Panama

Making Plans for the Future – Stay or Go?

Making Plans for the Future – Stay or Go?

Life is funny sometimes. We made plans for the future, retired early, sold everything we had, and then moved to Boquete, Panama in 2019. What are the chances a once-in-century pandemic hits shortly thereafter and throws everything out of whack? The odds can’t be very high I would guess. I’ll tell you what – it’s been one helluva ride so far. The first six months were pretty awesome. We got settled in, had the opportunity to be on House Hunters […]

Making Plans for the Future – Stay or Go? Read More »

5 Things I Wish We Were Doing Again in Panama

5 Things I Wish We Were Doing Again in Panama

I’m so glad to be back in Boquete, Panama again. We really thought that we weren’t going to be able to get back here so that’s a wonderful wish that came true for us. You know I love the temperate weather here in the mountains (hard to beat daily 75 degrees temps!). However, we had a rough week here due to the effects of Hurricane Eta. Although Panama doesn’t directly get hurricanes because it sits outside of the hurricane belt,

5 Things I Wish We Were Doing Again in Panama Read More »

Moving to Boquete or Visiting? The Ultimate List of Tips!!

Moving to Boquete or Visiting? The Ultimate List of Tips!!

When we decided to make moving to Boquete, Panama a reality a few years ago, I didn’t know too much about the intricacies here. I knew it would be a lot different but you just don’t know what you don’t know. Now that we’ve been here since the middle of 2019, I can tell you that we’ve learned a lot. There are still oddities that make us raise an eyebrow, but we have a much better hold on things nowadays.

Moving to Boquete or Visiting? The Ultimate List of Tips!! Read More »

Boquete, Panama – What’s It Like Today?

Boquete, Panama – What’s It Like Today?

When we left Boquete, Panama on a humanitarian flight at the beginning of summer, there were some borderline draconian measures in place here. The reaction to the pandemic here was to shut everything down to the extreme. Everyone was literally on a full-time lockdown. Women were only allowed out for two-hour periods on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays based on the last digit of your cédula or passport. The same went for men but they could only do Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and

Boquete, Panama – What’s It Like Today? Read More »

Our Trip to Panama – What to Expect As Borders Reopen

Our Trip to Panama – What to Expect As Borders Reopen

We made it! Our trip to Panama went well and we’re back at our condo in Boquete safe and sound and enjoying the beautiful weather again. It was only a couple of months ago that we thought we’d be unable to get back to Panama at all. But in an unexpected turn of events, Panama announced they were going to reopen Tocumen International Airport to tourists starting October 12, 2020. Although I wasn’t confident this would actually happen, we booked

Our Trip to Panama – What to Expect As Borders Reopen Read More »

Getting an Antigen Test to Travel to Panama… Ugh!

Getting an Antigen Test to Travel to Panama… Ugh!

Yeah… ugh. What a mess things are. As you read this, we should be just hours away from flying back to Panama. The key to making this happen… finding a place to get an antigen test done. Oh, and we needed to take the test within 48 hours of our scheduled arrival time in Panama. And somehow we had to have the negative results in hand in that small window of time. That can still be a real hurdle and

Getting an Antigen Test to Travel to Panama… Ugh! Read More »

Well... We Booked a Flight Back to Panama!

Well… We Booked a Flight Back to Panama!

And just like that, everything changed in an instant. That glimmer of hope is now sparkling so… we booked a flight to Panama! Booked a flight??? What the heck are you talking about, Jim?! Just last week you talked about what it’s looking like to move back to the U.S. for the long-term. 100% true. And it was looking like it would be inevitable that we’d be putting that plan into motion over the next month or so. I ended

Well… We Booked a Flight Back to Panama! Read More »

The Financial Impact of Moving Back to the U.S.

The Financial Impact of Moving Back to the U.S.

2020 has been one helluva year, hasn’t it? For us, this pandemic could be the sole catalyst in our possibly moving back to the U.S. from Panama. Not only did our first year there get severely hindered by this mess, but it might also be the reason we don’t go back for a second year. That’s a tough enough pill to swallow considering how much we were enjoying our time there. But life happens and you just gotta adapt accordingly.

The Financial Impact of Moving Back to the U.S. Read More »

Is Our Retirement in Panama Unexpectedly Over?

Is Our Retirement in Panama Unexpectedly Over?

We started our early retirement in Panama in the late summer of 2019. It was just me, my wife, Lisa, and our daughter, Faith, who was 9 at the time. We moved there and found a condo close to town in Boquete that we really liked. We even got to be part of a House Hunters International episode along the way! Things were moving along very well. The weather in the mountains of Boquete where our place resides is wonderful

Is Our Retirement in Panama Unexpectedly Over? Read More »

Earn & Invest Podcast Appearance – Panama Update

Earn & Invest Podcast Appearance – Panama Update

One of my favorite podcasts is the Earn & Invest podcast with Doc G (formerly the What’s Up Next? podcast). I’ve known Doc for a handful of years now. We met at FinCon years ago and I’ve been on his show on a couple of times since then. The first time I was on a panel to discuss the topic of whether passive income can really be passive. The second appearance was with my wife, Lisa, along with Amon and

Earn & Invest Podcast Appearance – Panama Update Read More »