Top Travel Leads

Ten years ago Panama was in the forefront of attracting American retirees. Hailed as another Florida in the making, many soon-to-retire Americans looked at Panama as an ideal country in which to retire. With a democratic government and stable economy, solid 30% plus middle class, many members of which were educated in the United States, Panama was an attractive destination for those in search of a country in which to retire. But much has changed since.

In the mid 90s Panama established retirement visas patterned on the concepts pioneered in Costa Rica. With mere $500 per month in guaranteed retirement income, an American retiree could easily qualify for a “pensionado visa” in Panama, which guaranteed permanent residency in the country. With $600 of guaranteed pension, namely social security, an American couple could settle in Panama and remain for rest of their lives. While Costa Rica costs of living were skyrocketing, many Americans were convinced Panama was the place where to go.

For a while it seemed that Panama would get hundreds of thousands of Americans, all building or buying a house in Panama. Number of gated communities, such as for example the Altos del Maria development, all geared to attract Americans, sprung up all over Panama.

Then slowly cost of living in Panama too began to increase, including legal fees charged by Panamanian lawyers, costs of building permits, costs of construction and hired labor of any kind. Americans were subject to being charged higher rates by any contractor who saw the gringos as easy source of higher revenue than the domestic population was willing to pay.

Then came 2008 and the sub-prime mortgage debacle and with it start of the economic meltdown that has triggered a chain reaction of downward trends, from decreasing property values to unemployment. Suddenly those Americans who were trying to sell their home at home not only could get the price for it they were hoping for, they could not sell it period. And moving to Panama, or any other country for that matter, retiring abroad, was no longer an option to look forward to anytime soon. It became a dream all over again.

It seems the tide is beginning to change. Unemployment has come down in recent months and it may be we have gotten over the worst. Though many stopped looking for work and their real situation is not easily discernible, and the current rate of change in the US, the underlying national debt and volatile dollar all seem to clearly suggest that prospects of significant changes coming soon can’t be determined with any kind of predictable certainty.

Perhaps the bottom line approach remains: undeniably those who were ready to retire and move to Panama five years ago need to realize that if they are really still wanting to make Panama their second home, they must make the necessary change at all cost, now, as they are definitely not getting any younger. That means you must quit your job, if you still have one, retire, sell your home for at least a marginally reasonable price, and move to Panama!

Over the last forty years I have visited India countless times. My most recent trip was in the early part of 2012, my last visit before that, however, was nearly five years ago. Even though I had known about the new Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, seeing it with my own two eyes was truly a pleasant surprise. When I got on the Delhi subway after that, I became literally speechless.

The airport is magnificent, monumental and a real achievement. And the subway is a major accomplishment for a mega metropolis like Delhi to implement. The coverage of its lines is so extensive that one can now reach just about anywhere in Delhi metro within an hour. Even though it is certainly overcrowded all day, it is so namely for the men, as the women have their own designated carriages which are usually half-empty and almost always there is a seat available. The men, on the other hand, travel literally like sardines and with envy eye the roomy subway cars for women.

But so be it, the metro is certainly fast and convenient and beats the outdated bus system. On the other hand, given the significant increase in a number of private passenger cars the Delhi roads are now very congested and traffic is a continuous s traffic jam. And with the proportionately increasing car pollution bicycle rickshaws may just be allowed back to certain parts of inner cities to limit air and noise pollution. But finding the ideal solution is not easy and will take time in India.

In any case, bottom line is India has made phenomenal advances in the infrastructure development and individuals such as Kamal Nath Politician, one of the strongest proponents of this trend, get the credit for the endeavors.

When I look back at my initial experience of India some 41 years ago I can’t ever forget the first time I witnessed seeing the mob of people riding regularly atop roofs of trains. I recall when there was still a 3rd class on passenger trains, which was dreadful to travel on especially when there were still no bars on the windows. It got a little better when the iron bars were added later, but it was not until the 3rd class was abolished altogether that the quality of train travel started to gradually improve. Of course, news of atrocious accidents, such as passengers riding on rooftop being decapitated as trains entered a tunnel and similar horror stories continued pouring in for many years.

In the countryside today local passengers still ride on roofs of local buses. Despite the dangers it is a question to travel or be left behind, and local police certainly tolerate the practice. Although local buses move at snail’s pace, there is profusion of fast and air-conditioned transportation available just about anywhere in India today.

In recent years India completed number of four-lane national highways and many state highways have been widened and repaved, although traveling across India one is always under the impression that everywhere there is a perpetual construction going on. Most state and district roads are still atrocious and while there may be a semblance of improvements under way, the pace of change is often hardly noticeable as construction moves at slow speeds. Using gangs of female labor carrying baskets with dirt and employing huge numbers of the marginalized lowest casts pounding rocks with hammers making gravel is still a commonplace. While these primitive techniques may seem laughable, they provide employment and income for those who otherwise would go hungry. India is full of dilemmas, as always. After all there is no other place like it on earth.

As they say, Only in India!

When I first time visited Spain you could still hear Spanish spoken in Costa del Sol. By late 60s you could hear more Swedish and Norwegian. Scandinavians traveled to Spain in search of the sun, frequenting beach resorts as far south as Canary Islands and considered Costa del Sol somewhat of a Scandinavian enclave.

By early 70s Costa Brava and much of the coastal resorts of Valencia and Granada saw great influx of vacationers. More resorts sprung out along the long coast. With the opening of the Alicante airport took off development of Benidorm resort town and taking benidorm holidays has become most thought after beach vacation for millions of Europeans.

All was well and Spain continued to boom though it was still retaining the laid back flavor of Mediterranean Europe. And it was that way right up to the time Spain joined European Union in 1986.

I visited again in the 90s and things were clearly on the move. Many retired Americans enjoyed affordable rental spending mild winters in Spain. It seemed unlikely Spain would become another Germany any time soon, preferring to maintain the siesta and late nigh dinners pace.

In 2002 I traveled to San Sebastian and got a taste of Spain in the 21st century Europe. The people seemed arrogant and unfriendly, and would not give you the time of the day especially if they sensed an American, much like French in the 70s, though they seemed to have overcome that characterization since.

Bullet trains, subways, fast pace of contemporary Europe was noticeably the mainstay of Spain. I visited Barcelona, Madrid and Seville. Spain was booming. Open door policy brought scores of Eastern Europeans and North Africans in search of blue color jobs. Real estate prices soared year after year.

Then in 2007 the real estate bubble started to burst, much like it happened in the United States. By now real estate prices in Spain have plummeted as much as 30% from their peak in 2007. If Greece seemed to personify the worst of EU nations’ problems, the Spanish one is a lot worse. Being the fifth largest economy in Europe Spain’s financial collapse will have an impact with a global reach.

In the US we are face unemployment of 8.1% that seems to have halted, and we feel things continue to improve at snail’s pace. Young Americans face run away university education costs and nil prospects of finding a job after graduation; if they are lucky they may find one only at Mc Donald’s.

In Spain the unemployment rate for young people under 25 is now above 50%. By comparison our youth unemployment rate of approximately 18% seems trivial.

Spain’s banking system is essentially insolvent, inundated with bad loans. The economy is not just stagnant, it has contracted, the annualized economic growth running in the red almost 2%. The overall, total unemployment is nearing 25%. Spain’s stock equity index is down over 20% since the beginning of the year, and nearly 60% since the economic meltdown started four years ago. Spain will require a bailout much the same as Greece and the European Central Bank will have to print much more Euros than up to now in order to assist.

Or should Spain leave the EU, give up on the Euro and return to peseta in order to save its economy? What is going to be the outcome of Spain’s dilemma?

Most Americans don’t want to speculate about Spain’s problems as we are yet to climb out of our own hole and see a little light at the end of the tunnel. But for those with deep-rooted feel of affection for Spain, this may be the time to keep an eye on those villas on its coast. While the rich and well off likely own their real estate free and clear, as life becomes harder and harder for those, as here in the US, who bought when the prices were still going up, and now are being swept by the housing market crash, they may soon find themselves facing foreclosures.

The tide of foreclosures in Spain is now in its fourth year and it will only continue. The housing market collapse is in a full swing and the home prices are expected to drop possibly as much as 50%. In 2011 foreclosures increased by whopping 11% and with rising unemployment and as Spain is drifting into depression, the worst is likely yet to come.

If Spain has ranked high on your list of countries in which to retire, buy a vacation home or simply a country in which to invest, and much of your portfolio is currently held in cash, this may be the time to take a trip to Spain and start looking for your dream Spanish villa, a house or an apartment. Just as many wealthy Europeans, Arabs and other foreigners took advantage of the depressed American property market in Florida and bought foreclosed properties, they are likely to take a closer look at the depressed housing market in Spain next.

How to arrange paid work in Canada

Your dreams of travelling around the world might involve months spent on the open road, seeing some of the world’s most beautiful sights without any worries to think about. Well, we all wish things could be that easy, but, to spend a long time hopping from place to place, you will need to earn enough money to fund your trip. One of the easiest ways to do this is to work abroad.

Canada is an ideal location to arrange paid work in, which could be perfect if you had planned to stop at the North American nation on your adventure.

However, if you don’t know where to begin finding out about how you can work in a foreign country, we’ve put together some tips to help and make your travel plans that bit easier:

Working holiday visa

The first thing you need to do (before getting overly excited and thinking about what clothes to pack) is look up how to apply for a working holiday visa, which is now known as the International Experience Canada (IEC) initiative.

If you are granted a visa, you will be able to work and travel in Canada for up to 12 months – which gives you plenty of time to earn some money and see all the sights!

What do you need to know about the IEC?

Holidaymakers aged between 18 and 35 who are from a particular set of countries are eligible for IEC work permits, so you should check whether your nation is on this list first.

If you are from the UK, for instance, you will be allowed to apply for the visa, but the number of applicants that are accepted is restricted, so make sure you get your form in as soon as possible once you have decided to spend the next few months living in Canada. In 2012, for example, there are only 5,350 places available for UK applicants, so make sure your application is glowing so you can take one of these positions. Application process aside be ware that coming to or leaving from Canada on usa flights security is tight so be prepared as to what is you can and can’t bring on board.
The submission will be judged on how you fulfil the eligibility criteria, which includes police certification, proof of funds, medical examinations and what your job intentions are. Don’t panic if you think you need to have led a squeaky clean life in order to be accepted, but I’d definitely recommend spending time researching your position thoroughly before submitting your application.

Getting accepted – the next steps

Hopefully, you shouldn’t have any problems in being accepted for a working visa and you will soon receive a Letter of Introduction, which you can swap for a permit when you arrive in the country. Once you have been given the Letter of Introduction, you can book your flights and start thinking about where you would like to live and work.

Your work permit will last for 12 months from the date you arrive in Canada, and during this time you have total flexibility over where you stay and what employer you choose to work with. You don’t need to worry about any restrictions on how many hours you put in, which means you can work really hard and save a lot of money over a short period of time – and spend the rest of your break on the road.

Get a job

The next step is easy; after choosing whereabouts in Canada you want to base yourself, you should think about securing yourself a job. This will help you get the most out of your experience, and enable you to start earning money as soon as your plane lands.

So, all you have to decide is whether you want to work the ski season, become a barista, do administrative work, clock up the hours behind the bar, help out in schools… The choice is yours!