The word “paradise” causes a knee jerk reaction in us. We have seen too much of the hype from companies looking to sell you something – publications, books, expensive conferences, and relocation tours.
When were in Las Olas there happened to be three other people from the US having dinner at a nearby table. They were here to check out Panama as a possible retirement option, and they were all very disillusioned, frustrated, and unhappy. After all the sales pitches and tours to expensive high rise condos on the beach, they thought a simple, low key life they dreamed of didn’t actually exist. They were amazed to run into someone living the life they wanted, but had been unable to find.
We asked these people where they had gotten their info, and they named a well known organization. They had spent the majority of their time in Panama City, and were taken to see properties in the city and beach front properties in the Coronado area. None of this was what they wanted, and they felt like the agents could care less and were only interested in talking them into buying what they were selling.
By the time we met, they were spending a couple days at the beach resort as the final part of their trip. Since we were all headed back to David we spent some time giving them the quick tour of the town and our favorite shopping areas. Then they came over for dinner and an evening of conversation, and hopefully we were able to answer some of their many questions.
It was really sad to see how different their experience was from ours. What a shame to be here and not find what is so close, yet hidden from their view. Joel and I have been talking ever since and trying to pinpoint why things didn’t go well for them. Is there advice that might have helped?
- Be very careful of anyone trying to make money off your search. You can spend thousands on conferences, real estate tours, relocation tours, and the like. This is not necessary! There are many free sources of information and many expats here who are happy to help. (If anyone reading this has spent money on any of the above, I would be very interested to hear about it and how it worked out for you)
- Get on the internet. Look around. Find expat forums and ways to connect with people. Make friends. There are many good people who are glad to help with information, ideas, and support. Having some connections before you get here is extremely valuable.
- Plan your own visit, and be flexible. Maybe you think you want to be in Panama City, so visit as see how it feels. If you think it’s a good fit, spend more time there. If not, move on to your next area of interest. Don’t expect to make a decision on your first visit.
- It’s very helpful, of course, to get a feel for what things cost in various areas but again, your best source of information is the people already here. You don’t need to be taken around by salespeople. It is recommended that you don’t even consider buying anything until you have actually lived here for many months.
When you see “paradise” or any of the other usual buzz words, be very careful. Paradise i’s fine for a tropical vacation but living here is real life. You will be living where people speak a language you may not understand. Dogs bark and roosters crow earlier than you may want to wake up in the morning. There are some very strange fruits and vegetables in the market. You are more likely to find thread in the supermarket than the fabric store. That beach may be idyllic but is the closest supermarket an hour away?
Only YOU can decide what will work for you. No book, seminar, tour, or anything else is a substitute for experience. Figure out what you need to be happy. Walk around. Go to some stores. Put a meal together with local ingredients. Visit some people who live here. Do some of those things you will be doing every day. Can you be happy here for a month? a year? There are businesses who have reasons to sell you on the dream of happiness here, but only you can determine what is a workable reality for you.
Related articles – even Zemanta brought up a couple examples!
The Panama Adventure 
Good post Kris,
Sunni
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Thanks 🙂
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Well Kris, you couldn’t be more correct. The timing of this post is perfect for me as I just started on working on a Panama “Shuttle” for folks who want to visit Panama to determine if it is a good choice for them for relocation. I am planning to move with my mom and I have found your info (and a few others) so very helpful and informative. I know many are hesitant to venture to a new country on their own so I hope to offer an affordable way to explore the country and visit with locals and expats without the pressure to buy anything. Thank you for your regular postings. I will definitely be calling on you to meet with my group to share some of your experiences. 🙂
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Really! I will be interested to see what you put together so please keep in touch. It seems like it would be complicated because people want different things, and will be happiest in different areas. How old is your mom? My husband’s 93 yr old mother was with us for the first few months and it was interesting for many reasons – especially for the first hand look at the health care system, and how the elderly are respected here.
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I have a tour company so I enjoy putting tours together. However, this will be a shuttle to include hotels and ground transportation in different cities allowing everyone the chance to go off on their own and explore a little. I’m sure I’ll change things around after the first one. I remember reading about Joel’s mom returning back to Snow Country. Mine is originally from the Caribbean so we are familiar with the negatives of this kind of life–the good and the bad. My only concern is the healthcare and I will check that out as much as I can. I will keep you posted for sure.
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We had excellent experiences with the health care here, far better than any care she had in the US.
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how great to see this post; i have one in progress that addresses this problem as well. i’ll be sure to put a link to your post.. mine’s about three days ‘out’ as i’m waiting for a bit more feedback from a few sources.
z
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I’ll be very interested to hear what you say!
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instead of going to sleep after i posted that comment, i decided to get on that ole burro of the post about nostalgia and get it out of the barn so i could focus on the next about ‘red flags.’
sigh.. at four this morning the internet was so fast, and now after a long nap or short sleep, i am back to sluggish internet…
thanks, kris!
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I like how you handled that challenge. I’m still trying to figure out where to go with it since I can’t find anything behind that’s as interesting as what’s ahead.
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that’s a pretty unique saying right there.. so take that and run with it!
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Well said, Kris. I was lucky in that I had an acquaintance (later a friend) who had a home in Balboa and wonderful contacts in Bocas. I made four exploratory visits to Panama spending a couple of weeks in PC, the Azuero (Pedesi, Chirtre/Los Santos, Las Tablas), Bocas del Toro and finally here in Chiriqui. PC wasn’t really an option. If I wanted to live in a large city with tall buildings, exorbitant prices and everyone speaking Spanish I just would have moved 30 miles down the road from Fort Lauderdale and settled in Miami. I though Bocas was pretty, but having grown up in the tourist trap of Cape Cod and living for a decade in the tourist trap of New Orleans, I decided that wasn’t for me either. I REALLY liked Chitre/Los Santos and Las Tablas. I could see settling there. And then on my fourth trip I came to David, booked a room at Bambu Hostel and voila! I felt this was IT. I’ve been here a little over three years now and I couldn’t be happier.
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We were at Bambu for our first visit here too! We also liked Panama immediately but knew the city wasn’t for us. David was the next trip and it felt right, and here we are. We also like it because it isn’t a tourist area.
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One of the first things we did was, yes, subscribe to an international magazine to learn about Panama. We initially thought we would spend our first time in Panama sitting in on a conference to learn it all about retiring to Panama. Instead, we saved a lot of money and downloaded the conference to our computer. I can say that we learned quite a bit about the country/laws/regulations and are not disgruntled spending $100 or so, but we also knew we had to just get there and explore ON OUR OWN. By the time we get to Panama permanently, we would have visited and toured at least four times (or maybe just three). The best thing to have happened to us was the discovery of blogs (!!!) and meeting the people that have made the move to retire to Panama and aren’t just living amongst expats. We have met gringos living in all different surroundings and love every minute of the learning process. You have to explore yourself. Don’t leave it up to others to show you the entire way.
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Yes, exactly! People who aren’t selling anything are far better sources of information. $100 isn’t bad though, far better than the cost of actually going to a conference.
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Kris,
Well said!
It is so important to have a clear plan of where you want to retire, before you make the move. Visiting the place, at different times of the year, and becoming familiar with all the options, is key. It surprises me how often folks are taken advantage of, because they don’t do their own research, fail to speak up for themselves during the process and/or fail to simply say “no.” No one is going to magically conjure up the “perfect” place, it takes hard work, research and a realistic vision.
That being said, I grew up in Panama City, and my parents still live there, and you couldn’t PAY me to retire there. Unless I became a cardiac meds salesperson. LOL
~Michelle
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Yes, that is so true! No one else can decide what is going to work for you, no matter how glossy their presentation. I hear you about Panama City. Even the locals are complaining, especially now with the construction and traffic problems. Hopefully things will improve when the metro is up and running. It’s still a big city though, and we knew it was more than we wanted at our age.
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My parents hate the traffic! It takes Mom 45 minutes to pull out of the garage and onto the street, in front of our house! CRAZY! If Papi wasn’t still teaching at USMA and Universidad de Panama, they’d move to the interior.
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Oh no, that sounds awful. I’d hate that too.
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Hello Michelle, just a quick reply as to why you would not retire here>
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Charlene,
I would not retire in Panama City. I grew up there and it’s entirely too congested for me. My parents own property in San Carlos which might be nice. I would consider Santiago or even Bocas del Toro. I still have about 30 years to decide.
Why did you ask?
Michelle
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I am thrilled to read your post. This is one of my biggest pet peeves about moving abroad. I wrote a post about this topic, too. http://retirenicaragua.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/signs-of-the-times/
Keep spreading the word, Kris.
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You wrote a wonderful article! Thank you so much for sharing the link here. You respect your country, your neighbors, what your presence may do to your community, and yourself and your own needs. The real estate developers only care about their profits and if it’s a negative for the locals, or a bad outcome for the buyers, too bad. It’s sad and hurts a lot of people.
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Many of these “exploratory travel companies” only explore how much money is in your wallet. We came in 2011, rented a car in PC and explored the country on our own. I would advise people to make a list of what they want before they come. Climate, proximity to large towns/beach, number of expats already there, schools etc. Everyone is different but, with ‘must haves’ in hand, you are less likely to be taken in by the snake oil salespeople. Like OldSalt said, once he got to ‘his’ spot he knew it. When we got to Boquete, we knew it too – without the pressure to buy land or condos. Another huge tip – never buy property until you have lived in the area for 6 months to a year. Rent and make sure it’s a good fit for you and your family. Lots of people return to their home country after just several months because one of the family members can’t do it.
Great article, Kris!
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Yes, exactly! You have to know yourself and what will work for you. Otherwise you could be taken for an expensive ride by someone else. I hate to think of the people who end up leaving. How disappointing it must be. But it happens all the time.
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Reblogged this on In Da Campo and commented:
Thank you Kris for writing this. Reblogging and adding my thoughts to your post. 🙂
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Thank you! Hopefully we all keep speaking up and reaching as many people as we can, and fewer people get taken for an expensive and disappointing ride.
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Done, a bit long but you can go read now….blather, blather, blather…LOL! 🙂
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Blather on anytime, because I love hearing your thoughts 🙂
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Thank you Kris for all your posts. I read them every day and Danny and I have taken the advice that you and Karen have been giving. We have rented a car for our stint coming up July 18 for two weeks in Panama and are going to explore the country on our own terms. I am still hoping that we can get together on the 26th or 27th – we would love to meet you and Joel!
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Absolutely! We are leaving on the 27th on the bus to PC, but the 26th would work out fine 🙂
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Hi Kris,
We read all of your posts but this one was especially good. We are always amazed at your gift for writing and your ability to put the cookies on the lower shelf. Judging from all the comments, we are not the only ones to discover your talent. We are grateful and feel blessed to have found your blog. I’m finally cutting the cord and cancelling our connection to the sites that spend so much time trying to sell us something. I look forward to my trip on the 16th and hope to see you guys on the 17th. Blessings, Jerry & Jennifer
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Thank you so much 🙂
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Reblogged this on Chapter 3 – Retirement in Panama and commented:
Great insight for people who plan to move overseas, not just Panama
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Thanks!
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Pingback: Move to Paradise | Chapter 3 – Retirement in Panama
Great post Kris. It’s been over four years since we been coming to Panama and spending about six months of the year there. Last winter we changed the area, instead Gorgona-Coronado, we decided to explore and try David area. After spending some time at Borqueta beach-Las Olas area, it was to isolated for us. At first it was nice, very quiet, not a lot of people, great beach…but after a while it became to lonely. I agree with you about Coronado, overpriced and I particularly don’t care to live there. There are some nice little towns past Coronado, like San Carlos, Santa Clara, and more along the beaches that are a great choice to saddle down if you like the beach. I do have to say that the convenience of Coronado is great, three large grocery stores, new strip malls and also a new Westland mall that’s about 35 min. away. So, with all that said, I like the beach and a little town of San Carlos, but I also like the convenience of having everything close by. There are still bargains, one just have to look for it. Like you said, stay away from the people that want money from you to show you around. There are many nice people that one can connect with and find out what Panama is like. Right now I am traveling throughout South America, presently in Ecuador (makes me miss Panama). I will be back in Panama in October and can’t wait to get back.
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We haven’t had a chance to explore central Panama at all, and I’m really looking forward to that. I’ve heard a lot of good things, and I want to see what it’s like in that area. I saw on your blog that you were in Ecuador. I know some other bloggers that seem very happy there so I was interested to hear your perspective. That’s another place I would like to visit. We’re happy in David though, so unless we get priced out of here or something it will be our home base.
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