The thought of early retirement hadn’t occurred to me until 3 years ago. In my mind, you needed millions of dollars to be able to retire early. I was therefore resigned to working my retail job till l was old enough to draw social security. I had been with the same company for so many …more

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I am fast approaching retirement and spent a great deal of time thinking about it over the last few years. Am I really ready for a complete change of life? Am I ready financially? To retire or not to retire that is the question. This week I jotted down a list of my top reasons …more

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Nothing disturbs the mind of an otherwise dedicated expat, and particularly those of the retired variety, than being unable to watch their favorite TV programs from their home country. Admittedly, in countries such as Spain, France, Portugal and Italy, watching a good dose of national TV from time to time does help to improve language …more

In 2008 we spent six short weeks in Europe visiting France, Italy and cruising on the Mediterranean and decided there and then that we would return to the beautiful regions of Provence in France and Tuscany in Italy for a extended time once we retired. We loved it there. On returning to our home in …more

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When I first moved to Paris, it was all rainbows and unicorns. Or maybe more specifically, red potted geraniums and French wrought iron balconies. My rose-tinted vision of the City of Light was hopelessly romantic, the stuff that dreams were made of. That was almost two years ago.   Sometimes that moment feels like a …more

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Don turned 65 in October 2007 and thoughts of wanting to retire and travel more began to take precedence over his former enthusiasm for his work as a private-practice neuropsychologist. However, because of some very poor financial decisions we’d made a couple of years earlier he was not in a position to retire, so he …more

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So what do you think about democracy and your right to vote? Sorry, but I can see you yawning already, but that cross in the box is important and many have struggled for years, and continue to give their lives, for the right to put a cross on the ballot paper every four or five …more

From the comfort of our living room, traveling always seems like a great idea; a chance to see the world, explore new cultures and break out of our regular routine. When we step off the plane in a foreign country, the stakes change instantly. Without the familiarity of surroundings or language, even the most mundane …more

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