About geomiller

Status:

Considering a Move Abroad 

Gender:

Male

Currently Lives:

Citizen of:

Some Forum Posts:

Portugal: Retire in Lisbon or Cascais?:

They say you can find anything on the Internet, but I’m having trouble finding comments on this question: Should my girlfriend and I retire (from the US) in Lisbon or in Cascais? We're in Chicago now and like the big city, don’t play golf, are active but not beach goers, and will have a monthly budget for two of about 5000 euros. I would assume that Lisbon would hold more appeal for urbanites, but frankly people writing about Cascais seem so extraordinarily happy that it’s hard for me to discount that smaller area. We’re coming there for six weeks to explore in January, but wonder about any advance thoughts on this question. Thanks so much.

Spain: Thinking of Spain for Semi-Retirement:

Lawrie, that sounds excellent. Yes, please suggest. Your stated mix sounds just right. Thanks.

Mexico: SMA, Gto, rentals & temporary residency:

My girlfriend and I have been drooling over SMA as depicted on the web and consequently have a few questions. Our status is such that I have ample funds to qualify for a temporary resident visa. Essentially, I’m retired with a pension. My girlfriend does not have ample funds, but can certainly visit unrestricted for 180 days. She speaks some Spanish and has an art background. I speak no Spanish. We’re living in Chicago. Ideally, we would like to close out our apartment here at the end of May, come to SMA for the 180 day period, take some classes, get the lay of the land and get a sense for real estate, with an eye toward nice rentals initially, then ownership once the experience proves appealing on a long-term basis. Given that I will certainly qualify to stay a year and can even extend that, are there work-arounds for my girlfriend? My understanding is that even leaving the country at the end of 180 days and trying to return before another 180 days has passed is NOT an option. I don’t know if this is firm, or if there’s a reigning contrast between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law in this matter. I also don’t know if there would be a way for her to be employed, though she doesn’t need employment to live. In short, I have enough money for both of us, but we’re not married and the money is in my name. And in a different area of inquiry, is Guanajuato something of a “San Miguel that goes by another name”? In other words, are the two cities very similar? On some of the expat forums I see that more than a few people have left SMA for Guanajuato, but can’t tell if this is relatively uncommon, done for economic reasons, etc. I wonder if you have input on that. I realize that we can explore Guanajuato once we get to SMA, but I would be interested in your thoughts ahead of time. And speaking of arriving in SMA, I had thought of arranging something through AirBnB, but wonder if you’re aware of a source for looking at rentals (very nice small furnished rentals in a nice area in which a car is not required) that include the items one would not normally pack in a backpack, such as linens, cutlery, kitchen goods, etc. I suspect AirBnB is the best for all-inclusive rentals, but six months seems like a long time for AirBnB.

Date Joined:

1/5/2014

Total Posts:

10

Posts/Day:

0.01