Retirement Outside the U.S. (fighting, state, retired, years)

[aussiegal]

From time to time, I have watched episodes of House Hunter on HGTV (go figure!) where some people moved to a different country, beit Tuscany, Roatan or the Seychelles and I wondered if there are folks who, facing retirement, not only love the idea of leaving all the stresses of living in the U.S. and retiring to a "tropical island", but actually do so.

Of course, it doesn't have to be a tropical island but somewhere that has stirred their imaginations and they have decided to live out their golden years in a stress freer environment and society.

And then having done so, find that what they thought would be the answer they were looking for, turns out not to have been such a good idea after all.
And then they return home, finding that the change of location wasn't what they were looking for.

Have you or anyone you know tried this and found it to be a mistake or perhaps, they actually did make a new life elsewhere and are glad they took the plunge? I would truly love to do this but I'm not sure where it would be. I couldn't stand to be away from my family permanently - maybe a few months away and a few months at home? Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts I'd love to hear them.

[RichCapeCod]

I recall several of the shows you mention, rotain in particular comes to mind. I noticed that the windows and doors on the homes they were looking at in their new "paradise" had thick metal bars and grates. That should tell you something!

[aussiegal]

Now you mention it, you're right! Wonder who is keeping who out - or in?

[yellowsnow]

If you look back on some of the older threads, you will find postings about this topic.

I checked out Roatan. It's beautiful but the people are so poor that even a very modest lifestyle for a retired person would seem enormously wealthy to them. Also most of the quality medical care is on the Honduran mainlnd. Not much on Roatan. I'm sure this area will be changing because it's becoming popular. Land values will go up and squeeze out the local population. I predict it will be Americanized in the next decade or so.

Just to give you an idea what it's like, the last time I was there, 2 men were fighting with machetes in the middle of the main street over ownership of a pig. So what's your life worth? There, it's a pig!

[MotleyCrew]

We were thinking about Costa Rica a few years back but have since changed our minds. I would rather stay in the USA and buy a small building lot in Alabama and build a tiny retirement house than go overseas. Mexico even looked good, but it is getting expensive there as more Americans go south.

[aussiegal]

Yellowsnow, I admit I didn't go back and look through threads to see what has previously been talked about. I don't have much time and I only occasionally get to the forum. Sorry to bring up an old subject - it has been in my thinking for quite some time so jumped in. Interesting responses though.

[Keeper]

The problem with retiring in Central America is IMO there is no middle class. You are either poor or rich. Rich in their standards not US standards. Fighting over a pig to us seems unbelievable but not to the poor of that country.
I lived in Panama years ago and while we were not rich by our standards the Panamians thought we were because we had things they couldn't afford. I looked into retiring there but decided it was to far away from family.

I bought a house in AL and love it here. Small town, close to Huntsville and B'ham. Compared to FL where I lived before I live a good life on my SS and small retirement.

[Kathleenh54]

We lived in Nassau, Bahamas in the early 80's for three and a half years. Never again would I live on an island, cold or hot. Never again will I live outside the US. Never again will I live in a Third World country (yes, the Bahamas qualifies). Tropical islands are great for a week or two. After that, they get like fish and house guests when three-days old.

[annielf]

Have you seen this website: EscapeArtist Home Page: Living Overseas - International Real Estate, Overseas Jobs - Expatriate Resources - Overseas Retirement

It has lots of info on islands to retire to.

[Gypsy-Moth]

The Escape Artist site is part of a group that sells international real estate. They make everything sound like paradise because they want to sell you international real estate. The way to tell how credible they are is to choose someplace that you've been and know something about and compare their descriptions of it to what you know to be true. There are often big differences.

I'm considering retirement outside the USA. I lived overseas for a couple of years and found it to be very stimulating. I enjoy the challenge of finding my way in a new culture and learning a new language. I'm even considering living for one year in several different countries before making a more permanent choice. I'm single and have no close family members to keep me here, so I'm opting for adventure.