New members of the Panama forum, introduce yourself here

I'm Monte a Single guy moving to Panama City(to start) this fall. Hope you all don't mind...I'll be asking questions Often. I'm a Retired Critical Care Nurse. I believe in," Try MOST things Twice, I may have been Wrong". I enjoy: Golf, Sailing, SCUBA, Photography, Painting, Cooking, Going out, to a Pub, People, Learning new things, Enjoying Life to the Fullest!  If you'd like to know more or have questions...Let me know.  Thanks! I'm looking forward to reading, meeting, you in the near future.
Monte

Hi Monty
I'll be moving to Panama in two weeks so I'll be posting about the adventure.

Hello everyone...
Finally made the decision to move to Panama.  Now
it is time to gather info and decide what to bring.
I visited Panama last September, so have a vague
idea.
Ruth

Good for you, StasnMoon2.  I am right behind you.  I was attracted to Italy
also, but the benefits were not necessarily there. Panama seems to be the
best choice for me, at least right now, and the Panamanians are great!
Maybe we will run into each other in Panama.
Ruth

Welcome Monte:
You sound like a fun person to know. I think you
will really enjoy Panama.
Ruth

I look forward to meeting you. Lady! I'll watch for you on the forum, then we can meet up when you arrive.
Do you or any one reading this have a suggestion on how to find a place to live? I'm looking at Craig's list and Viviun? Would like to share a place with some one at first. Until I find my way around.

Hello everybody,

I started researching Panama about 15 years ago. Was on the edge of buying a condo for rental 12 years ago but needed a partner to do so. My friend who agreed backed out at the last minute so I didn't get it. Still makes me sick when I think of what it cost then and what it would cost today. Oh, well.

I am in my second winter in Central America for a total of six months in five countries. Previously I lived and worked in Italy for seven years. (To all of you considering Italy for retirement - bring lots of money, prepare to live with labor strikes that will inconvenience you mightily, and move to a small town where you will find the Italy of the movies. The big cities are no longer like that. If you can do all that, you will adore the life.)

Back to Panama and Central America. I read a few posts here with writers saying they use the magazine International Living as a guide. I have subscribed to it for more than a decade. I will say this: Use it only for general information. Do not believe every wonderful relocation story you read. First, have you noticed that there is never a negative comment about any place at any time? Unrealistic. I experienced three power outages in four hours in Heredia, Costa Rica. You don't read about that in IL.

Second, have you noticed that there are no letters to the editor so that readers cannot comment on or disagree with all the rosy stories? All the content is controlled.

Third, have you noticed that all the stories that are supposedly written by the expats read with the same tone, vocabulary, and "voice" as it's called among writers (I am a professional writer with 100+ paid published pieces)? Not likely that all relocated expats are pro writers.

Fourth, do you know that IL is tied in with Pathfinders, their official travel/relocation recommended service?

Fifth, if you're taking financial advice from IL, well, good luck. One of the "famous" money-makers they touted for years turned out to be an international scam artist who was finally arrested (might have been in Panama or Costa Rica if memory serves right),  prosecuted and imprisoned.

So, as I said - IL for general location information only. If you're looking for real-life experiences, subscribe to multiple  forums like this one, put your feet on the ground in the country for as many months as you can in both dry and wet seasons (a huge difference), and don't buy property or housing on your first visit.

Thanks for "listening."

Thank you marianne817 for the great advice! I totally agree. I also have a subscription to International Living. ""boots on the ground" is the only way to go to get your questions and concerns answered. We will be doing just thatI in the month of February this year.
Cheers!

Hi Marianne, welcome to the Panama forum. Glad you are here.
I read your comments re IL with great interest, and have come to
similar conclusions. I would like to warn all newcomers to be very careful.
Just because a big and wealthy organization says it, does not mean
it is true.  And, expensive conferences, memberships and courses
are not necessarily going to help you.  All the information you
need to move to another country can be obtained outside IL with
help from people on these forums, a trip to where you might want
to live and some research online.
One thing that really helped me decide was what the country would
allow me to bring in. Read each country's Visa requirements and
rules about what you can bring with you. Ecuador, no TV larger
than 24" just one example.
Smart Old Lady

Hello again to all,

A couple of items:

First - I'm arriving in Panama CIty this Saturday, Jan. 31, and heading by bus to Chitre (2 days, or is that too long?), renting a car in Chitre and driving to Las Tablas 3-4 days, then Pedasi' 3-4 days, then driving a bit more on the Azuero Peninsula. Turning around to return the car in Chitre, and bus back to Panama CIty, where I'm staying in a private apartment.

Any comments/suggestions about the car rental, and places to stay in CH/LT/PED would be highly appreciated. Moderate to economical lodging, but no bunk-bed hostels, please. Any suggestions/info about anything  would be great.

Second - It was heartening to read that several of  you have the same skeptical opinion of International Living magazine as I do. It concerns me that who knows how many tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people read the mag and accept every word as relocation Gospel. I was in San Juan del  Sur, Nicaragua, two weeks ago and saw one of those hillside condo developments of the kind they push. Two buildings of maybe four units each. Isolated. Down a bumpy dirt road that would be a mess in wet season. I have been around this world long enough to know that when a person or company pushes a real estate or financial "investment" it's because they own part of it or are financially remunerated (finder's fee) in some way for the clients they provide.

Third - I commend everyone on the generosity of spirit that motivates the writers to take the time to share. So great that everyone is concerned about everyone else having a successful transition.

I am considering Panama for my retirement home and am hoping to visit sometime this summer, possibly in July. I, too, have noticed a distinct lack of any "negative" information through International Living and when I email them, they don't provide this information, either, only "good" information. Obviously, that cannot be 100% true. I do see a lot of single women my age who are interested in checking out Panama, so safety is very important.

When I do visit, what do I need to look for, explore, areas suitable for a single female (I'm not interested in Panama City, more like Boquete), etc. I have two cats, should I decide to move to Panama, that I will be bringing, as well, and their health care would be important, as well (regular yearly checkups).

Thank you for any information you can provide.

Lindsey

May I contact you for the name of the attorney who assisted you if I need someone, if and when I decide to make the move to Panama? I have yet to visit, but hope to do so this summer.

Thank you.

Lindsey

Your information was invaluable. I questioned all the "positive" information they gave, too. Never any "drawbacks", which anyone with any intelligence would know there are some.  I am a retired female who is looking to visit Panama this summer, hopefully, and need all the information I can gather before making the trip. I won't have a lot of time to spend, so I want to gather as much knowledge before, during and after my visit as possible to help me make my decision as to whether or not this would be a good move for me. I'm glad I found the Expat.com to allow me to see another side of Panama. Thanks! Even so, it's still mostly positive, which is a good sign.

I've been reading all the blogs and saw where you made the decision to move to Panama. Congratulations!  Where do you find out what you are allowed to bring to Panama (besides pets, that is). Any information you could provide me would be helpful. I want to gather as much knowledge as I can before, during and after my visit, hopefully this summer, as possible so I, too, can make a decision that I feel comfortable with.  Thanks!

Lindsey

Hi Lindsey,

I am also a single woman traveling on my own through multiple Central American countries. From Panama having been my first interest 15 years ago, I am finally getting there this weekend after two winters investigating Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Each of them was a "no" for a variety of reasons.

Keep in mind that I too am on the road researching. I do not have a residence, nor a lawyer. The first two weeks will be in BnBs and economical hotels, then eight days doing a house-sit in Panama City in a private residence. After that is a toss-up, but I will  try to stay in Panama until the end of February.

If you continue reading this forum  you will see many topic titles that address many issues, including lawyers. I think you will find decent answers here. I am not your best resource for specifics at this time, however.

Good for you that you saw through all the International Living sweet talk. Nice try attempting to get them to respond to your emails. Not their interest, however. Just getting more people to more relocation conferences, selling  the recordings of  those gatherings, getting people to pay a thousands for a "lifetime" membership of attending conferences at no further charge (Why? Once you relocate do you really need to keep going to those gatherings?), purchasing real estate developments and "investments", and so on.

Best of luck to you. Keep researching and come on down!

M.

I definitely would be interested in the B&Bs because I think I would feel safer initially. How do I find them, just do an internet search? Or is there a specific website? I'm new at this, just like everyone else starting out, and I don't mind researching, but it would save time if others shared their information (of course). You are so lucky to be able to travel during your research. I'm not able to do that, so my computer is my travel companion. I appreciate your comments so much. Thank you for your quick response. BTW, I'm in Orlando, FL.

Lindsey

Go to tripadvisor.com, enter the city/cities you're interested in visiting (one at a time), and make sure you add Panama because there are always multiple cities in multiple countries with the same name.

You can choose among hotels, BnBs, restaurants, and the travelers' forum. Each place has reviews, usually. I start with the Terrible rating to see if there is anything valid to the complaints, like mice, roaches, moldy bathrooms, no AC when it was advertised etc. Then I move up to Poor If there are some there and read one or two, then to average and Good. No use going to excellent because you know that everything is great in the opinion of the writer. Takes time, but after a while you get the hang of it and can sail through. Owners of the location have the chance to respond, so those are good to read. Sometimes the reviewer was the "bad acting" one.

Or you can go to airbnb.com, which requires registering your name, email etc. They have a few small hotel listings, but mostly BnBs operating out of someone's home, or just a room to rent, or an entire apartment or house. You might not feel as comfortable with that option your first time moving around since there might not be other people in that lodging. Or you might think of convincing a friend to travel with you.

Try tripadvisor.com first. It's the 800 pound travel gorilla in the room.

Marianne

As to traveling during researching - remember that I've been looking at Panama since 15 years ago and am just now getting there. Lots of life crises along the way.