International Living... are they for real?

There are a lot of organizations out there that promote the expat life.  Some are good, some are bad, some are just plain useless... in my opinion.  Those last three words are key.  My needs may not be yours and each group has some value based on what you're looking for.

International Living, Live and Invest Overseas, Viva Tropical, Hemispheres Publishing, Tales from a Small Planet, Global Wealth Protection -- they all have something to offer depending on your needs.  Several offer conferences, books, special reports, VIP programs, etc., etc.  You have to pick and choose to find the right offering that fits where you are in your campaign to become an expat.

I attended the Panama conference offered by Live and Invest Overseas and was impressed.  I'm hoping that the Ecuador International Living conference will live up to its billing as well.  I was planning on visiting Ecuador anyway to do a general check out tour, so when this conference came up it fit my timing and the opportunity to meet with many expats already living there is a great opportunity.

I know... if they are expats extolling the virtues of their chosen country, will you learn any of the negatives?  Will you hear any horror stories of people who came, lived through a disaster and went back home?  I am not shy and will be asking those questions, so I'll let you know.  This is where doing your research, trolling the expat internet forums and having a healthy amount of skepticism will keep you on track.

International Living's Fast-Track Ecuador Conference

I'm really looking forward to International Living's 2015 Fast-Track Ecuador: Lifestyle and Opportunity Conference in Quito.  There will be the usual panels on immigration, buying real estate, the cost of living in Ecuador, etc.  I'm sure the conference will be informative, but I'm also looking forward to rubbing elbows with other expat wannabes and the Ecuadorian expats who will be in attendance.

IL's conference gurus did a nice job of arranging optional trips to Cuenca, the Pacific coast, cultural and real estate tours before and after the conference.  I arranged for two separate real estate tours on January 30th and 31st.  February 1st through the 4th I will be joining others from the conference for a tour of the coast from Jama to Salinas, including Manta, Canoa, San Lorenzo, Ancon and many points in between.

Traveling by myself, I don't need a fancy hotel to stay in.  I'm sure the Swissotel Quito, location of the conference, will be great but I really prefer simpler, friendlier places.  The folks handling the coastal tour took care of arranging hotel reservations, so I only needed to make bookings for my first two nights.

I'm flying into Guayaquil, picking up my rental car and driving to Salinas for my first real estate tour.  I will stay the first night in Salinas at the Hotel Francisco II hotel, just a block from the malecon.  Trip Advisor readers gave this hotel three and a half stars, so I'm expecting it will be simple, but comfortable.

After my second real estate tour on Saturday, I will drive back to Guayaquil so I can meet up with my coastal tour group the following day.  After reading more Trip Advisor reviews, I chose the Hotel Boutique Orilla del Río.  With only six rooms, this boutique hotel has received rave reviews and is just a few minutes from the airport, where I'll be meeting up with my tour group.

I booked both hotels using my Rocket Miles membership.  Rocket Miles not only gives great rates on a wide range of hotels (comparable to Orbitz, Booking.com, et al), you also earn frequent flyer miles in the loyalty program of your choice.  Use this link Rocket Miles link, and you'll earn 1000 bonus miles with your first booking.  A similar program is Points Hound.  Both sites have agreements with many frequent flyer programs to help you earn bonus miles.  The key to getting the most of such booking sites, is belonging to many loyalty rewards programs. 

If I get time before I leave, I'll try to give more details regarding the conference and various International Living programs.  'Til next time.

Back at it...

It's been a long, long time since my last entry and it's high time that I get back at it.

Life happens and sometimes gets in the way of the best of intentions.  In my case, I started dating again, moved to be closer to the new object of my affection, changed jobs, broke up with my new girlfriend, moved again, broke my hip, began dating again and just ended that relationship.  Wow.

So, I am substantially healed from hip replacement surgery, bounced back from a couple of broken relationships and continuing to seek out that perfect retirement place abroad.  I am planning a trip to Ecuador for the International Living conference February 5-7 in Quito, Ecuador.  I am flying into Guayaquil on January 30 and spending a few days exploring the coast from Jama to Salinas, including Manta, Canoa, San Lorenzo, Ancon and many points in between.

But before I get to the details of that trip, let me just say that despite all the twists and turns of life, I'm doing well and trying my best to enjoy and learn from all those twists and turns.  I remain great friends with both women I dated and I chalk that up to being older and wiser (just turned the big Six Oh).

I'll do several posts on my pre-trip planning and then provide full conference details when I return.  I also plan to finally give a full account of the Live and Invest in Panama conference, which was really great.  I am still very high on Panama, but want to check out a few other places like Ecuador, Costa Rica and maybe Mexico before making a choice for my retirement location.

I am also actively working on plans for a retirement income, wherever I may end up.  I have come up with a number of portable income ideas and will do some writing on that as well.  I have a lot to say and I don't know that anybody is actually reading this, but it really helps me to get my thoughts on paper, sort them out and refine my ideas.  Some of the other topics I would like to write about are international investing, travel planning, managing your health, photography and many other things that may pop into my little brain.

So, here we go.  Next up...  planning for Ecuador.