concern for an increasing number of people, and because people really do want to know which is the cheapest country to live in abroad, this article sets out to discover where we can move to live abroad and see our money go far further.

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7 Top Ways to Take the Stress Out of Moving Abroad

Report filed under: Offshore Living Country Guides » Expatriate Living Guide

Wed, August 11, 2010 - 10:54 am EET

7 Top Ways to Take the Stress Out of Moving AbroadWhat’s stopping you from making a move that you know will radically change your life for the better?  According to a survey of our readers that we’ve undertaken, the number one issue holding back would-be expatriates is fear of the physical move overseas.  It seems that the thought of all that stress is stopping some people from fulfilling their dreams.


At Shelter Offshore we have decided to tackle the problem head on, after all, we genuinely feel that those who want to move but who are too afraid to go are limiting their lives and wasting their chances for genuine happiness and personal fulfilment.

If you’re in a similar position – i.e., you would really like to start a new life overseas and fulfil your dreams of travel and exploration, you’d like to embrace new opportunities and go in search of better weather and a better quality of life – read on and discover the 7 top ways to take the stress out of moving abroad.  The relocation does not have to be a nightmare and your transition can be a smooth as well as an exciting one…

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