Have your retired in France? An Expat Exchange member on the France network inquired about some advice for retiring to the “Bordeaux area or possibly Villeneuve-sur-Lot”. He’s already received a bit of advice about what it is like there:

Shopping is plentiful in Bordeaux, as there is everything from pituresque boutiques to international brands you would recognize.

There is a Bordeaux Wine School, if that appeals to you.

The cost of living in Bordeaux is supposed to affordable relative to other parts of France, such as Paris.

Also, we recently added a new Retiring Abroad report, and we’d like to encourage anyone who hasn’t filled it out yet to please do so. Expat input is invaluable to those who consider following in expats across the globe.

You can add your own Retirement Report in one of two ways:

If you are an Expat Exchange member (it’s free to join, you can Link it to your Username, or else submit it anonymously.

Here’s a great retire abroad report from Pezenas, France. France is still one of those countries that people dream of living. So, it makes sense that people consider there as an option for the best place to explore as a retired expat.

Here’s an excerpt of this retire abroad report:

What have been the most challenging aspects of being retired abroad?

First, the language. Second,the paperwork and rules. Meeting my neighbors was the easiest. I now know more people here than I did in either of my US homes.

What have been the most rewarding aspects of being retired abroad?

First, the people. Next, the cultural opportunities available (there are weekly free or inexpensive concerts). I live near Roman roads, Greek temples, beautiful churches and old wine villages.

What would you do differently if you were just starting the retire abroad process?

Take more intensive language courses, pay attention to advice from other expats.

What is life like for a retiree in your city and its surroundings? (Is there an active expat community? Cultural Attractions? Recreation? Nightlife?)

We have a large expat, multi-national community since this is a popular retirement area.

Post any questions you have about retiring to France in the Retire Abroad Report today! There are a lot of people out there who need your insight and expertise!

British expats have been hit with the double whammy of rising interest rates and the weakening of the sterling against the euro. The end result has been that the British expats and those with second homes are being forced to sell, and others considering such home purchases are now priced out of the market.

The weakening pound has proved too much for many expats. Adam Jordan, senior currency expert at money transfer specialists Moneycorp, said that the company had seen a 40% rise in the number of people repatriating large sums of money to the UK during the first quarter of 2011 compared with the last quarter of 2010.

With such dire straits in the mortgage market, one would think that it’s just flat out not possible for some people to live abroad at the moment. However, another report finds that retirees can live in (one) surprising place for less than 500 dollars per month:

If you’re willing to look beyond Paris, the southwest of this country can be highly affordable. Cessenon-sur-Orb, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southwestern France, is colorful, eclectic, and very open to retirees. The village dates from prehistoric times, but the feel is medieval, with the church dominating the center and the tower of Le Donjon looking down from above.

I guess I’m not surprised to read that one can retire in Nicaragua, Colombia, Panama or Thailand for under $500 a month, but a colorful French village? That’s news to me. The author is none other than Kathleen Peddicord of Live and Invest Overseas, who has written similar articles on Expat Exchange, including Countries Offer Incentives to Foreign Retirees, which describes how some countries court foreign retirees by offering discounts on medicines, closing costs when buying property and big tax breaks such as zero tax on foreign-earned income and pension, and more. Kathleen has always been highly skilled at ferreting out some of the best deals abroad, so take the time to read her articles and reports!

However, it is clear that it is a difficult time to retire to or own a second home in some places given the state of the mortagage market, the possibility of for further hikes in interest rates, and fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Take the time to exhaustively research all potentialities before taking the plunge abroad!

Americans retiring abroad is growing trend, and it’s not likely to slow down any time soon. The number of American Expats retiring abroad. According to A Great Retiree Migration Abroad is Not So Far Fetched, by Liz Davidson on Forbes.com:

The big draw for retiring abroad is the combination of warmer climates and a lower cost of living. We’ve certainly heard about the benefits of retiring to countries such as Panama, Mexico, and Costa Rica. There, retirees may be able to afford to live on beachfront property and have certain amenities such as maids and cooks that add tremendously to the quality of life and are generally out of the price range for the average retiree in the United States.

We’ve noticed a huge upswing on the number of retirees exploring the abroad option over the course of the last several years. (Incidentally, some of these “folks” can be downright feisty, too. Recently, we had to create a separate “Ecuador Welcome Forum” for expats in Ecuador because the regular forum has become a little contentious.)

The mental gap to retiring abroad, however, is being bridged by globalization and new technology and as advancement continues, we may see the world become even smaller. In fact, our children may be the ones moving overseas for employment with multinational companies and put us to shame for even thinking that they wouldn’t come visit us in paradise.

That quote reminds me of Tom Friedman’s writings. Some may like that comparison, others not. I think the important aspect of the quote though is that it’s hard to deny the reality of a shrinking world, even if it’s impact may has more room for discussion.

Expat Exchange received a nice plug in the post:

You can also post questions on some of the many expat blogs to gather the word literally from the street – Expat Exchange has hundreds of expat blogs.

We always love a little ink, so thanks to Liz and Forbes.com for that!

With all of the news in the last year about Brits flocking out of the U.K., it’s interesting to read a report that maybe the tide is turning and British expats are buying homes in the U.K.:

In the last year there’s been a dramatic increase in the number of expats cashing in and sending money back to the UK. The evidence from foreign currency exchange specialists is overwhelming. At Moneycorp there’s been a four-fold increase in the number of expats in Europe (news) returning to the UK compared with 2009. At the same time, the number selling properties in Europe has tripled.

And the pace is picking up. The number of World First clients converting funds to pounds to buy property in the UK increased 4.5 times, or 350%, between August and November 2010.

As the economy hopefully continues to rebound and more Boomers grow older, we’ll see if the trend continues.

A British expat, 58-year-old Graham Bayley, was murdered in Cabanatuan City on New Year’s Eve, which is the province of Nueva Ecija. Nueva Ecija is in the Central Luzon region of the country. His body will be flown home at some point this week.

According to the local police, Mr Bayley was last seen drinking inside a bar on nearby Aurora Road. He left the bar at around 3.30 am, and was found dead by the joggers less than an hour later.

Mr Bayley, a former teacher, relocated to the Philippines after he decided to take early retirement. He had met his ex-wife Cherie while on holiday in the country in 1997, though the pair had split up by the time he retired.

This is a horrifying reminder to all expats that safety must be taken seriously at all times. As one of our expatriates posted on another country network about letting one’s guard down: “A thousand times it doesn’t matter then one time it does.”

Very well put, and something all expats should take a moment to think about.

That being said, nobody yet knows what happened in this situation, and who knows, perhaps Mr. Bayley did everything right and found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, this tragedy can still serve as a reminder to take your safety seriously.

Many people consider a life abroad when they explore retirement. Kathleen Peddicord, founder of the Live and Invest Overseas publishing group, has penned an article about the proper approach to doing just that.

In an article on http://money.usnews.com, Peddicord suggests that picking a region to retire abroad to rather than a country is the best bet. Here are a few of her thoughts:

Asia:

Then you don’t have to worry about trying to organize permanent residency. Stay as long as you can as a tourist and then move on. Consider three months in Chiang Mai, where your retirement budget would stretch far, followed by a few months in the south of France.

Europe:

Most would-be retirees abroad dismiss Europe as too expensive, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Sure, a retiree on a modest budget probably can’t afford Paris. But consider southwestern France, where life is quintessentially French and surprisingly affordable.

Kathleen, who is very experienced in international real estate (personally and professionally), also has a book and newsletter to consider for those who would like to retire abroad.