Robert Hopkin
@Robert Hopkin
English expat in France
Forum posts
21
About me
English
Lives in Les Mages, Occitanie, France
Speaks English and French
Registration: 19 July 2026
Ways to lower your expenses/best deals (expats in France)? by Ameerah Arjanee
Hello everyone! I’m a content writer for Expat Magazine, and we’re working on an article featuring expats’ top tips for finding great deals in their host countries. With the cost of living on the rise, we’d love to hear your ...
@Ameerah Arjanee Hi Ameerah, Not a major, fundamental suggestion but a small way to save money on day to day costs of food. It seems as though French legisation is very strict on respecting 'Sell By' dates on food and supermarkets seem to recognise ... Read More
Dealing with repairs, maintenance or renovation works in France by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Navigating repairs and maintenance in France can feel overwhelming, especially when you are unfamiliar with local standards, prices, and service providers. One day or another, every expat has to deal with a leaking tap, a ...
Not sure if these are relevant to those questions but two points worth noting I think:-We needed work done on both our (new) house and garden in France. We took our time and gradually asked around the opinions of our neighbours - who they had ... Read More
Retiring to France by jscon
What are the requirements
We did exactly what SimCityAT suggested a couple of years ago. It is a bit of a hassle but in the end quite straitforward. There are various agencies in France that will 'walk' you through the VLS-TS visa application process at a cost (we used one ... Read More
Retiring in Panama with medical needs by tonymels
@JulienHi, I'm also new to your forum, as I'm looking for what I consider to be my final retirement destination, having lived in seven countries and having worked in several more. One thing I've learnt being such a nomad - not the digital kind - is ...
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/oct/20/panama-canal-environment-water-drought-el-nino-farming?CMP=share_btn_url Read More
Retiring in Panama with medical needs by tonymels
@JulienHi, I'm also new to your forum, as I'm looking for what I consider to be my final retirement destination, having lived in seven countries and having worked in several more. One thing I've learnt being such a nomad - not the digital kind - is ...
Just seen this news item about the water situation in Panama. You might like to try this link.https://1drv.ms/u/c/29f2ca3681d10598/IQCQo9PCEoU2T7yKiI5QhXgfAUUH7MBXEulb9IVOlsJjfYE?e=OKWIbT Read More
Retiring in Panama with medical needs by tonymels
@JulienHi, I'm also new to your forum, as I'm looking for what I consider to be my final retirement destination, having lived in seven countries and having worked in several more. One thing I've learnt being such a nomad - not the digital kind - is ...
Hello Anthony,I will be brief as we shouldn't turn these posts into the Robert and Anthony show! A point we haven't mentioned is the earthquake risk as Panama sits on three intersecting tectonic plates and the recent bad one hit 7.7 on the Richter ... Read More
Retiring in Panama with medical needs by tonymels
@JulienHi, I'm also new to your forum, as I'm looking for what I consider to be my final retirement destination, having lived in seven countries and having worked in several more. One thing I've learnt being such a nomad - not the digital kind - is ...
@tonymels Hi Anthony, We lived in Panama for four years and my views (sometimes disputed!) are shown above in posts Nos 17.19, and 27 above. My advice on moving to Panama would be, take care and don't be influenced (as we were) by first impressions. ... Read More
New members of the Panama forum, introduce yourselves here - 2026 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Panama forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on your ...
Hello Al,We lived in a gated community on the Caldera Road in Alto Boquete for four years and left about 3 years ago. Please take my comments as suggestions, not facts, as things may have changed (perhaps a lot) since we left, but we learned quite a ... Read More
Cell Phone Options by realfitpug4life
Initial research revealed that I could switch my existing American cellphone number to a Google number prior to leaving the US. Then once it France, get French service and both numbers would work on the same phone. Today, I read the following:When ...
I don't know about using cellphone numbers from overseas but I would like to share an experience from 2024 after arriving in France, buying a house and trying to get both cellphone numbers for myself and my wife and, most importantly, a fibre optic ... Read More
New members of the Panama forum, introduce yourselves here - 2026 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Panama forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on your ...
@wondering9 Good morning wondering9! Not steamed, just being honest about admitting our mistake and presenting FACTS not opinions nor adjectives about life in Panama so that others don't do the same. Rather than 'Grinning and bearing it' as some of ... Read More
New members of the Panama forum, introduce yourselves here - 2026 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Panama forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on your ...
@Julien Hello. We are English expats who lived in Panama from 2020 until 2024. We were encouraged to choose Panama as a home by an American-based organisation (who I will not name ) but most will know as the main, supposedly respected source of ... Read More
Know more about Toulon by murphkitty
Hello everyone, I am new here. Living in the US and planning a move to France. I would like to know more about Toulon
@murphkitty Hello Murphkitty,I don't know your motivation for wanting to come to live in France but, whilst we are very happy living here, my advice would be come and have a good look around before choosing where to live. France is a big and very ... Read More
Navigating friendships as an expat in France by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Moving to France reshapes many aspects of life, and friendships are often one of the biggest changes. Whether you're maintaining lifelong bonds back home, building new local relationships, or forming connections with fellow ...
@Cheryl Hello Cheryl, Thanks for the acknowledgement. I see that you reside in Mauritius where I have visited many times for my work in the 1980's and 1990's. Perhaps I can amuse you with a little story from one of those visits (that. as moderator ... Read More
Navigating friendships as an expat in France by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Moving to France reshapes many aspects of life, and friendships are often one of the biggest changes. Whether you're maintaining lifelong bonds back home, building new local relationships, or forming connections with fellow ...
@Cheryl Hello Cheryl,An interesting topic and, I think, very influenced by one's choice of career and the vagaries of modern life. The traditional concept of lifelong friends and neighbours has to a large extent been overtaken by worldly ... Read More
Moving from mainland France to La Reunion by Robert Hopkin
Hello, My wife and I are both English, retired and living in the south of mainland France for a few years now. Now that we are assimilated into the French 'System' (i.e. bank accounts, Carte Vitale, Mutuelle, etc,etc.) we are wondering if a 'Final' ...
Thank you for your advice Champacs. I think we must plan to visit for 3 to 4 weeks early next year. Saint Joseph sounds nice but perhaps the climate not so good with the prevailing south easterly winds? Regarding population density, we used to like ... Read More
Moving from mainland France to La Reunion by Robert Hopkin
Hello, My wife and I are both English, retired and living in the south of mainland France for a few years now. Now that we are assimilated into the French 'System' (i.e. bank accounts, Carte Vitale, Mutuelle, etc,etc.) we are wondering if a 'Final' ...
@champacs Hello Champacs, Thank you for your advice. Yes we are reasonably fluent in French. Thank you for the information about shopping costs - we will bear that in mind. We are not too concerned about the travel costs commuting back to France as ... Read More
Any suggestions where to look for a place to live ? by elw139
Hi,My name is Eileen and I live in Tucson, Arizona. I have been perusing YouTube videos for a place to live in southern France. I won't be moving this year. Just looking for now. I want an inexpensive place to live in a city that ...
@elw139 Hello Eileen, We are a retired English couple who came (back) to live in France in 2024. My question is, just because you are a 'City Girl' from Tucson, do you really need to live right inside another city? In our experience cities in ... Read More
Moving from mainland France to La Reunion
Hello, My wife and I are both English, retired and living in the south of mainland France for a few years now. Now that we are assimilated into the French 'System' (i.e. bank accounts, Carte Vitale, Mutuelle, etc,etc.) we are wondering if a 'Final' ... Read More
New members of the Reunion Island forum, introduce yourselves here - 2026 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Reunion Island forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on ...
@Bhavna Hi Bhavna,As a matter of interest, I have been hosting a Blog about our explorations in the Languedoc region since we arrived here about three years ago. Will the forum allow me to post the address of my Blog for others to read? Read More
New members of the Reunion Island forum, introduce yourselves here - 2026 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Reunion Island forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on ...
@Bhavna OK Bhavna, I did manage to bookmark it thanks.Robert Read More
New members of the Reunion Island forum, introduce yourselves here - 2026 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Reunion Island forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on ...
@Julien Hello Julien, My wife and I are English, retired ex-patriats living in the Gard department of mainland France. We are considering in the medium term to sell our home here and to retire finally to Reunion probably for the rest of our lives - ... Read More