ABC: Retiring in Ecuador

[SumDay]

Just saw this interesting (appealing) piece on the ABC Evening News:

Americans Find Their Retirement Paradise ... in Ecuador - ABC News

Just curious for anyone who's done it? How hard is it to move pets? For me, that would be a deal breaker if I couldn't. Guess we'd have to wait until they were all in Pet Heaven.

 

[sengsational]

You might consider borrowing How to Retire Overseas (Peddicord) from your library. Panama is one of the places where the author lived and it has advantages as a retirement destination. Las Tablas, an $8 bus ride to Panama city, had rental houses for about $1000/mo in2010. I'm sure you could work a deal for your pets. But beyond Panama, there are many other places that are just as good or better (Panama's "too popular" with expats, so not as cheap as it once was).

Edit: Not sure how I got off on Panama when you said Ecuadore! It's cheaper housing there over Panama, but the infrastructure is lacking, according to the book.

 

[Onward]

I didn't try to move a pet there, but I did spend five weeks there in 2010, with an eye toward retiring there. Here's my report:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f29/ecuador-impressions-49852.html

 

[mystang52]

...well, at least it's not Mars.
But for me, that's too far away from my kids, grandson and hopefully more grandchildren.

 

[Khufu]

...well, at least it's not Mars.
But for me, that's too far away from my kids, grandson and hopefully more grandchildren.

Ecuador is certainly an attractive place. The food is terrific. The people are friendly. Weather, scenery, nature all superb. The currency is the USD, so no currency risk for Americans retiring there, although that will change eventually.

However, the fly in the ointment is the crime. I haven't been to Cuenca which is said to be very nice, but Quito is pretty scary. Everyplace we went in Ecuador we saw bars on the windows, even in Galapagos where the population is tiny. There must be ways to cope with it, but it wouldn't be for me, particularly in the context of getting older.

 

[heeyy_joe]

Make sure you pay your American taxes on your foreign bank deposits - if you don't the penalties are HUGE!