Deciding to GO

Hi lizheart303,

welcome to Expat.com!

Do you want to move to Puerto Rico? As it is your first post, you might tell us a bit about you and your project?

You might also have a look at the different topics on the Puerto Rico forum

I am sure you will get some replies soon

Christine
Expat.com team

Welcome!   For us, we had initially wanted to move to Jamaica when we retired after many visits to the island.  But we began to feel increasingly unsafe there and the overall tension we felt from Jamaicans of desperation made us decide against that move.  But we still wanted the caribbean so turned our sights to PR.  After many visits we fell in love with it (the climate is almost exactly as Jamaica).  We are looking to rent long term before a final decision to live permanently in PR.

Have you visited PR and are now wanting to move?

We have been wanting island life forever. We did visit Jamaica and had the same experience as you. So now we are looking at PR. Seems people have either really good or really bad things to say. Lots of jobs, no jobs, etc. We want to rent long term as well. Slow life down and leave the rat race. We are in our 40s, so far from retirement. We want a humble home and humble jobs in order to have time for family.
Planning everything is a scary challenge.
We are planning a visit next month.
Liz

Interesting that you felt the similar experiences in Jamaica.  We visited over a period of 6 years and it had begun to feel different and heard of more crime.  I've never heard that there are a lot of jobs in PR but just the opposite.  Renting or spending long amounts of time in PR to determine if that is right for your family would be best.  I'm 50yr young and hubby is 54yr. but we are retired and won't rely on a job for income so that might be an issue. 

Do you have a job set up for you there or are able to promote your skills?  There are a lot of answers to some of what you might like to know on this forum.  All the best to you, Bless!

If we didn't have to depend on income, we would go now! So you already live there? And it's true jobs are hard to find? That is a disappointment.
I wish we didn't have to worry about money, although we don't need much. Neither my husband nor I are college grads.
Maybe it can only be a dream.

No, we don't live in PR yet but are hoping to start long term renting in the next year or so.  It doesn't have to be a lost dream, no way!  I'm not trying to discourage you at all.  I think you just need to do a lot of research as you are beginning your search on this forum.  Puerto Rico is absolutely beautiful and can be a paradise or somewhat a bad dream for some.

My husband and I are not college grads, either.  We were fortunate and very blessed to be able to retire modestly just this last November (hubby 54yr and myself 50yr).  We still have college age daughters at home, hence the wait on moving, haha.  We need them to be a bit more independent so we can make the move.

We fell in love with the west side of PR (Rincon area) and are will be looking to rent there.  The south west is also lovely and we stayed many times in Guanica and spend time at Cabo Rojo (stunning views at the lighthouse and beach).  I  hope you have a lovely time next month!

We have also looked into Roncin. Isn't that East side? I want to live very modestly, grow some food, have a little job and hopefully not even own a car. Are there small towns where walking is possible?

Rincon is on the west coast and is a small "surfing" town and very laid back.  I think you could walk to many places downtown if you live close to the edge of town.  Yes, something small and simple is what we need too

Hi Liz,

We recently. in May moved down here to PR from NY and are both retired. We primarily were looking on the east coast from Luquillo down to Yabucoa
When we didn't find anything but one house that we liked in Yabucoa, we decided to look on the northwest coast primarily near the water

Even though we care retired, we brought our grandson who is 18 and came to live with us before we left NY
It has been a challenge getting him into a school since he doesn't speak Spanish but managed anyway and he is attending a town school here in Quebradilla. We are both Puerto Rican, me born and bred in NY andy Hubby was born in San German(south of Mayaguez).

We do not have a car yet and walk into town at least 4-5 times a week and it is fine. I am getting a tan and losing a couple of pounds doing so
It is all good
It is amazing that we wound up here sincey hubby was at Ramsey AFB in Aguadilla over 40years ago and my oldest son was born there.

We had been planning this move for a long time and wheny hubby finally began getting a pension, we did it

We were suppossef to be in a condo in Luquillo when our grandson came to live with us but like they say"You are given lemons. you make lemonade" and he was excited to come here and begin a new experience.

I am not saying that it is easy, what with looking for a house and having to stay with family for 3 weeks and then looking for a school then a good internet provider. having no car and finally waiting for our household stuff for 3 months, but on the end, we love it here, we found a great house, have good neighbors and my grandson had made some friends and is.learning Spanish. I am in heaven and wouldn't trade this life for anything. Must think about where you want to be and do a lot of research and you will do fine. Good luck

Oh, thank you! YOU HAVE Done WHAT I AM Dreaming of. I am not even worried about schools. My son has some slight disabilities and I may just home school him. We'll see.
I am so happy that you can make do without a car. I really don't want to bother with one.
Thank you for your encouragement!!

I've been here for thirteen years and it looks like I'm here to stay.

I understand you guys need a job, right?  Sorry to break the news but that's not going to be easy. The unemployment rate is high and many people are leaving  PR to live and work in the lower 48.

Unless you have some special qualifications that certain employers are looking for it's going to be hard to find a job.

Do you speak Spanish? That would be important because although quite some people understand and speak (some) English, Spanish is the main language here on the island and for many jobs you won't even be considered if you're not fluent in it.

A way to secure employment here is to get a (government) job in the US and try to get a transfer to PR. The same could work if you would be working for a company, f.i. a store chain that's active on the island as well.

If you would decide to make the jump without a job, make sure you have enough cash to survive three, four months and have a return ticket in case it doesn't work out. Trust me, you don't want to find yourself jobless on this island.

When you come to visit forget about the tourist attractions, get as much information as you can, look at areas where you would like to live, talk to possible employers, check out the normal day to day life.

Good luck!

Great advice!

Good advice Gary. I would add that if you come to PR for a visit, also stop by the grocery store and check out the prices. Get a few items and stand in line for the experience. Seek out the local water and electric company offices and the DMV and pay them a visit to to see how they operate and what you would have deal with should you live there.Visit a hospital emergency waiting room to see how cold it is and notice that people are sitting there carrying blankets and pillows for an overnight stay because the hospital doesn't provide that stuff. Then if you have time, go to Rincon and watch the sunset. They are world class. It's a ritual there you know..

Hi expats on the lovely island of Puerto Rico!
My husband and I will be retiring Dec 2014 and moving from San Diego to a family property in Rincon, PR in Jan 2014.
We have visited many times and we are making some changes due to my husband's health.
It will be an adventure and although we are both professionals and leaving our careers we are looking forward to all PR will bring to our life. Is anyone currently living in Rincon?
Thanks!

Hello lizheart303,

One thing that most people fail to understand is that there is a vast difference in "visiting" any country on a vacation and "residing" in that country for a prolonged period of time.

It is impossible to know exactly what living permanently in any country is going to be like until you've actually spent a minimum of 6 months there, even more is recommended. After the initial "honeymoon" period has worn off, only then do you start to get an accurate picture of what living there is really going to be like.

When you've learned as much as you possibly can about the country, it's political landscape, bureaucratic processes, employment picture, tax laws and regulations and tax treaties, health system, public security, educational system (for those with or planning children), and a whole host of other factors that have an effect on the day-to-day life of expats in that country; only then can you really determine if the country really is a "fit" for you and your needs.

I would strongly recommend against moving to any country unless you've spent a prolonged period of time there first. Just remember the very sound advice:

Nobody plans to fail - they just fail to plan!!!

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team