Recently, my family and I explored Vietnam and Bali, Indonesia. We were in Asia because our son was getting married in Bali. We took an extra week and explored the southern part of Vietnam also. Both countries were such interesting and beautiful places. The people were wonderful.
Everywhere we went, we ran into expats living and enjoying life. Some were full-time and some were part-time. It made me realize once again that people are doing this all over the world in large numbers. They are following their dreams and creating lives of adventure and learning everywhere.
According to www.paragonrelocation.com, the number of expats worldwide was expected to be nearly 57 million by 2017. I would imagine that number is higher now. These are people who are living outside of their home country, not because they have permanently immigrated, but because they are living full-time as employees, spouses, or retirees, or they are part-time expats.
That’s a lot of people living in other countries and cultures. It makes me wonder what places in the world were particularly popular with part-time expats. That research is difficult to navigate; there are not a lot of studies on part-time expating – it’s a fairly new concept and field of study. But, I did find that there are some identified places that seem to be popular among people wanting to live part of their lives at home and part overseas, according to International Living.
Perhaps you are still considering whether this is something you want to do or not. You might research some of these places on the list below. Check out whether some of these would be good places for you and what you want to experience. While these are popular spots where you would find other expats for sure, remember that people are living in all sorts of places in the world for all sorts of reasons. We are everywhere!
In this post, we will look at Common Expat Destinations in Latin America. In future blogs, we will look at places in other parts of the world.
Common Expat Destinations – Latin America (Mexico, Central America, The Caribbean, and South America)
Costa Rica (named the top expat destination in 2018 by International Living).
Playas del Coco (The Gold Coast – Northern Pacific Coast)
Jaco, Quepos, and Dominical (Central and Southern Pacific Coast)
The Central Valley (San Jose area, Atenas, Grecia, San Ramon)
Mexico (named the top expat destination in 2017 by International Living).
San Miguel de Allende
Puerto Vallarta
Los Cabos
Riviera Maya
Lake Chapala
Honduras (Roatan Island – Caribbean)
The Dominican Republic (Caribbean)
Colombia (Medellin as well as other cities)
Ecuador
Peru (emerging as a destination)
Nicaragua (San Juan del Sur – before the recent unrest)
Panama (Boquete and Panama City)
Belize (Amergris Caye and Placenda)
Of course, there are many other places in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America where part-time expats are living. This list just highlights some of the most common places where part-timers seem to be gathering. There are thriving expat communities in these locations for support, friendship, and community.
So, here are some real places you can start researching. Who knows, your next home might be in one of them. Enjoy the search.
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