PanamaRelocationTour Reviews 3

Jackie and her team are amazing. We only bought the only guide book since we were moving quickly. It was worth easily 5X what we paid for it - and it still pays dividends today, 3 years after we bought it and 2.5 years after we completed our move. It gave tremendous peace of mind as well as a step-by-step guide for everything we needed to do, the best vendors to use, and it even helped us move our dog with us.

On top of all of that, we also got access to her private Facebook group where she keeps us apprised of things happening in our areas and makes updates to the guide. My husband and I both made friends within this group before we ever arrived in town. And, we can post questions in this group and get high quality answers - even now. It's simply the best.

I can't speak highly enough of my experience with this company. If you are looking to move to Panama, this is the company to use.

We wanted to investigate retiring in Panamá and made the great decision to take a tour with PRT (Panamá Relocation Tour). The tour was incredibly well organized from start to finish. Our first day we heard from a lawyer about immigration and a doctor about medical facilities. During the tour we visited a private hospital, various apartments, homes for rent, grocery stores, costco, towns, beaches, mountains, restaurants, pharmacies, etc, all in an effort to give us a feeling of what is available in Panamá. Every lunch stop featured an expat that told of their experiences in living in Panamá. Supportive and informative.

Our tour guides were exceptional. They answered every question completely and shared their personal experiences of living in Panamá. They were supportive, informative, and wonderful to meet and travel with.

I give our wonderful bus driver the highest of praise! He was incredible. The bus was so comfortable and the drive magnificent.

Our experience has carried far beyond the tour with the private - extremely supportive - group on Facebook, the printed and online guides provided as part of the tour (although I understand the guides can be purchased without going on the tour) and Jackie's continuing support. It is clear how much time, effort, knowledge, detail, and expertise Jackie and her team have put into making everything work together for an incredible on-going experience. (I'm on the facebook page almost daily.)

We are now in the process of obtaining our visas and excited about retiring in Panamá.

If you are considering Panamá - I highly recommend taking this tour. It truly does keep on giving.

Date of experience: April 2023

The owner of this company has little or no integrity. Although many people have enjoyed their (crazy expensive) tour of Panama with this organization, if you purchase the online guide (a separate pricey purchase) and then for some unintentional reason cross the owner (this can be for holding a differing political opinion, or possibly because you support an expat that she decided she doesn't like, or maybe you offer a service or recommendation that she views as competition, or any number of perceived transgressions), she will shut you out of the "lifetime access" to the guide and private facebook group that you paid $600 for, and shut out your spouse as well (even if they committed no "transgression").

This may sound crazy (which it IS!), but she and her minions scour other expat facebook groups and PERSONAL facebook pages, spying on members of her group and reporting back to her. I know at least 5 people that this happened to---one of her "toadies" tattled on them and they were summarily kicked out of her group and from accessing the guide that they paid for. No explanation for the shut out, just her capricious, paranoid, emotionally-fueled whim.
She rules her fiefdom with an iron fist, like a spoiled dictator and the threat of expulsion and social ostracization keeps many people from criticizing her publicly. (this happened to me and several others)

The Panama Relocation Tours online guide is outdated and often gives preferential treatment to services and providers that she likes or has a financial relationship with, rather than the best options (despite her claims to the contrary). I purchased the guide mainly for an attorney recommendation and the attorney she recommended way overcharged me compared to other attorneys for the same service (almost double!) and then gave me the wrong advice that I now have to pay several hundred dollars (and several months time) to another attorney to repair. I have heard complaints from several others about their experience with this attorney as well.

I would strongly recommend staying away from this awful, overpriced company. There are so many better ways to learn about moving/relocating to Panama, so many more helpful and unbiased expat groups on facebook where you can get multiple opinions about any question you may have.

Even if you are not very adventurous, Panama is a wonderful country to travel in, safe, a great bus system, wide range of pricing for accommodations and food, etc. If you prefer guidance, ask for recommendations in one of the other expat facebook groups for a private tour guide who can craft the ideal tour for your personal wishlist. You will not only save money, but have a great time and go at your own pace!

I only wish I had heard this advice before wasting my money and going through the frustration and heartache of dealing with Panama Relocation Tours.

PS no doubt this toxic narcissist will completely deny these words. I have no reason to make this up. I wasted so much money, time and emotion dealing with this loony and hope to save others from the same.