Best Places to Retire - Think outside the Box!

The best places to retire? Start thinking outside of the box, or the United States in this case. Have you considered Honduras?

Honduras is a Constitutional Democratic Republic with three independent branches of government, the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary to provide checks and balances to any single concentration of power. Elections, like the United States are held every four years for president and his three, yes three vice presidents!

Honduras has never had a civil war and is not a country that boasts guerrilla activity or terrorists. Of course, this is not to say that an American tourist should be walking alone at night in the big cities, common sense should prevail.

Real estate is still very affordable on the mainland and in the Bay Islands, like Guanaja, Roatan and Utila, a waterfront lot on the Caribbean can still be had for under $100,000 US. The islanders are warm, friendly and many speak English.

The currency in Honduras is the Lempira and is named after a national hero that led the unsuccessful resistance to the Spanish conquistadors. One US dollar equals about nineteen Lempira or “limps”, as everyone calls them, and when you buy locally and see all the prices in hundreds of limps it confuses Americans at first, but just divide by twenty and you will be pretty close.

Honduras, lies in the tropics and while temperatures are affected by what elevation you are at, generally speaking temperatures range from roughly seventy degrees at night to about eighty five degrees in the day time. This would be the average for the year around. The rainy season is from October through January with the average for the year at about ten and one half inches per month.

The government offers several types of residency. One type requires that you prove $2,500 per month income and another that you make a $50,000 real estate investment. There are various other types of residency, but many retirees just choose to leave the country every 90 days, for 3 days and everyone is happy!

When the time comes for you to consider the best places to retire, maybe you should put the Central American country of Honduras on your radar screen!

Best Places to Retire - the World is your Oyster!

Best places to retire? The world is your oyster! Don't limit your thinking, just because you are in your fifties or sixties, or older, we are living longer and this retirement move doesn't have to be to your last. Fun and adventure certainly need to be factored in to any decision you make!

Have you considered retiring internationally? Property in countries like Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica and Honduras offer a lot of opportunities, amenities and financial benefits to Expats that would like to retire to their country. When you go to these countries you can choose to live in areas that are populated by other Americans or you can go native and really immerse yourself in their culture. Either way, it is an adventure that must be experienced.

My husband and I recently visited Honduras, specifically the small island of Guanaja, in the Bay Island chain. Guanaja is located next to Roatan, which is "big" on the cruise line circuit and has recently been featured on the HGTV series House Hunters International. The properties in Roatan, while still inexpensive by US standards are now starting to come up in price a bit, while Guanaja is less expensive and has yet to be really discovered. To check out our adventures in Guanaja you can visit my blog. Just CLICK HERE .

When you start looking in to the best places to retire, just remember you need to do your due diligence. The Internet makes this much easier to do ... so read up, study and make a trip down to the country of your choice to check it out. We all have different opinions on what "paradise" really is.

Best Places to Retire - Start Thinking NOW!

Best Places to Retire .... Hmmmmm .... when should you ask yourself this question? Do you wait until you have that gold watch in your hand or do you plan ahead a few years so everything will be in place for an easy transition? Will you even get a gold watch or perhaps you will suddenly be let go for whatever reason without a retirement pension and be forced to live off of social security?

Retirement can be a scary thing for many people. Some people identify themselves with their job and are forced to "re-invent" themselves once they quit working. YIKES!

The Baby Boomers are the next generation of "old folks" and we are too smart, too young and in better health than ever before and we know that we have options for this next stage of our lives. Let's investigate this together and see if everyone can discover for themselves the best places to retire!