International Living magazine probably worth it

[Orchidflower]

We had this on the board recently about the probability of International Living magazine being worth the $39 for the year or not. I feel it's my duty to report then send one back issue (an annual survey of all the countries), and, so far, I have received the May, June and July issues. So far, so good.
I finally sat down and looked thru these three issues last night, and was pleasantly surprised at all the really detailed information they contain. The magazine is not writing insipid, boring articles about a country and fluffing over the tiny details at all. In fact, they gave me more information than I wanted at times.
The articles are often about areas I haven't even thought of--much less even heard of--so that was very informing.
So, do I think my $39 for International Living magazine for a year was worth it or not? Well, if you plan to do some travel abroad or are really seriously seeking a new residency abroad, then the answer is yes.
One thing I do need to mention is that my July issue came yesterday, and came the 18th of July. I guess they don't keep the strict schedule of most magazines, but who cares?
Go on the internet and seek their cheapest price, too, as there were other quotes of prices like $69. The deals are on the net.
This is a thumbs up from me!!! Well done magazine, I think, for what it is.

[Sam]

I subscribed to IL too, $49, 3 months ago.

It was a total waste of money for me. I did not learn anything from the articles, and worse, most articles were written as advertisements, mainly in real estate. PTerhorst always has a column on each issue, they were only ok at best.

No more IL for me.

[pedorrero]

I have to agree with Sam. I subscribed for a year, back about 2001. While there was the occasional interesting article, I felt that I was essentially paying for advertising for local real estate agents and others who would help the would-be ex-pat. While the need is certainly legitimate, I felt the emphasis was too much on that angle, and not on the locations, the culture, quality of life, etc. To be fair, they probably do have some value, such as the country-specific reports they sell. Web site was interesting too. If only $39/year, that is pretty cheap compared to your other expenses of relocating, including gathering information!

[Orchidflower]

I think we know how International Living REALLY makes their money, and it ain't on hustling the magazine; it's, obviously, selling real estate or ads to realtors. However, I did enjoy the articles on places I never heard of, and was pleasantly surprised at the detail they went into. I felt I learned alot about the customs of each location. Guess we disagree on that point, but, hey! we each have our own viewpoint.
This is not saying that I will re-subscribe again, but it was worth a one time subscription to me. At the very least, I learned about really unheard of countries and got me thinking.