Win a free one-month trip to Ecuador to see what retirement there would be like

Those nearing retirement, or perhaps even some location-independent professionals might be interested in a contest where the winner receives airfare plus a one-month stay in Ecuador for two people, courtesy of a magazine promoting itself as an authority on retirement destinations.

The fine folks at Internationalliving.com had recently announced that their number one pick for retirement destinations this year was the South American country of Ecuador, and in conjunction with that they’ll be giving away a very nice prize for someone who records and uploads a video of themselves.

Applicants must be from the US or Canada and they’ll need to record a video of no more than three minutes explaining why they’d like to retire overseas and why they’d like to give this stay in Cuenca, Ecuador a try. The video will help the editors choose a couple who will document their month their on video as well, and who would be compensated further if those videos are used for promotion.

Ecuador offers excellent value

While Costa Rica and southern Mexico might be more popular as retirement destinations in Latin America, Ecuador is set to move up the list, partly because it offers excellent value. The magazine estimates that a couple can live a nice retirement lifestyle in Ecuador for US$1,415 per month, including housing. Needless to say, you’d need to spend at least double that for a similar lifestyle in the US or Canada, and even then you’ll have months of disagreeable weather every year.

The prize includes round-trip plane tickets to Ecuador, the rental of a furnished apartment in Cuenca for a month, and US$1,500 in cash for expenses. So it sounds like a prize worth around US$4,000 in total plus an interesting adventure, which isn’t bad for recording a short video explaining why you’d be a good choice.

Details on their website

Get all the details and instructions on how to apply for the Ecuador retirement contest on their website.

It seems quite clear at this point that more and more retirees will be basing themselves out of the US and Canada in the decades to come, and the warm and mild climate of Ecuador sounds very inviting. Though Ecuador is a Latin American country that I’ve yet to visit, I’m quite sure that knowing at least basic Spanish will be a big help, if not a necessity for a fulfilling life there. Anyone even traveling to the region should seriously consider learning Spanish before they go, or perhaps by living with a family for a week once they arrive.

Comments