Years ago, the manager of a hotel in Koh Samui, Thailand told me about an unusual booking that he once received during the middle of the night. A traveler had flown his entire family via private jet from Brunei to the Thai island after learning upon landing in Brunei that it is a “dry country” … Read more
Costa Rica is home to one of the world’s Blue Zones, where people live longer and healthier lives than average. I’m from a small town in the region of Cartago, called Llano Grande, which is known for its rich agriculture. As a cookbook author and cooking teacher who was born and raised here, I have … Read more
Courtneyk | E+ | Getty Images Mortgages, currency exchange complicates a purchase While there may be similarities to the U.S. market when buying a home overseas, there are also unique challenges on the financial side of the purchase. Oftentimes, Americans buying properties abroad end up financing the transaction with cash outright, experts say. If you … Read more
Kema Ward-Hopper never imagined she’d raise her children in the middle of a jungle. But in 2018, after Hurricane Harvey destroyed her Houston home, a trip to Costa Rica with her husband Nicholas Hopper and then 9-year-old daughter Aaralyn became a permanent move. “The housing market was just insane in Houston because of so many … Read more
Ask any travel expert why they got into the business, and they’ll likely be quick to shout out a specific destination that stole their heart. Maybe it was the incredible food, the lively arts scene, or the picturesque views that won them over and made them think, I’d like to do this for a living. … Read more
