{"id":4374,"date":"2023-11-16T09:42:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T14:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/startabroad.com\/?p=4374"},"modified":"2026-05-14T09:45:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:45:34","slug":"expat-qa-aspiring-expat-panama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/startabroad.com\/es\/expat-qa-aspiring-expat-panama\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&A with an Aspiring Expat: Panama Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Are you looking for help moving abroad? Reach out to specialists at info@startabroad.com.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>

Even though moving abroad can be daunting, it\u2019s helpful to know that you\u2019re not alone. The best teacher is the experience of those who have gone before. To that end, we\u2019ll be posting Q&A\u2019s with every type of expat \u2014 aspiring, new, long-time, passport holder, and anything in-between \u2014 so that you can learn from the StartAbroad community.<\/p>

No matter where you are in the moving process, we\u2019d love to learn from you. Reach out to Zach at Zach@StartAbroad.com<\/a> if you\u2019re interested in sharing your story.<\/p>

We\u2019re lucky to be featuring Andrea this week. Andrea \u201cAndi\u201d is a teacher and travel agent from Georgia. She runs Andiland Adventures (https:\/\/andilandadventures.com), a travel and vacation booking website, so she knows a thing or two about exciting international destinations. She and her partner have been planning to move to Panama for a number of years, and have been taking advantage of various resources to plan for the move.<\/strong><\/p>

Hear from Andi about why she\u2019s chosen to move to Panama, the planning and discovery process, and some unexpected challenges she\u2019s run into along the way.<\/strong><\/p>

Why have you decided to move to abroad?<\/h3>

Both my partner and I are widows. We both love to travel. Neither of us have kids, so during the pandemic, we said, \u2018Let\u2019s go.\u2019<\/p>

Besides the travel aspect, cost of living and safety were major factors in their decision for relocating. My partner will be able to retire, but I\u2019ll still have to work. Because the cost of living is lower than it is here, I\u2019ll have the same or better quality of life without as much financial pressure giving me the freedom to work less and enjoy life more.<\/p>

What\u2019s your timeline for moving?<\/h3>

It could be in the next 24 hours, or it could be in the next 10 years. There are a few family and friend reasons for us to stay here. But we\u2019ll probably make the move in the next 12-18 months.<\/p>

Why did you decide to move to Panama?<\/h3>

Panama and Ecuador were at the top of our list. I teach online for two universities, and I\u2019m an independent travel agent. Because of time zones, Central and South America made the most sense for me. Panama is in the Central Time Zone, so only an hour behind us in Georgia and two hours ahead of California making it the perfect compromise.<\/p>

We also looked at safety issues, and those were some of the safest countries. Peru was also up there, but we felt climate wise it wasn\u2019t what we were looking for at the time. And then both of those countries are gorgeous, which obviously helps.<\/p>

We visited Ecuador and Panama. We fell in love with both, but we fell in love with Panama even more. Everyone in both countries was very accommodating and friendly, they both use the dollar, drive on the right (non-European) side of the road. It is a Spanish speaking country but you can get by in expat locations with English. And we have a personal connection in Panama who has made each of our trips there even more special.<\/p>

We\u2019ve visited a number of times since that first trip to narrow down where in Panama we\u2019d want to live. We\u2019ve got it down to Taboga Island, right off the coast of Panama City, and the neighborhood Casco Viejo in Panama City. We\u2019re also planning a third trip to El Valle de Anton to get another mountain aspect. We spent some in the mountains of Boquette, but is not ideal for me working remotely; reliable internet is a must for me, and was almost non-existent in that location.<\/p>

This would be your first time living abroad. Do you anticipate any challenges with living outside of the US for the first time?<\/b><\/p>

Yes, definitely. Figuring out the financial side of things could be a challenge. Making sure we have bank accounts, and can transfer money back and forth efficiently. Doing our taxes correctly. There\u2019s not a lot of information out there on how to do all of that.<\/p>

What has been your preparation process in terms of research and information gathering to prepare for the move?<\/h3>

We created a matrix for all the questions we had to answer. It included some of the craziest things, but you need to know. Our matrix included things like cost of licing; how stable the government is; how easy it is to obtain residency; how easy is it to get your finances in check; do we want to live on the beach or in the mountains; does it need to be all English speaking or are we willing to learn another language?, can we drink the water; and the craziest- can you flush toilet paper.<\/p>

And then we just started researching things to check off boxes. We\u2019ve done a lot of Googling, watching YouTube vlogs, and we\u2019ve joined Facebook expat groups. And of course we\u2019ve taken two trips to Panama so we can get the vibe and see where we\u2019d want to live.<\/p>

We still have some major questions even after all of that- most specifically taxes. There isn\u2019t much information out there for expat retirees; Ok, you\u2019re retired, you\u2019re not making money overseas, how is that affecting your retirement funds, or your social security. What do you need to do to stay legal within IRS guidelines? Things like that.<\/p>

How much time went into research and information gathering?<\/h3>

I\u2019d say a good solid 12 months over the course of 2.5 years. An hour here, a couple of hours there. Overall we\u2019re probably around 30-40 hours a week.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>

We go down rabbit holes when something mentioned of a Vlog. It\u2019s like, Oh, I didn\u2019t think about that and we didn\u2019t think about that. Then we start googling that mention or whatnot.<\/p>

What are some of the challenges you anticipate during and after the move?<\/h3>

The first is deciding what we\u2019re going to take with us, what we\u2019re going to sell. Or are we just going to take a suitcase and call it a day?<\/p>

We also have a 65 pound dog that is ancient. We\u2019re struggling, do we pay to have him shipped? Do we just hang out until after he passes? It is hard to think about.<\/p>

What is the most surprising thing you have learned as you prepare to move?<\/h3>

The healthcare was the most surprising. You hear horror stories about healthcare in other countries. But in reality, their accessible healthcare is better than healthcare in the US, and a lot less expensive. In Panama, there\u2019s a Johns Hopkins in Panama City that everyone can go to. It\u2019s considered a private hospital, but it\u2019s about \u00be the cost of going to Johns Hopkins in Maryland to give an idea.<\/p>

What\u2019s one thing you would do differently about the preparation process if you could start over again?<\/h3>

I maybe would have spent more time figuring out things like health care and a little less time Googling and looking for places to live. Not so much the towns, but the cost of renting vs. buying a place in each of our target areas. We wasted so much time looking at that. But rather than putting all that time and energy into living quarters. We should have listened to the advice we were hearing; don\u2019t worry about where you\u2019re going to stay because they don\u2019t advertise real estate like we do in the US. Many of the options you\u2019ll find once you\u2019re in the country aren\u2019t advertised anywhere online. So you can figure that out once you\u2019re there by talking with the locals and looking for \u201cFor rent\u201d signs.<\/p>

What\u2019s one piece of advice you would give someone who is considering moving abroad?<\/h3>

Just do your due diligence. Make sure that you visit your top 1-2 countries to make sure they are a good fit for you. You\u2019ve got to get your feet on the ground to make sure you fit the location you have decided to relocate.<\/p>

Thank you!<\/b><\/p>

StartAbroad is Here to Help<\/h3>

Navigating the move abroad can be challenging. StartAbroad offers a visa application support service, which you can learn more about here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>

You can also speak with a relocation specialist for free by scheduling a 15-minute consultation, or reaching out to info@startabroad.com.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even though moving abroad can be daunting, it\u2019s helpful to know that you\u2019re not alone. The best teacher is the experience of those who have gone before. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"post-country":[31],"class_list":["post-4374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-visa","post-country-panama"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t