Panama Relocation Tours Reviews

This was the most informative and most comprehensive tour I’ve ever done. I started researching on my own items to consider regarding a move to Panama when I stumbled on PRT! What a Godsend! They had accumulated all of the information I was looking for and more! John and Victoria were a huge wealth of information as our guides. Their introductions provided the group (over 30) with expectations (e.g. keep an open mind, properties would only be shown based on availability) and considerations (e.g. keep questions general and not personal, pay attention to where you’re walking) to help keep the tour on task with minimal to no injuries. John and Victoria maintained a professional demeanor even when some disregarded some of the provided considerations and/ or expectations. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone considering a move to Panama.

Being a member of a PRT tour group was incomparable. Every detail of the itinerary was beautifully planned and executed. The food and lodging were excellent. Sessions with lawyers, real estate agents, and ex-pats were invaluable. When the tour managers told us the “good and the not-so-good” about relocating to Panama, they spoke from experience as alumni of PRT. The trip was worth every penny!

5-Star Review for Lisa Badger – Panama Relocation Tours

We had a fantastic private tour of Boquete, Panama with Lisa Badger through Panama Relocation Tours. Lisa was incredibly knowledgeable, personable, and professional throughout the entire experience. She knew so much about the area and answered every question we had with patience and detail. She also went above and beyond by offering helpful tips and insider hints that made our visit even more enjoyable.

If you’re considering relocating to Panama or just want to learn more about life in Boquete, we highly recommend booking a tour with Lisa—she truly made our day unforgettable!
Thank you Lisa 🥰
Mary & Julie☘️

I just returned from PRT #308. I don’t know where to begin. I have been researching Panama for over a year now and there was something about it that I could not shake so I finally decided to take the tour. First and foremost, the tour guides (John, Victoria, Bob, Felicia) were outstanding. That job is not an easy one, especially dealing with 30 different personalities and trying to answer question after question after question……but they did it with courtesy and professionalism . Secondly, the fact that we traveled from Panama City hundreds of miles to Boquete stopping along the way in Coronado, Chitre, Volcan, and David just to name a few is just amazing to me. Expats spoke with us and shared their journey. We visited hospitals and shopping centers as well as rental homes and apartments (long and short term). An attorney spoke with us and provided a wealth of information on obtaining residency and explaining the different types of visas. There was just so much information squeezed into 6 days. There is no way I could have done this on my own. For anyone considering relocating to Panama, I highly encourage you to take this tour with PRT. It is worth every penny.

Vernadette

This tour was a wonderful adventure! I enjoyed this valuable experience and recommend it. Whether you decide to relocate or not, you will get a great overview of the country and it’s people. The tour itself and the guides we had were top notch!!

Shout out to our tour guides, John, Victoria, Becky, and of course Jorge!! The wealth of overview information is invaluable. The ability to ask questions about things that one would never think of without taking the tour is reassuring. You can be confident in the answers and they will get you an answer if they don’t know. At no time did I feel they were selling me Panama but rather educating me about Panama. The only regret I have was leaving Panama!

My wife Kenya and I recently completed our tour (Oct 17-24, 2025). We were in PRT group # 308.

Prior to signing up for tour, I did a little research on Panama and watched a few videos. It was JoLynn’s Boquete video that really intrigued us both and convinced us to take the tour. But other than that, neither of us had been to Panama nor knew much about it. I came with no expectations. Just an open mind, an open heart and an eagerness to learn.

At our group’s first meeting, our group leaders: John, Victoria, Bob & Felicia, committed to providing us relevant information to help us make an educated and informed decision as to whether Panamá was a good fit for us.

They far exceeded that commitment!

Whether on the bus, at a property, at a meal or any other stop we made along the way, our group leaders were a wealth of information. They covered everything from the types of properties (including a range of bedrooms/bathrooms & prices), medical/dental care, transportation, bringing your pet (including vet & grooming options), shopping, immigration info (thank you Javier!), climate, culture and so much more.

Even the guest speakers we had the privilege of meeting provided tons of information. They were all so welcoming, encouraging and supportive. I particularly remember something Wendell said about if you’re willing to accept Panama for Panama she will love you back.

I’d like to specifically shout-out John our co-group leader. He was extremely patient with us which couldn’t have been easy because honestly some of us were asking questions he’d already answered and were otherwise making things unnecessarily difficult in my opinion.

At dinner during our last day John shared with us that someone in our group wrote a negative review about their tour experience and specifically criticizing John. We’re all entitled to our opinion and I won’t invalidate someone else’s experience but I wholeheartedly disagree with their assessment.

John handled that very difficult situation with class, accountability and professionalism. I respect him tremendously for that because I’m not sure I could’ve been so composed.

I don’t want to end this review on down note so let me circle back and say thank you to John, Victoria, Felicia, Bob, Jorge (and Jorge Jr), Javier and all the guest speakers!

I wanted a honest and authentic experience to help me decide if relocating to Panama was a good fit for us and that’s exactly what I received.

I realize there will be things about the tour that aren’t for everyone. That said, if you’re willing to leave your North American expectations and standards at the border and truly embrace Panama and its differences, I think you’ll enjoy the PRT experience as well.

Tour number 232! Would highly recommend worth the money worth the experience very professional lifelong lifeline if you choose to stay or travel and come back, you always have that connection. Jolynn is the best guide ever. I would put out there…you do need to be in decent physical shape because you are riding a bus with no bathroom and doing some walking to get the best experience!

The whole experience of our tour from start to finish has been exceptional.
We would like to thank John, Victoria and Bob and Felicia as their knowledge and experience has provided a valuable insight into relocating to Panama.
We have found the hotels and food of a good standard and would recommend PRT to anyone.

Great tour! You really get a good feel for life in Panama, the pros and cons. Our tour guides were great also, Joline, Jay and Janet.

We were part of Tour #296. The thought and planning that go into these tours is amazing. So were our guides, John, Victoria, and Becky. Jorge, the bus driver, was impressive! I was amazed as he maneuvered a full size bus between other similarly sized vehicles with maybe 4″ of clearance between them! I asked him at the end of tour how often he has to service the bus, and he said, “Pretty much every day.” So he drives all day, and then has to take care of the bus afterwards. Our guides worked hard too. They spoke during bus rides on essential information for anyone planning to move there.
I connected with several people on the tour with us and really enjoyed them. When one of us fell on concrete and broke her arm, John went with her to assure she got good medical care. In his absence, Becky, who was in training at the time, stepped up and filled in with planning, and assisting Victoria.
The highlight of the trip for me was when one of John’s friends spoke after one of the lunches, about his experience having a house built for himself and his wife. We were able to ask him questions. I also enjoyed breakfasts in the hotel in Panama City (have never tasted kefir that good before or since), the garden restaurant in one of the beach cities where we stopped, the first lawyer who spoke in Panama City, and a woman who had been a teacher, but now lives in Panama. She was very informative and a great speaker.
We saw real estate, both rentals and potential purchases. It was variable in quality, depending upon the location.
We visited Dr. Gomez in Boquete with 2 other tour members. My husband wanted to talk to Dr. Gomez about his medications and health conditions to see if he thought he could get meds and insurance coverage he needs. One of the tour members had a hypertensive incident, and Dr. Gomez and his staff were great to her. It was very affordable, and just the right amount of medical intervention.
Lastly, we considered it fortunate that John had been a professional musician in the States, because he let us out after dinner the last night of the tour so my husband could go play music at a local jam. We connected with the hosts, who happened to originate from the same city in which we live. My husband had actually played music with the wife in the couple at a jam here in the states! Small world. Anyway, I was grateful that John called a taxi for us, and my husband was able to play and connect with other musicians in Boquete.
I wish we could have had more time in Vulcan to at least drive through the main drag, but I think we had to leave after stopping at the coffee shop to make our next destination on time.
The only thing I wished were different, was the condition of the motel we stayed in while in Boquete. It was kind of a ghost motel. Breakfasts there were not very good. For me, it was adequate, but there were items that needed maintenance, such as the loose faucet in the bathroom. For whatever reason, even though there were 2 of us, the staff would not stock 2 full sets of towels to the room. The walkways were poured in such a way that they were pretty big trip hazards. One of the other couples in the tour though, were placed in a room with bunk beds. None of us could understand how that happened, but they were not happy. They were a married couple. I think the motel might have been the only hospitality facility in Boquete with enough capacity to host our group, or it met cost requirements for the tour. For the amount of money we spent, it was overall, a pretty good deal.

We had a fabulous time on the 7 day bus tour. We got to see various parts of the country and received a lot of useful information. Way to go, Jackie!!

I had booked a tour in March of 2026 but was excited and couldn’t wait, so I bought the online guide. After watching all the YouTube videos, reading through the online guide, & joining the Facebook group I decided to cancel my tour and do private tours in the area I am most interested in. Jackie’s vast knowledge of Panama and her willingness to share is fabulous. Looking forward to relocating soon

The 8 days spent on the tour were excellent from start to finish. Jolynn, J and Tobias were all awesome tour guides. Their knowledge on the information they shared was excellent. This tour was a great way to get an overview of the country. This trip was well worth the cost. It was money well spent. We got more out of it than we expected. I would highly recommend taking a tour with Panama Relocation Tour.

Hello, I was on tour #307 with Jay, Jahlin, and Tobias. I just wanted to commend them all for their extraordinary knowledge, insight, and jovial attitudes through out our whole trip. This was the most impressive and educational trip I have ever encountered. This was my first bus tour, and I didn’t know what to expect. I am thoroughly impressed with the guides familiarity of processes and all the possible things we may encounter or need, to begin relocating.
Tobias was above and beyond, even holding a “mini impromptu class” for what’s app for those of us that are technology challenged, like myself. Jay and his stories and explanations were very entertaining and educational. Jahlin was very easy to talk to, and very matter of fact, which I personally enjoyed. Our whole group had a great time and it was because of our great guides. I just wanted to send my kudos to you and them. Thank you for such an enjoyable time.
Tiffany M.
October 2025

I am so glad I did this tour! My husband has been pushing me to relocate to Panama, and to say I had reservations is putting it mildly. On this tour we saw and heard about all the good, and not so good about Panama. At one point, it seemed to be information overload, but it was all valuable. We saw many parts of Panama, and most of it was not for us, however, there was one place that we fell in love with, and are now getting our paper work ready to apply for our visas.
Our tour guides, Joslyn, J, and Tobias (guide in training) were all expats themselves and were so helpful and informative. Thank you!
The others on the tour with us were also amazing, we felt like a family by the end of the tour. We will definitely keep in touch. We made lifelong friendships on this tour.
All in all, I highly recommend this tour in order to determine if Panama is for you.

Had a wonderful 10 days showing Panama to our daughter. We are so grateful that we had a wonderful private tour with Panama Relocation tours that helped make this monumental decision for us. Thanks Jorge! Also our thanks to Jackie for providing the information needed to make this transition as smooth as possible.

The tour was excellent from start to finish. John and Victoria were very knowledgeable. A great way to get an overview of the country if you aren’t sure yet where you want to be plus learn about everything you could possibly want to know about relocating to Panama. The hotels were all beautiful and the food! Each restaurant went out of their way to provide impressive meals. Would highly recommend to anyone thinking of relocating.

I went to learn about Panamá, gain information about the different provinces, types of actual rentals. The guided were very knowledgeable. The food amazing, we stayed in a variety of hotels. Friendships made,. They did not disappoint with their knowledge the country they now call home. The real estate agents they are affiliated with are awesome. Knowledgeable about their province, and what they have available at any given time.
If you are considering moving to Panamá, take the tour, you will not be disappointed.

I got home from tour #304 last weekend and besides being great, it gave me all the tools I need to move forward with my relocation dream. It was also a lot! A lot of movement, a lot of information but also a lot of fun and new friends. This is not a vacation so don’t expect a lot of free time to go off and explore.

From the time you are picked up at the airport until the following Friday when you are flown back down to the city (if you choose) you are in PRT’s hands and well taken care of. We met with 2 immigration attorneys, realtors in different cities/towns and saw the types of apartments that are available in those areas as well as hearing expats tell us their stories. But more than that, our time on the bus was not wasted. There was a topic agenda every day and we got the complete scope of what it took to get ourselves, our families our pets and our packages into Panama. The food along the way was good, a few meals were really great and memorable. Sometimes I wish I had picked a different entree and my only complaint here would be, I wish we had more vegetables that came with our meals. I also wish we had eaten more Panamanian dishes. But I recognize that feeding 29 people 3 meals a day isn’t always easy.

I stayed a few days after the trip to see Panama City. That was really good for me as I got to check things out at my own pace but also got to be a tourist. I would recommend that people spend a day or two on the front or back end of the tour if they have the ability. It gave me the opportunity to fall in love with Panama outside of the tour.

A shout out to John, Victoria and Becky for their never ending need to herd us all and the in depth knowledge they constantly imparted, to Humberto for picking me up and coordinating my ride back to the airport, Jorge for keeping us moving in traffic that was crazy to me, and to Jackie for setting up a program that I would not have been able to easily figure out on my own.

For anyone wondering if this is worth it, YES.

Visited Panama for the first time ever in September on Relocation Tour # 304 with guides John, Victoria, Becky and excellent bus driver Jorge. They all clearly worked hard to make sure that everything and everyone was taken care of, no easy feat in a locale where the pace of work and life move more slowly than in North America. It was a good introduction to a cross section of the country from east to west and from upscale to budget priced areas. My wife and I were fortunate to have met many wonderful people on the trip, both expat and Panameno. We found the locals to be very welcoming and were impressed with the infrastructure in Panama. The trip filled in some of the gaps in my research and the stories from the guides were helpful in understanding challenges one may face in making a move to the country. Although we will return to explore a few other locations before we settle on a favored spot, I think the tour was money well spent.

My wife and I took the tour which lasted a week and are now taking steps to apply for our pensionado visas. I have looked at a bunch of other companies’ Youtube videos and Facebook posts and I want to say as loud and clear as I can – look here and book here. Over the years, Panama Relocation Tours has developed one-stop source for all you need to evaluate Panama and once you move to Panama a guide to get the services you need. These companies may all look the same but here’s the difference, and you can see it for yourself. When this company Panama Relocation Tours makes a recommendation, it’s because it’s good for YOU. Too often when other companies make a recommendation it’s because it’s good for THEM. Look for yourself. Look at the tone of recommendations made here. For example, many companies who make recommendations for real estate agents, visa lawyers, mechanics, and drivers will recommend the highest bidder who pays the best kickback. This company does not take kickbacks! If they recommend a lawyer it’s because they have checked out the lawyer and they ask their clients for their feedback. They negotiate fees for the group. If a lawyer’s clients start saying to PRT that the lawyer didn’t pay close attention, or was too busy for them – they are scratched from the vetted list. Not a dollar changes hands to get on the list. One thing gets you on the PRT list: Quality and integrity. If the quality drops – they get dropped from the list. Also PRT is not trying to sell you knick-nacks. They get paid from their tour fees. As the Apostle John says in another context, test the spirit. You can even ask the other companies – do they get paid a fee for recommending this real estate agent or this landlord. Often you can tell from the tone of their comments. I have been on this group’s Facebook page for a period of time and consistently all I see is integrity. And when you’re making life decisions, and you are trusting your future to professionals in a new country, you need to know that they are honest. Honesty is what you find here. The tour was a gas and very informative. It was candid – the bad with the good. It was worth it. Also, you get access to their private Facebook page, and here’s what is unique about it: No harassment, no sarcasm is allowed – or the customer gets booted! What you find on the Facebook page is a quality community of helpers. On other lists you too often find sarcasm – why did you ask such a stupid question? Everybody knows that, are you that stupid? The owner watches the comments and people get warned. This group is a culture of encouragement. So the online community of several thousand people is pure gold, and the online directory is pure good. And you make friends on these tours, and at the meetings all over the country, with helpful people. I am not saying that no one else operates with integrity. But watch and be aware. And I strongly sqy – you can trust this company. And nobody’s giving me a dime for saying so!

I loved this tour. It is one of the best investments I made for myself. I went with two friends and my brother. We all loved the tour and plan to move to Panama. I would also like to give a shout out to the guides on tour # 303. Thank you to Jolynn, J, Michele and Janice. You did an excellent job keeping us together and informed. Everyday was exciting and fun.

My name is NPL and my tour was #304. I was in Panamá, Boquete. This trip was one of my dream vacations. I planed this trip three years ago when I first heard about PRT. I went with an open mind, wonder, anticipation and excitement. I just returned home from my tour on Friday 9/29/25. Your tore went all over Boquete which is a beautiful country. We had amazing accommodation throughout our travels. I met wonderful people from all over the US and Canada. I would like to thank Jackie for opening this lifetime opportunity for all to experience. Our tour guides John, Victoria and Becky
thank you for your vast knowledge of your beautiful country. I would like to thank John for his kindness when he came to my aid when I discovered that Distilled Water for my CAPA machine is not a staple in the grocery store or in all pharmacy’s he shared some of his with me at my panic moment. He and Victoria went a step further they assumed me they would find me what I needed the next day and to my surprise they did. Thanks to John and Victoria for your kindness. And last but not least I would like to give a special thanks to Jorge for your amazing driving skills.

Thank your PRT team!
NPL

The 300th PRT tour was outstanding. Our tour guides, John Veillon and Victoria Steichen were very professional, approachable, and helpful. Both were very knowledgeable about the country of Panama and relocating to Panama. They shared some of their personal experiences, which made them relatable. My favorite thing about Panama was the consistent weather. I enjoyed being able to go outside everyday, not having to check my weather app to see if I needed a sweater, jacket or coat for the day.

I also liked touring the rental properties in a variety of locations. This provided insight into the types of rentals Panama has to offer along with the associated rental fees.

I did have some safety concerns with the walkways at the last hotel we stayed at which could be hazardous, especially for seniors. In addition, I would have preferred to spend another day in Panama City to see more of it, tour some of the neighborhoods along with additional condos and homes. Perhaps the tour time spent in Boquete and Panama City could be more balanced.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, learned a lot about Panama, ate good, and left Panama with a smile on my face. Thanks to the PRT Team who were involved with making the 300th Tour a success.

Overall the tour was excellent. It was well planned and the itinerary was followed. This is the best way to get an overview of the entire country of Panama.
The guides were very knowledgeable and a huge anoint of information was presented.
Jorge, our bus driver, is a master at maneuvering the giant tour bus through some very narrow streets.
The restaurants were all good. A couple were great! You will not go hungry on this tour!
My criticism would be that there is almost no down time. It would have been nice if for a short time each day the bus could have been quiet be or at least the tour guides could have let the microphone rest.

My husband And I are just returning from PRT tour #304. Our guides were Victoria John and Becky, who shared their knowledge and personal experiences regarding relocating to Panama. This is not a scenic tour, your head will swim (in a good way) with all the details of an international move.

We toured rental properties, met other ex pats stories and real estate agents,, ate at local restaurants and overall good a really good idea of what life would be like living in Panama.

My husband and I are not sure if we will relocate permanently to Panama but as of now, we do plan to come back and stay a few months.

Many thanks to our amazing guides, this tour couldn’t have been better!