Last week, Lief and I traveled freely between Paris, France, and Waterford, Ireland.
Despite the spread of the coronavirus in both countries, it was business as usual for most people. In Waterford, we met with our Irish-based staff in a local co-working office space… ate out for lunch and dinner in restaurants with full occupancy… and even squeezed in a couple of property viewings (an Irish country home is still part of our long-term retirement plan).
But what a difference a week… and even one day… can make in these crazy times.
My plan had been to return to Panama before the end of this month. But, right now, I’m not counting on being able to get out of Paris.
As someone who has been traveling the world—through many a crisis for more than three decades—even I have to ask:
Who wants to book a flight to anywhere in the world right now?
We don’t know what we don’t know about this virus.
But one thing we do know is that the current situation won’t continue forever.
You or I may not be able—or wish—to travel right now. But, at some point in the future, we will be able to take to the skies again.
So, I encourage you not to lose sight of your dream… that bigger, long-term plan for a new adventure overseas…
To help you keep things moving, Conference Manager Alessandra Sandoya and I have made a big decision…
For the rest of 2020,we’re switching all our in-country conferences to virtual events.
This means that, come what may, you can—right from the comfort of home—continue to attend any Live and Invest Overseas event that interests you… tap into our network of expats and experts… and be privy to any special conference deals with our partners…
All without any risk to your health… or of having your flight canceled or losing your hotel room deposit.
In fact, you’ll not only save money off the cost of your flight or hotel room. By moving our events online, we’re spared the costs of venue fees and can offer you virtual event access at an attractively discounted price…
Personally, I’m excited about this move. And, though we’ll miss out on the cocktails together, it means that the show can go on.
You get the same information as always… and, through live chat groups, our experts will be at hand to help you throughout and after each event.
Not sure how a virtual event works? It’s easy. In fact, we’ve just wrapped up our first Live and Invest in Ecuador Virtual Conference this weekend…
Thanks to months of planning by our conference team, these two days of online presentations and interactive chats between attendees and our experts were a roaring success. And we look forward to doing it all again for our upcoming events in Colombia and Mexico… as well as for this year’s Global Property Summit.
For each of these events, we’ll bring all the experts right to your home. (You’ll just have to sit back and pour your own cocktail.)
So, What Went Down In Ecuador Over The Weekend?
If you weren’t able to join us for last weekend’s Live and Invest in Ecuador Virtual Conference, here are some of the topics our experts discussed…
- The best way—and the best places—to find a great deal on a rental or purchase…
- Your best options for health insurance and health care here…
- How to open a bank account, for yourself or your business… plus, access to top contacts to help make the process quicker and easier…
- The top residency visa options and how to obtain them… Ecuador’s pensioner’s visa is one of the cheapest and easiest in the world…
- Several itemized budgets for day-to-day living, for those with budgets big and small… with US$1,800 a month, you could live anywhere and do anything in this country…
- Full details on how to access Ecuador’s famous benefits package for seniors: expats 65 or older enjoy 50% discounts on utilities, 50% discounts on cultural events (like movies or concerts), 50% discounts on all travel within the country, a 100% refund on sales tax, and more…
- Real-life tales of success and failure from expats already living and doing business in this retirement haven… from the beach towns to the mountain escapes…
- And lots more…
If you’re at all curious about opportunities in Ecuador, stay tuned for an announcement I’ll be making sometime next week.
Onward and upward!
Kathleen Peddicord
