Where did you retire abroad?

[Zamboni]

I'm not retired, but currently I live in Costa Rica. It is a truly beautiful country and the people are very warm.

Pros: very diverse plants and animals, fantastic climate so don't need AC or heat, housing is relatively inexpensive, some types of food are more affordable, people are well educated, too many fun things to do at low prices, like national parks, theater, etc.
Cons: some types of foods are more expensive (and not what you would think . . . like candied nuts are more expensive), in the bigger cities petty crime is enough of a problem that there is security guarding all building entrances and many residences or business have spikes or razor wire along the tops of their gated or walled homes or compounds.

I enjoy it here and the biodiversity alone would draw me here for life. The biggest reason I probably won't do it is that I'm a chicken heart about seismic and volcanic activity.

[Idlewild]

Good luck with your D7 visa, FIRE 20/20. I'm near Caldas da Rainha in the Oeste region.

Thanks, we just finalized our contract for a property near Ponte de Lima.  I fell in love with the area on our visit.  The property we found is gorgeous, the house is far more than what we need and in impeccable condition, and Ponte de Lima was my favorite town by far that we visited.  I'm really excited!

I am, however, extremely nervous about our D7 Visa application.  Our appointment with VFS Global is in about a month or so in San Francisco.  I'm hoping to move in June/July.  We exceed the requirements, but I can't help but feel really nervous that something is going to go wrong.  For instance, we don't have our Apostilled FBI background checks back yet!  Hopefully they'll arrive before our appointment.

My partner and I were just approved for our D7 Visas!  We will be arriving July 16.  The Portugal part of our FIRE journey is about to begin.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! Wishing you a happy quest for your new home in Portugal.

Portuguese people do respond much more slowly than Americans and Northern Europeans. It's a much more relaxed culture in all respects, but a bit of a culture shock if you're not used to it.

Thanks.  It's been challenging to work on their timelines, but my partner and I tend to be patient and laid back so hopefully we'll have less of an adjustment than some other people might.  I'm really excited about the move. 
We might be in your area near the end of July.  We land in Lisbon on 16 July and will drive in a rental car up to the north as soon as we can.  We'll probably return the rental car a week or two later, after we've purchased a car, so sometime around the last week in July we'll be driving back to the north.  Perhaps we could get coffee with you on our way back to Ponte de Lima.  Send me a PM if you're interested!  I'd guess that might be around the 28th-31st of July.  I'd love to hear more about how you ended up in Portugal and what you've learned!

Sent you a PM, @FIRE 20/20 ! Welcome to Portugal. :)

[Idlewild]

I'm not retired, but currently I live in Costa Rica. It is a truly beautiful country and the people are very warm.

Pros: very diverse plants and animals, fantastic climate so don't need AC or heat, housing is relatively inexpensive, some types of food are more affordable, people are well educated, too many fun things to do at low prices, like national parks, theater, etc.
Cons: some types of foods are more expensive (and not what you would think . . . like candied nuts are more expensive), in the bigger cities petty crime is enough of a problem that there is security guarding all building entrances and many residences or business have spikes or razor wire along the tops of their gated or walled homes or compounds.

I enjoy it here and the biodiversity alone would draw me here for life. The biggest reason I probably won't do it is that I'm a chicken heart about seismic and volcanic activity.

I visited Costa Rica back in the 90s and adored it! A magical place.