Some of them seem to do it because their girlfriends don’t speak English...
I’d kick in a few bucks for you to leave the country.
Think 90........ at a minimum
Clint producesd a movie at 86.
It’s a bad idea to travel or live someplace where the things you are wearing or the money you carry are worth more than the people around you will make in a year. I read that in Mexico the government has moved troops into formerly safe tourist areas because of the crime rate. Having had a rail mounted .5 cal pointed at me by a Mexican army guy while I waited at a traffic check point, I’m not that inclined to leave the US.
I would wager distance depends on who is after you.
Is it a ex gf, ex wife, gf's husband, booky, the mob, LE?
I did it. No regrets. I'm going back again in 2019, God willing, at age 64. Cheaper overseas.
In 1995, my husband and I packed our worldly goods and our three children and trekked halfway across the world to the island of New Guinea, specifically, Sentani, Papua, Indonesia. We went there because there are over 250 different languages on the Papua side of the island, then called Irian Jaya, which do not have a copy of the Bible in their language. (A person should not have to learn a foreign language to read God's Word to them) We wanted to be part of the Bible Translation team.
We have stayed there ever since, only returning for furloughs (Home Ministry Assignments) and short family vacations. I returned this May (2018)because I was severely anemic. It turned out I have developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma (FYI, in 2015 a study was printed which showed a possible link between malaria and NHL. I have had malaria between 25 and 50 times. I haven't counted) It is our year of Home Ministry Assignment again. That means we travel and tell others about the work of Bible Translation in Papua.
The work is not done. That is why we will be returning. Hubby and I both are 63 and it is our intention to continue doing this work until God retires us one way or another.
No regrets.
If someone reading this would like to be part of a work with eternal consequences, please contact me. Boy! Do I have an important work to share with you!
And a few others ARE NOT AMERICANS! They're foreign nationals who love FREEDOM and want news from the USA.
Instead of posting stupid stuff, you would be better to just read this site and learn!
I know some people who moved to Central America because of the rural setting and dollar value. Nicaragua and the Honduras. Many of those areas are at some level of armed conflict right now. Sandinista problems in Nicaragua, among other flare ups. Some expats are moving back to the states now before they don’t have the money or even the choice.
Others feel they can wait it out, since their particular town is not directly effected at this time.
Conclusion:
Leaving one’s home country in search of lasting tranquility is a high stakes gamble. Some start out with very little to lose in a material way, but what they really want is an adventure to add color, spice and even a little drama to their staid, predictable routines, so they flip a coin and go.
.
In the fwiw department, I always can’t wait to return to the states.
5.56mm
1. Research - international Living mag ranks retirement locations each year. PM me if you want a copy.
2. Talk to people who did it. Many here.
3. Go for a short visit. See it for yourself.
4. Talk to people there when you go - ask your questions
5. You will have eliminated 80% of fear of the unknown by taking these steps
6. When you go, don’t cut all your ties... you can always come back easily, so you are not making an irrevocable choice.
7. I note that you can often live cheaper than here, often have better healthcare and a healthier lifestyle. Often live a higher quality of life financially than here.
8. It is an adventure and beats sitting in a recliner just getting older
9. If you don’t take the first tiny step, you may never know what could have been yours.
We were planning to move to Korea if Hillary won. As it turned out we didn’t have to, but we are still considering there or Taiwan if the resister rats gain control again.
We still are studying Korean and now are taking Chinese as well. Korea is basically now like the U.S. was in the Eighties under Reagan, that’s what it feels like. Lot of prosperity. None of the nonsense going on that drives the U.S. No homosexual privileges, no homeless all over the streets, people don’t care about race, etc. People in Korea wouldn’t put up with the crap that gets foisted on us every day.
I am about to retire overseas. In 6 months to a year I plan on being on a beach in the Philippines, drinking a San Miguel, and listening for the bell on my surf fishing line.
Why?
A myriad of reasons.
I lived there for 5 1/2 years when I was in the military.
I married a Philippina. (and 35 years later we're still married)
We already have property and a house in a rural community.
I speak the language, if not fluently anymore, at least enough to get by.
Cost of living? Yes, that's another reason. I'm not relying on Social Security to get me through. I have a small pension that will allow me to live like a king.
It's a matter of personal experiences, interest, comfort (both personal and situational), and I don't have to live in the USA to be an American. I did it when I was in the military. No reason I can't do it now.
Ping
I was stationed in Japan during my last tour in the Navy. When I flunked my reenlistment physical and was being escorted to the door, Japan — where I had friends, a girlfriend, a job opportunity, basically a life — was outside that door.
I hated the place I enlisted from (Richmond, Ca.) and would never even think about going back there, but starting over in a strange American city where I knew absolutely no one had scant appeal as well.
Once out of the Navy and soon adapted to civilian life here, it has never really occurred to me to leave. Here I have a family, including a grandchild, a comfortable lifestyle, and a home.
I’m 59. It’s early autumn and time to conserve what I have.
I've toyed with the idea of living in Europe (part time) but I've never gotten up the courage to do it.
Maybe someday.
Many Americans have missed a great chance to experience the world.
New Zealand is my fav and where I would love to retire to.
Explore and discover!
Religious in my case, military in his.
We both returned stateside and have settled down under our own vine and fig tree. We do not plan to move again.
Our experiences were very different because he always had a ready made community and social net where ever he was assigned where I could be the only American for a couple hundred miles.
If you decide to go you need to decide what you want. Some places have a thriving ex-pat community and you can get by with English and maybe a few words of the local language. Other places you will need to learn the language and build your own support system. There is also everything in between.
If you are older or this is your first trip I suggest the first option. Do not pack up and just move. Make at least a couple of visits and live there in a rental for a while.
Living in a hotel and eating at restaurants will not give you the flavor of the country.
I had enough angst just moving to Texas.
Start watching House Hunters International on HGTV. #;^)
People have varied reasons, but I think many become Expats due to Financial reasons, especially as they get Older and depend on their Social Security or Military Pension as their only means of Support.
Reading Posts over the years from many FReeper Expats seems to confirm that as a primary reason to move Overseas.
Some Male FReepers also bring up comparisons between American Women and the Women they meet Overseas, which riles up a few Freeper Women and makes those Threads (and maybe this one) very entertaining. LOL