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I'm beginning to wonder if these scatter brained ideas come with age. I seem to be dead set on retiring in Tucson next year, and then along comes a National Geographic magazine, a Travel magazine, with a particular feature, and I'm off to the races veering 90/180/360 degrees away from Tucson.
I just read a feature on the SW coast of Portugal in a Travel magazine, and there I go, dreaming, scheming, investigating, could it be possible? Stop it!!! Stop it!!!
And then there's the schemes and dreams of retiring somewhere in Mexico, or as far away as Greece. Sheesh!
As they say: choice is agony, choicelessness is freedom! I so agree with that!
At any rate, it triggers some exciting fantasies at times!
How about you? Ever go through this agony? Or are you one of these lucky types with tunnel vision?
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Bounce while you can still rebound!
Time will catch up with you. THEN you can roost. (maybe age 88+)
Some (most) will stay planted for various reasons. Most just can't deal with the insecurity and hassle of bouncing. (understood, I experienced my first Coup this yr!)
I would choose Portugal or South America. If you can afford it. (After living this yr in Thailand). It is OK, and healthcare is excellent and CHEAP, but this morning I was in Bangkok and can't STAND traffic, and worse yet Traffic Whistles!!! Spare me the whistles (back to the countryside and Roosters tonight).
If you MUST feel settled... you can buy that perfect spot in Tuscon and come home to it later.
Tuscon is very nice, but not for me. It is a great place to visit, I need more green, and FAR less people and taxes. YMMV.
I do love to stay with friends in Oro Valley and 10 ' away, watch 'Bobby' fetch his breakfast!
I first wanted to retire to San Antonio. Then came Charleston SC then Greenville SC. Now I am looking elsewhere and that is currently central TN. I have also considered AZ, NM, Korea, Thailand, Costa Rica, Mexico, Hell Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios Jamaica and nameless islands in the middle of the ocean. I think we all dream.
Either way though enjoy the search. That is the fun part as long as you dont stress out on it. Make it like a game.
We've been through the same. Drives some folks we know crazy. We've considered stuff all over the hemisphere. I think I know where we are going now. I've found a place that has everything I want. Its perfect. I thought I was nuts, thinking I'd find everything I want, but my advice is don't give up looking. What you want is probably there.
I have extensive traveling in my life. I have spent time in all 50 states and all the major cities and several countries. When I read those "Good place to retire" articles, I can recall being there and have on several occasions been to the exact spots the articles say is "perfect". I can tell you they aren't what the writer is saying they, but then the writer has to make a living and he/she can't write articles that say bad things, no one will read it, so they write how great it is and the people that read it start to fantasize about it.
I retired from a large company and know over 50 retired former employees and most of the times I see them move away only to move back after a few years later saying that something wasn't what was advertised about their ideal retirement location. Heat, crime, humidity, traffic, etc. I've heard all this plus somethings that I won't say.
There are some places better then others, but I rarely see writers write about those places. There is only one other place that would interest me in moving too that would be better then my current location.
I have never had tunnel vision. I keep an open mind about almost every subject, but I'm also cautious and research, research, research, until I'm confident. All I can say is never make snap judgments.
Today, with boomer wealth (relative to previous generations) and experience in travel, not to mention perhaps the biggest influence of all, media and Internet, we've got the ability to dream of many different possibilities. And as we get older and older, it's a feeling of power to be able to say we can live just about anywhere we want within our means. Some would rather live among a circle of friends and family, if they had to choose between that and paradise. Others would rather choose paradise. One thing about the boomers, we are a diverse lot.
I'm beginning to wonder if these scatter brained ideas come with age. I seem to be dead set on retiring in Tucson next year, and then along comes a National Geographic magazine, a Travel magazine, with a particular feature, and I'm off to the races veering 90/180/360 degrees away from Tucson.
I just read a feature on the SW coast of Portugal in a Travel magazine, and there I go, dreaming, scheming, investigating, could it be possible? Stop it!!! Stop it!!!
And then there's the schemes and dreams of retiring somewhere in Mexico, or as far away as Greece. Sheesh!
As they say: choice is agony, choicelessness is freedom! I so agree with that!
At any rate, it triggers some exciting fantasies at times!
How about you? Ever go through this agony? Or are you one of these lucky types with tunnel vision?
What these travel magazines fail to tell you is that you just can't up and move to Portugal, France, Greece, UK, etc, without a visa. Getting a visa is very difficult. Unless you have an EU passport (i.e. dual citizenship), you won't be moving to Europe. If you live there under the radar (without a visa), then you will have no health insurance, etc.
I'm always rather tickled when, in the midst of my dreaming and scheming, I run across one or 2 items that sends my dreams a-crashing, narrows the agony of choices, and drags me back to Square One!
Do You Sometimes Bounce All Over The Globe Of Where You Want To Retire?
Nope! I( wouldn't call it tunnel vision. I'd call it determination. We were both military brats who had lived in other states as well as other countries. I'd also spent 12 years in the military myself. We'd made up our minds a couple of years before retirement which really simplified the issue for us. We m de4 our move five years ago and have never looked back.
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Stop it!!! Stop it!!!
Do You Sometimes Bounce All Over The Globe Of Where You Want To Retire?
