Ecuador is a South American country that can be accessed via a number of cheap travel opportunities, including cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, discount travel deals, cheap deals, and cheap vacation packages.
Many vacationers and retirees on limited budgets remain interested in possibly riding off into the sunset. To do so often it is more about getting the most out of a dollar and less about lying on a beach under palm trees.
The following are reasons Ecuador is luring vacationers and retirees, according to Amber Payne:
Retirees have found that they can double and sometimes triple their real disposable income and live comfortably for around $2,000 a month or less. Furnished three bedroom apartments, with a view of the Andes, rent for about $600 a month.
Visitors are able to upgrade their lifestyle because the day to day living costs are a fraction of what costs up north. Three course lunches in sit down restaurants can be had for $2.50, with 85 cents purchasing a beer. Senior discounts are available on public transportation and cultural events.
Americans do not have to deal with the hassle of money conversions since Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar as its official currency.
High quality inexpensive medical care is available. Such care is a fraction of the cost paid in the U.S. Typically patients receive personal attention from doctors instead of nurses or physicians assistants. Medications are usually significantly cheaper, as much as 60 to 70 percent less.
A recent comparison found that the same surgery with a seven day hospital stay in the U.S. would cost $15,000 compared to $2,200 in Cuenca, Ecuador. While some expats opt for private medical insurance, residents are eligible for government medical insurance, which is similar to Medicare but restricted to a single hospital.
There are numerous flight options (eight nonstop flights daily) between the U.S. and Ecuadors main airport in Quito, as well as daily domestic flights between the countrys three major cities: Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca. A new $680 million airport recently opened just outside Quito, with additional customs points, improved cargo capacity, and the longest runway in Latin America.
Select airlines offer half off airfare for seniors who purchase round trip tickets for flights originating in Ecuador.
Many view Ecuador as a paradise. This country hosts a variety of climates, divided by the Andes mountain range. There are broad beaches on the Pacific Coast, snowcapped volcanoes, geothermal hot springs, and the dense Amazon rain forest. Just off its coast are the Galapagos Islands, one of the most famous wildlife reserves in the world, home to blue footed boobies and gigantic tortoises.
Air conditioning is not needed, particularly if you live in the Southern Sierra. While Cuenca is two degrees south of the Equator, it is set in the Andes Mountain Range which is about 8,400 feet above sea level. Winters are mild (with temps around 52 degrees) and summer temperatures tend to peak around 75 degrees.
The lower air pressure does not hold heat like it does at lower elevations so it feels like spring in the morning, summer at noon, fall in the evening, and winter at night.
Cuenca is referred to by some as a city for lovers. Many think of Cuenca as the Paris of Ecuador because people there hold hands, kiss and love each other, without fear of showing it.
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