Jim Santos

Author

Jim Santos is a freelance writer and voice over artist. Prior to moving to Tennessee, he and Rita lived in Salinas, Ecuador for 6 years and before that in South America for 3 years. He has written and published over 200 articles about living in Ecuador and traveling to other locations around the world for the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and various International Living magazines, e-newsletters, and website content. In addition, he has recently released 3 books: (1) "Living Abroad: Challenging the Myths of Expat Life", (2) "An Uphill Climb: Survivor's Guilt and the Inca Trail" and (3) "The Galápagos Islands: On Your Own and On a Budget." He is also the author of "Ecuador Scouting Trip Itineraries and Travel Guide: An International Living Report" and has edited/updated IL's "Escape to Ecuador" book every year from 2017-2019. He has been a popular speaker on various aspects of life in Ecuador at six expat conferences held in Ecuador and the USA. His blog jimsantosblog.com has surpassed the 100,000 readers mark, and he is the host of the upcoming podcast “International Living’s New Rules for Retirement” which is expected to be available (hopefully) later in 2022. He is currently working on two more book projects, a "satiric conspiracy/cookbook/diet plan" and a sci-fi novel.
Prior to becoming an author, Jim worked in a wide variety of occupations; he was a radio DJ, a cook, a bellman, a driver, an in-home daycare provider, a teacher, and as a computer/network engineer assigned to support the US Senate to name just a few. Jim was previously married and has 2 adult children. His first wife died in 2008. His interests are his family and the love of travel.
Rita Santos was born and raised in Central West Virginia. She attended Marshall University, in Huntingtin, West Virginia, receiving a bachelors in Sociology; thereafter earned a masters in Human Resources from West Virginia. She worked for WV state mental health department as well as the Federal Bureau of Prisons, then switched gears to being a Real Estate Broker for 32 years in the US and for 2 years in Ecuador.
Jim and Rita plan to continue to indulge in their love of travel and look forward to launching a “roving retirement” lifestyle, spending 2-3 months each exploring as many countries as they can, stopping back in the States a few times a year to visit family (four children and nine grandchildren between them) and friends