About Us

We are expats and travelers, writers and video people. If you’re one of those you could be one of us. My name is Michael Karsh and I founded Live or Retire Overseas. I’ve traveled and lived in 45 countries, mostly in the third world and not just because it’s cheap.

Like a lot of travelers, I passed through Cancun a few times when they were building the first hotels, stayed a winter in Puerto Vallarta before the expats arrived, spent a couple of winters in Guatemala when they were building the first guesthouses on Lake Atitlan, and visited Costa Rica twice before it was discovered. In Latin America, expats discovered Mexico first, followed by Costa Rica, Belize, and Panama.

“Make your money in the first world,
but spend it in the third world.”
Michael Karsh

In 1983 I bought a one-way ticket to Hong Kong and traveled throughout southern Asia for 15 months. In 2000 I sold most of my belongings and set out to find two or three places to retire in the developing world. The places I stayed the longest were places that offer the best value, which to me means the lowest cost, the best food, the friendliest people, and the most fun things to do. After eight years I had rediscovered some favorite places and discovered a few new ones.

I started Live or Retire Overseas so you can see and hear for yourself what it’s actually like to live in these places. They are the most affordable, most welcoming, and most rewarding places in the developing world. There are many American and other expats living in them already. Each of them has its own character and personality.

You might be wise to see and hear what it’s like to live in these places. They’re a lot less expensive and living in them is a lot more interesting than living in the developed world. You wouldn’t be equally happy and comfortable in each one, but if you’re at least a little adventurous one will be ideal for you, and your life will be more enjoyable than you might have thought possible.

Your ideal place to live or retire overseas is out there. If it’s in the third world, we’ll help you find it.