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Planning Stages Underway

7 years ago
Sweetie and I are in the planning stages of heading down to Ecuador for a 2 week vacation with additional plans of moving down there within 18 months, hopefully sooner....MUCH sooner. :) I've been reading, studying, browsing for a couple of weeks now.

We will probably do our first trip in mid-November, flying in to Guayaquil and renting a car for 2 weeks, then heading for the coast. I've about got things narrowed down to between Salinas and north of Manta a little bit, Ballenita being the favorite so far. Sweetie does pretty good speaking Spanish, I've got a bit of Tex-Mex that I can mangle but need to learn a bunch more.

I have breathing problems, so the mountains are definitely out (above 5000 feet I get really bad altitude sickness plus terrible shortness of breath). We currently live at 3350' altitude and with a bit of exertion, I huff and puff. At sea level, I do much better.

I am 66 and sooooooo ready to retire! Thanks for all the informative posts. :)

A couple of questions to start with. Are credit cards accepted all over? Does anyone have a favorite that doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee? Do ya'll keep a mail forwarding service in the US? How about a bank account in the US? I was thinking Florida would be a good place to relocate our banking. Good idea?

TIA!

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William Russell
William Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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William RussellWilliam Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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William Russell
William Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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William RussellWilliam Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
Get Quote

Contribute to Ecuador Network Contribute
Help others in Ecuador by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Ecuador.

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