International Living Reviews 292

A great source for arm-chair travel while thinking of opportunities and alternatives after the COVID lockdowns and restrictions end. Has also helped me transition from prospective real estate buyer to more likely renter and traveler. Worth the price!

IL's fantastic articles fuelled my desire to retire overseas.
Their Passport series gave me real-life information on prices, places, what was similar to my home, and what was different.
We spent some wonderful times in our new home, then situations conspired to bring us back to where we started and of course, covid has ensured we stayed put.
Nowadays while you can't easily (or safely) jet around yourself, International Living is a wonderful resource everyone can use.

IL magazine and website provide abundant advice on living and working in another country, and is primarily targeted to residents of Canada and the USA. They have many resources online, as well as books and reports, which appear to be comprehensive. I'm also a member of RETA, which is the real estate investing branch. I've bought into a few deals, but the properties are under construction, so I can't speak to the actual product yet.
For my taste, there is too much marketing. IL sends me about 2-3 emails per DAY promoting all kinds of affiliate services. It would be nice to have more choices regarding which email subscriptions to receive.
In addition, the magazine and online articles I think are too slanted towards a very rosy picture of living overseas. I would appreciate a more balanced portrayal of both ups and downs of living abroad.
Overall the info is helpful for anyone considering living abroad, as IL can connect you with reliable advisors in various locations, but at the end of the day each person needs to conduct his own due diligence and not rely on any one source for the full picture.

I have been a subscriber to International Living for at least 15 years. Even though I was no where near retirement age, I wanted to learn more about the possibilities of retiring overseas. I started late saving for retirement due to economical and medical catastrophies that were unavoidable and realized if I wanted a comfortable rewarding retirement, it would not happen in the United States. International Living magazine gave me insight of adventurous and affordable destinations where I can explore and enjoy my retirement. I have also been introduced to RETA-the real estate investment group affiliated with International Living. This has opened a new door for my retirement as I have invested in a few properties overseas that will add to my retirement income with little hands-on involvement. Retirement overseas may not be for everyone, but I would urge you to do some research to see that your choices and opportunities are unlimited-and International Living can provide that information for you. Happy travelling!
Anthony Tomei

IL has been a wealth of information about possible places to live in retirement - as well as international real estate and employment opportunities. Have been with them for over 8 years and will stay with them to see what comes next. Even if you DON"T plan to retire overseas - there are investment opportunities that are eyebrow raising with both a low initial cost and ROI.

International Living has provided many insights even though I am not retiring yet. Their articles help me prepare mentally for retirement abroad and shows that others have done it happily. Very resourceful and useful information for those who want to retire even on a modest budget.

Having just turned 60, I am looking forward to retirement and IL is my guide. I plan to retire to one of the places I originally discovered in the magazine. I've learned so much and talked to numerous people who have recently relocated to that beautiful location. I love International Living!

We are IL Lifetime Society members and have loved each issue of the magazine, found helpful info with each "Escape To" Report, and enjoyed discovering real estate abroad. We have used the tips we found on these pages for ourselves and gave a heads-up to our daughter who travels internationally often.
We are exploring different countries to retire to and having a good time in our research. If you are looking to retire or just travel abroad, this service is worth the money!

Lots of information and experience. Great place to start of considering moving overseas.

Lacks creditability, too many get rich scheme's. IL constantly has advertisement / articles about real estate scheme's , crypto investing and similar get rich schemes. It feels like they are trying to sell Prime Florida real estate which actually is swamp land. If they dropped those and the constant adverts for different products they sell they might have more credibility. Unfortunately they do no have much in the way of competition. YMMV but take what they provide with a grain of salt.

International Living has been an invaluable resource for any information I am looking for whether it be for an investment opportunity abroad or seeing the many options that are available should I wish to retire in another country. Looking forward to many more opportunities thanks to International Living.

Back in 2005 I had my first and only child. I was almost 50 and on the last dash to retirement after a successful career. I decided I wanted to create a global citizen life for my child and after searching the internet for info about living abroad I ran across International Living. It was the most life changing and exciting find I have ever found on the “net”. Starting with the IL postcards, then graduating to different products as I investigated one destination after another, I grew my knowledge and dream for our international lifestyle, scheduled to begin when I turned 60. Along the way I joined a tour and conference in Ecuador with my then eight year old son. We fell in love with the country and planned to return for an extended stay in the future. The year I retired we attended the IL conference in Atlanta. As I met the country representatives I fell in love with all the locales. But by the time we left the conference we had picked our first destination for living overseas. The rep had connected us to a company in Penang who took care of all the visa details, connected us with a realtor and managed all the medical paperwork needed. All we needed to do was show up on the designated day! Penang was a place that wasn’t even on our radar when we arrived at the conference, but it couldn't have been a better first destination on our international journey. Now four years later we have been living happily in Penang Malaysia. While here we joined one of the IL partners on a photography tour through Thailand in late 2019. On that tour we made friends with Canadian and USA guests who have become close friends we stay in touch with regularly. In Penang, we are surrounded by expat and local friends and neighbors. Today (literally), we had a tearful departure with them as we are on flights back to America to complete visa requirements to relocate to Portugal next. We still plan to settle in Central America at some point, but for now we will continue to make friends and put down roots in countries on every continent. The courage to live this nomadic life, as a single woman with my son, is completely because of the information, contacts and ideas that I have gained by being a lifetime member of IL. If you want a life abroad, there is no organization that can bring you better, more timely support to build your plan for a life overseas!! Thank you IL for everything your organization does. It has been worth millions to me, but has cost only a few dollars per year, throughout the years.

this has been a waste of time and money. it is catered for the American market

I have enjoyed ever issue of International living. I felt that these articles have given me insight into the many possible options for retirement. You also offer many booklets, videos and educational materials to help us make good decisions based on real information.

International Living is an invaluable source of information for anybody seeking to live overseas!
Saving thousands of dollars on air fares, and accommodation, you can view videos or pictures of your potential dream home with all the useful contacts such as real estate lawyers, phone numbers of the agent/s thrown in, so you can make an informed decision on your purchase without even leaving your home!
Personally, I can recommend International Living, and their customer service is second to none!

If you want to try out living in another country, find a way to live better and more economically, this is the organization and magazine for you! Great stories in the magazine. Seminars in countries like Panama and Ecuador, books, videos will help you in your choice.

I have been a VIP member for several years now. As my wife and I love international travel and are planning on living overseas part-time once she retires IL is the perfect product for us. International Living magazine is chock full of useful information on countries all over the globe every month. Being a VIP member also allows us to join the RETA group. We currently are buying two preconstruction condos through RETA in Tulum for investments. We are already over $180,000 ahead in paper profits and expect it to be even more when delivered next summer. The best money we have spent in a long time!

A good source of relevant information for those considering or planning a move abroad. Some countries' information is super comprehensive and some above average. All available to compare and learn from regardless of your goals.

I have enjoyed International Living for many years now. I moved to Mexico Playa Del Carmen in 2014 and wished I had the insight you have provided then. We are back in Florida and we may try again some place else using your sage advise. We tried to get our residency without the help of a lawyer big mistake. Look forward to your emails and magazine.
Thanks
Johnny

All of us at different times in our lives get involved in exploring International Living and want to continue to explore. And there may be a page that provides my requested input, but I will express my concern anyway. I am a member of Inner Circle, Explorers and a Lifetime member of something else? It would really help me and possibly others to have a place we could go to refresh our memory of our benefits of our investments. I don’t have a clue what I can access w/o charge and what I should pay for so in my busy schedule I err on the side of ignoring opportunities to pursue my dreams. A site that spells out what we have as benefits as a result of our investments that we could repeatedly review would be most helpful. Thanks for the opportunity to share.