With over 6.5 million U.S. citizens living abroad, expatriate living has become a significant trend. As the world economic and political atmosphere becomes more uncertain, more and more people are looking for other economic, political, and cultural alternatives, many outside of their own country. And retiring abroad has always been a favorite alternative to remaining at home.

Coming from Latin “ex” (out of) and “patria” (country), the term expatriate applies to any individual who lives in a country or culture different from his native birth country or country of citizenship. This residence can either be temporary or permanent.

There are at least three types of expatriates:

Those who are working in a country for a short or extended period of time. After the industrial revolution in the 18th century, this became more common. Multi-national corporate businesses have further increased this type of expatriate. Their stay may be as little as a few weeks or may be for several years. Often, the country in which they reside has a special status reserved for this kind of expatriate.

Those who are living there temporarily with no intention of doing so permanently. This includes college and university students, long term tourists, and in some cases religious personnel.

Those who intend to remain there permanently. This group is generally looking for some type of permanent status through the government of the country in which they reside. These are generally classified as immigrants.

The expatriate type into which you fall really isn’t important except when considering the economic, legal, health, and citizenship ramifications of your expatriate status.

Why Do You Want To Be An Expatriate?

The country to which you move will depend largely on the reason for which you wish to go. Every expatriate is not cut from the same mold. As the old expression states: “One man’s fish (French poisson) is another man’s poison (English poison)”. Your first task is to determine why you wish to become an expatriate.

Once you determine why you want to move to another country, you can begin to research countries that fit your goal. Make a list of what characteristics a country has to have in order to meet your criteria.

After finding several countries that appear to meet your criteria, you can then begin to research them in more detail to further shorten your list.

EscapeArtist.Com probably has the most comprehensive listing of links on information related to expatriate living on the internet. It is a great place to start. Their comprehensive listing of links will eventually lead you to most other sources of links that you might find in an internet search on “expatriate living”.

Check Out Your Prospective Destination Physically

A person should never make a decision to move to another country permanently without first visiting it to get acquainted with it first. There are various ways of doing this and differs depending on how you have answered your why and where questions.

If the expatriate living is necessary due to a job change, you may have less options to visit beforehand and will have to rely on other information sources.

However, if you are anticipating a residence change for your retirement years, it is a different matter. For example, let’s say you have decided that your ideal lifestyle is best carried out on a Caribbean island. How could you begin?

You could take extended vacations for a few years before your anticipated move or you could visit different destinations on cruises. Cruises give a quick overview of a destination but you will only have at most one day in each destination.

Coping With Culture Shock

Culture shock occurs when your cultural expectations come into conflict with the living styles and expectations of the new culture. You have learned a certain set of values and habits by which you unconsciously and subconsciously live. Culture shock occurs when these values and habits are disturbed and things go contrary to your expectations.

The more unlike your own country the new country is, the more likely that you will have a greater degree of culture shock after a period of living there.

Some cultural shock is inevitable, but the more you learn about the culture of your new living destination beforehand, the less severe it will be.

There are numerous books that deal with the subject of cultural shock and adaptation and you should study at least one of these before you move.

Health & Insurance Concerns

The Social Security Medicare Program does not cover hospital or medical services outside the United States. The Department of Veterans Affairs will only pay for hospital and medical service outside the United States if you are a veteran with a service-related disability.

When considering medical insurance, first find out how citizens of the country where you will reside pay their medical bills and if the same coverage is available to resident foreigners. Some countries have government-sponsored health insurance that may also provide coverage to foreign residents, while others have a dual system with national health supplemented by private insurance. In countries where many American expatriates reside, such as Mexico, you may find that local private international health insurance companies will offer coverage to U.S. citizen residents. Once you arrive, check with organized groups in the American community to learn about these companies.

Before taking up residence abroad, learn which U.S. medical services or health insurance plans provide coverage for Americans living overseas. Check with the insurance company on whether the coverage offered abroad includes both routine and emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, and medical evacuation should it be necessary. Once you obtain health insurance, remember to carry your policy’s identity card and to keep a supply of insurance claim forms handy. The U.S. government cannot pay for hospital or medical services for Americans overseas and cannot pay to evacuate you for treatment in the United States.

Temporary Or Permanent Resident?

Expatriate living has an extreme range of possibilities. One might want to be a permanent tourist or go to the opposite extreme by officially becoming a citizen of the new country of residence.

There is even the possibility of obtaining a second passport from some countries without renouncing your present citizenship.

This may have legal ramifications that will effect your present citizenship, so taking this step should be carefully considered before deciding to do it. You get to choose to what extreme you will go in your expatriate living. You are the only one who knows what you want.

For more detailed information and links to more resources, go to my Expatriate Living site on Squidoo.Com .

Costa Rica is a federal republic with a strong constitution that has led to over 59 successive years of democratic government. It is fast becoming a major destination for ex-patriates from the United States looking for a stable Latin American country with a relatively inexpensive lifestyle.

Located on the Central American isthmus, it reaches from the Caribbean Sea in the East to the Pacific Ocean on the West. Costa Rica’s natural beauty ranges from the Caribbean beaches to craters of still steaming volcanoes such as “Volcan Poa”. It is bordered on the North by Nicaragua and on the South by Panama.

Costa Rica’s official language is Spanish but the coastal city of Limon is also home to speakers of Mekatelyu, a creole of English.

Tourism is growing at a fast pace, and Puerto Limon serves as the major entry destination for cruise lines.

Key West is affectionately known among its population as the “Conch Republic” and is the Southern Most Point in the United States of America. It is located only 90 miles from the coasts of Cuba.

It has been made famous in many ways by Earnest Hemingway’s living there and his references to Key West in his writings. His former residence is still a major tourist attraction. Hemingway would do an estimated 70% of his lifetime’s writing in the writer’s den in the upper floor of the converted garage, in back of this house.

Every evening crowds gather at the dock to watch the sunset and the local entertainers do their thing. The show goes on late into the night and revelers finish up in the local “drinking holes”

Guadeloupe, like Martinique, is an overseas region of France, and as such is part of the European Union. It’s capital city is Basse-Terre. Here, you can use your Euros just as if you were on the mainland of France.

For those cruisers who want a little bit of Europe while in the Caribbean, Guadeloupe is a good place to start. However, remember that you are in the Caribbean and that really makes a different. The cultural intermixture over the years has given the island a distinct feeling that differs dramatically from the mother country.

Guadeloupe, which is known as “the Emerald Isle” is actually two islands side by side joined by two bridges. An areal view looks like a butterfly. Grand-Terre, the Eastern island has rolliing hills and sugar cane fields, while the Western island of Basse-Terre is mountainous and dominated by the volcano of La Soufriere.

You can get to Guadeloupe by air but my favorite way to get there is by cruise ship. Check out my Guadeloupe,squidoo site for specific details on cruise shore excursions while in Guadeloupe.

Jamaica is one of the largest Caribbean Islands, lying South of Cuba and Southwest of Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic). It was inhabited by the Arawak Indians at the time of Columbus’ first visit. The Spanish controlled the island for many years, headquartered at what is now known as Spanish Town. They maintained their claim on the island until 1670, but the English had already physically taken over the island some years before.

Jamaica has numerous resort areas being developed, specifically on the Northern coast. In addition there are several destinations within this area that have always been particularly popular with tourists. Walking up the falls at Dunn’s River Falls at Ocho Rios, Jamaica was one of my first Jamaican experiences. It is definitely worth doing at least once. Having lived in Florida for most of my life, I did not find the beaches at Negril to be as beautiful as I had been told to expect. But the sunset views from restaurants that sometimes seem to hang over the craggy rock faced precipices is worth seeing.

English is the official language here, but don’t be surprised to hear a lot of speech you don’t understand. The Jamaica patois dialect is still widely prevalent. Jamaica is of course famous for its “No Problem, Mon” expression, heard everywhere.

One cruise excursion in particular you don’t want to miss is the Rose Hall Great House. Enjoy a thrilling adventure through the Rose Hall Mansion, where stories of witchcraft, black magic, murder and slaves exacting revenge on their masters are alive and well. If you listen carefully, you might even hear the White Witch of Rose Hall.

The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana) is a nation located in the Caribbean region, shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti and was one of the first permanent settlements in the Americas. The country is noted for a lot of “firsts” for the Americas, being also the site of the first colonial capital, the first university, first cathedral and the first fortress built by Europeans.

Cruise ships coming into the Dominican Republic waters generally tie up off of La Romana on the Southern coast of the country. Passengers are taken ashore in tenders from the ship. Tours range from local visits to La Romana and the Altos de Chavon Artist’s Village to an 8 hour tour into Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republics capital city. Other tours include an “Evening Paddle Wheeler Cruise on the Chavon River”, “Speed Boat to Saona Island”. or “Taino Indian Cave & Cigar Factory”.

Dominica has been described as the “Hidden Caribbean Jewel”. It is the greenest and most mountainous of the islands in the Eastern Caribbean. In 2006, it was home to some of the filming of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” numbers 2 and 3. It’s Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It is one of the youngest islands in the Caribbean and it’s lush mountainous rainforests are gifted with the world’s second largest boiling lake. Waterfalls abound and it is easy to see why it is called the “Nature Isle of the Caribbean“.

The oficial language is English, but the people also speak a French creole, since it’s neighbor to the North is Guadeloupe, and to the South is Martinique, two of the French colonial possessions. Due to that fact it has been called French Dominica by some.

As a cruise destination, it is one of my “very” favorite islands. Much of the island still has the feel of a tropical paradise. And, as you can see from the panoramic view of it’s capitol city, Rouseau, even the cities have a natural beauty not found very frequently.

Panoramic View Of A Cozumel Sunrise

Cozumel, Mexico is included in the Caribbean Cruise Destinations series because it is one of the main stops on most Western Caribbean Cruise itineraries. And, of the stops in Mexico, Cozumel is the most frequented. Although not included in most books as part of the Caribbean destinations, Cancun, Cozumel, Calica, and Costa Maya all actually border the Caribbean Sea.

It is an island just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, and lies opposite the Playa del Carmen. Other cities on the Mexican coastal area visited by these cruise lines are Costa Maya and Calica. Calica is only eight (8) miles south of Playa del Carmen, and many cruise ships dock at the Puerto Calica Cruise Pier instead of at Cozmuel. From Calica it is a quick taxi ride into Playa del Carmen.

Mexico is actually bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea in the area of Cozumel. It is at the Northeast tip of the Yucatan Peninsula that the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea come together with a channel separating the two which reaches from Yucatan to Cuba (See This separation on the Map of Mexico which follows below).

Costa Maya, Mexico is included in the Caribbean Cruise Destinations series on Squidoo.com as one of the stops on some Western Caribbean Cruise itineraries. Costa Maya is a small tourist region in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, located between Cancun and Belize. The area is generally undeveloped but has been growing quickly and rapidly after construction of a large pier to accommodate cruise ships.

Once Costa Maya was a trading post for the Mayan Empire. It is located in the Mexican Caribbean and is best known for its jungles, beaches, lagoons and Mayan ruins. There are numerous shore excursions that relate to the Mayan Empire and to the beautiful snorkeling waters that are found throughout the area.

So, it is interesting to note that Costa Maya, located on the Caribbean Sea approximately 100 miles south of Playa del Carmen and quite close to the border of Belize, was built out of the jungle specifically to cater to the cruise passengers. It was designed to be self-sufficient and even the water is drinkable.

The Port of Costa Maya is quickly becoming a center of attention on the Western Caribbean Cruise Routes. The city of Costa Maya is set up to resemble a Mayan city and provides a showcase for the ancient and colonial heritage of the area.Click on this link for some specific recommendations on shore excursions.

Anything in particular you are looking for in Costa Maya? I can’t guarantee you will find everything, but I have included a lot more information on Costa Maya at this location. Also, check out the slide show of photos on Costa Maya and the area around it.