International Living Reviews 292

Very content rich presentations. Interesting, informative and entertaining - even on subjects that we were not that interested in. Very disciplined around schedule. Just the right amount for breaks and networking. We left with several immediate action items to follow up on once we returned home. Highly recommend to anyone thinking about slow traveling or living abroad!

All they want you to do is buy more of their products.

Pros:
— Tight timing on presentations and staying on track
— Great location
— Helpful information
— Great soundbite-size scheduling - kept us alert the whole time.
— Incredible playlists during breaks
— Delicious food and drinks

Cons:
— No regard for health/covid consciousness. Would recommend daily announcements to remind us if you are sick or coughing due to congestion to please cover your mouth and/or wear a mask. Think of others. When I asked for this I was quickly told “NO - we won’t do this.” In this day and age, it is irresponsible to avoid these harsh realities and the last thing IL needs is a mini epidemic of attendees all coming down with covid, measles, or whatever. There was a gentleman in the back with a terrible cough, sneezing, running nose and constant open-mouth coughing without covering mouth. It will be a miracle if I don’t get sick.
— No store on site - no ability to buy aspirin, or drinks and small snacks.

Recommendation: Clearly the presenters must have submitted their power point presentations to IL for uniform design which is so cool and professional. Would highly recommend that the exhibitors also have a standard coordinated through IL where they must have some printed material focused on their recommendations, curriculum, etc. Some did, but many did not, leaving some room for disappointment since there is no way to keep the conversations straight in memory. Would recommend implementing a standard uniform protocol to follow for exhibitors to have printed material available - to reflect the same high standards as the presentations. Overall, a phenomenal job! Obrigada!

My 1st Living International event is in Portugal and I didn’t know what to expect. I am interested in learning details about moving overseas & was very pleased with the presentation topics- they are all generally fast-paced, brief presentations packed with a lot of good info. I like this format especially because there are several coffee break sessions where you can then speak directly with the presenter on more details about the topic of interest. Just like school, you get out of it what you put into it. Great way to network.

Just got off the phone with John a fine Irish lad that had all the information and answers to my questions about my subscriptions not only was he informative but also a joy to listen to and a pleasure to have solve my problems in a very short time.

I have had the travel bug since I was a kid. But the idea of living outside of the states was a new thought. International Living came into my life just as I was looking into retiring! What a helpful magazine!

Asked to cancel my subscription to Field Notes by Jeff Opdyke. It redirects to International Living. Neither Jeff nor International Living responded to my multiple requests to cancel the Field Notes subscription which is a total scam and now seems devoted to getting everyone to buy Jeff's preferred crypto rather than any real insights into products advertised.

The initial subscription is okay but it seems to be just a platform to try to sell you conferences and books . Also did not wish to renew my subscription but they charged my credit card without my permission

I went to their conference in Cancun in 2015. conference itself was "OK." however they had vendors there for making investments and i figured they were well vetted. they were not. the precious metals turned out to be a scam. I lost over 50K. they wanted me to pay a lawyer in Panama to try to get the money back. the even worse scandal was the outfit selling colored diamonds. I invested with them and over the years built up a portfolio of over 200K spent. I won't go into all the details.. too long... but when it came time to try to cash them in, i tried for 2 years with the original company referring me in sequence to 2 others, as they had retired, where i had to outlay more cash. i eventually had to unload the diamonds for less than 10% of what I spent on them. A sucker is born every day and I was one with this company. would give 0 if it was an option.

This magazine is sexist in that it only publishes articles by women.

I had two separate interactions with Eden and Eimear. They were both extremely patient with me and took a lot of time answering my questions about my account, my VIP resources, and bookstore offerings. Having Customer Service representation at the conference was a valuable asset to my International Living experience!!

A lot of good information. Maybe some breakout sessions interspersed with linear format to allow more in depth questions in some cases, while opting out of other topics. For example, no interest in starting a business, but details on shipping home goods.
Favorite parts were personal Expat experiences. Particularly Jess R. All were great though!

Very informative nothing held back. Receive all material after conference is over. Very open and everyone provides their information for future questions.

I loved the mini-Ted Talks on the various areas to consider. I found a wealth of information on things you forget to consider: taxes, Healthcare, pets, cultural considerations. The information did come fast and furious so sometimes I missed info.

The wealth of comprehensive knowledge the presenters had, the variety of speakers on all pertinent subjects and the ability to communicate directly with experts once home.

I have read International Magazine for over a year, and was excited to book into their "Fast Track Panama" conference February 7-9, 2025. First I signed up for the conference, then their marketing machine upsold me to Explorer's Club. Within minutes, when I found out that both hotels were completely booked, I tried to cancel. Contrary to their representations, they had billed me twice, once for the conference and once for the club; they only refunded one charge, and are refusing to refund the other. Their customer service is very horrible to reach and insulting on the telephone. FOLLOW-UP: Contrary to the representations made below, I called and cancelled SUCCESSFULLY on January 29, 2025. What was not stated, including through the upsell-machine that attracted me into the Explorer's Club purchase, was that my credit card had already been charged the first time, and would be charged a second time. The representation that had been made was that I would attend the Panama Conference at no charge if I bought the Explorer Club membership. So I had not idea that I need to be seeking refund of two charges. That is the nature of my quarrel. Please get your facts straight.

It was through this informative, fact based publication that I found the perfect retirement spot. I would never have considered the country that I now call home until I began reading International Living. It provides detailed, fact based information on both the pros and cons of living in thousands of potential destinations outside the US, and was my primary guide for choosing the perfect location to spend my retirement years. Thank you for all the information you provided over the past several years. My husband and I are now building our perfect home in the perfect place.

As far as the magazine goes, it is fine. However, they definitely over market.

It is their RETA (Real Estate Trend Alert) service that I have the biggest issue with. I have been a member since 2020. The project and deals presented by Ronan McMahon are legitimate "potential" projects. I have signed 4 contracts - two fell through. That said, I did receive my deposits back with little hassle.

The two other deals are now significantly past due. Ronan never mentions this in his updates. He was recently touting the rise in value of a project in Progresso Yucatan but never mentioned that the project will be delivered over one-year late as will another project in Playa del Carmen by the same developer. He boasts of great potential returns but doesn't address that you're paying deposits for a two+ year period with no interest or return, effectively "dead money".

Recent postings on Tulum never once mention the absolute oversupply of rental units in that market.

Five years and I have yet to take possession of a single property.

There are definitely real projects and the process is relatively easy, but don't believe the hype about the types of returns you will earn.

Constant spamming, much off topic. Touting Crypto daily. Sells email addresses to many MAGA affiliates. I am inundated with right wing newsletters "Shared by the President of International Living".

Jeff set expectations for the level of the masterclass. Although I would describe myself as very financially educated I did learn some new things. The pace of the masterclass was perfect. I also appreciated that the class was live with Q&A and breaks. Finally, the portfolio provided is very useful.