Eliina

Hola amigos! I want to know more about Latin America, all its countries, couse I would like to visit this area and in future move there for a living! For now I am thinking about Colombia and Costa Rica. I want to find place where is peace and harmony, beautiful nature, not high crime level and natural disasters... I will be very glad if you could give me some advices and split out your good or bad toughts about countries in Latin America where you have been and where you live at the moment. Maybe you can tell me something about culture and your daily life (for example short story ''one day of my life''). It would be so great if you will do that!
Muchas gracias!
.
P.S. I am from Europe and since I was child I felt in love with Latin America from movies and songs, that seemd so impossible and unreal for me then, but now I realize that I can make my dream came true!

thursdaysd

Suggest you do some reading:

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/
http://internationalliving.com/
http://www.liveandinvestoverseas.com/

Moon Living Abroad in Costa Rica by Erin Van Rheenen

There are also MANY guidebooks to every country in South and Central America, but living in a country is rather different from visiting. This is a travel board, although there are some posters who live in South America. You should look for expat boards.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I agree that you're asking for more than can be supplied here.

Wherever you're interested in, do a trial run. Go there and rent a place (house or apartment) for a few months. See if the day-to-day tasks of living are something you can handle. As thursdaysd says above, living in another country is nothing like vacationing there.

Many countries in Latin America have programs where foreigners can obtain residency. Generally, you have to either: 1) demonstrate that you have a regular monthly source of income from your home country (in other words, you can't get a job in your new country); or 2) invest a substantial amount of money in the local economy, usually in the mid-five-figure range.

wanderingscot

Hello,

I've spent the last 19 months travelling from Mexico down to Argentina, so all I can do is tell you that it's been a fantastic time of my life. Favourite country out of the bunch? Colombia.

I spent three months there and I would have been happy to spend a year discovering it.

Costa Rica is a favourite of many Europeans and Americans given that its the safest spot in Central America and very easy for them to live an ex-pat lifestyle. In terms of my experience, it left me cold.

Since you're interested in Latin America, you might like our website www.alongdustyroads.com which has guides, photographies, budgets and stories from our travels in each country. As the others have said, keep reading and researching but, most important of all, take the jump and visit this part of the world and see if your dream can become a reality

Steph_Dyson

Hey,

I lived in Bolivia for 11 months and I'm now living in Peru and I have to say, Bolivia wins hands down.

It's such an overlooked country but if you speak Spanish (or are willing to learn) then travelling or living here will be an incredible experiences. Not only is it absolutely stunning (El Salar de Uyuni is quite possibly one of the most beautiful and intriguing places on earth) but cheap and actually quite safe (if you're sensible and don't get yourself into stupid situations).

I lived and volunteering there before travelling around and I think if you want to work out how much you like living in a place, volunteering is an ideal way to do this. Not only does it give you a chance to see the country from the inside and get to know local people better than when you're just travelling, but it gives you a purpose while you're there.

I'm just starting up a website about travelling and volunteering in South America and it's going to start by focussing on Bolivia and Peru so if you're interested in more information please check it out: www.worldlyadventurer.com

Good luck!

4menti4

@Wanderingscot

I second your Colombia pick.

Amazing country, can be intimidating initially, but there are endless spots to explore. Really worth checking out.