If you could live in paradise were would you live?

[j_glenn06]

Ok so we are in college and not far from graduating. So Me my girlfreind and one of my dive buddies thought that it would be a great idea to go and live out of the country for a year or two. My girlfriend is going to be a school teacher and me and my buddy are both buisness majors and also instructors for SSI. So i ask where would be the best place to live for three americans. Thanks Joseph

 

[robint]

Ok so we are in college and not far from graduating. So Me my girlfreind and one of my dive buddies thought that it would be a great idea to go and live out of the country for a year or two. My girlfriend is going to be a school teacher and me and my buddy are both buisness majors and also instructors for SSI. So i ask where would be the best place to live for three americans. Thanks Joseph

Are you looking to just live there for a year or live there and work? Some places it is very difficult to get a job unless you are a native. Working in the dive industry also can be great or impossible depending on the country.

If I were in my 20s and single:
If I had unlimited funds, no need to work, I would probably choose either Bonaire or Belize in the Caribbean, Hawaii in Pacific. Great diving and other things to do.
If I had to work, like as an instructor, I would talk to one of the liveaboard companies about a job on a boat for a year. We have been on several liveaboards, and about half the crew members are doing just that - taking a year off from college or working for a few years before going on to a "real" job. One of our DMs onboard the Eco Explorer in Palau was starting Med School in a year. Great time off from college for him and fun before he got into the insanity of further education! Another couple (girl and guy) on the Nekton this past year had recently graduated from college, worked on that boat for a year, then were moving on to finding a land-based dive op for awhile or heading off to find jobs back home.

 

[cappyjon431]

Bocas del Toro, Panama is my paradise. Good diving, incredible culture & diversity, great beaches, rainforests, howler monkeys, sloths, parrots...We get a huge surfer/backpacking crowd so it is a "young" town. Many cheap places to stay, meals at the local cantinas are cheaper than shopping and cooking. English is widely spoken (although I am enjoying learning Spanish), and the US dollar is the currency. Panama City is great place to escape to for a long weekend with movie theatres, great restaurants and modern malls.

Because this is a tourist town, we have many young people from abroad working in the restaurants, stores, hostels, dive shops, etc. The biggest drawback is that if you come with a tourist visa (90 days for Americans), you have to leave the country every 90 days for 72 hours. Since we are only 20 miles from the border with Costa Rica, many people actually enjoy their three day trips out of the country.