Who has found a new country to retire in after their big trip?
 

Due to the rising cost of living in Melbourne and Australia generally I'm thinking more and more of the possibility of retiring in another country after my RTW trip.
Life tends to get in the way of the best laid plans and my 6 month South American trip planned for 2014 has had to be put on the back burner and Im now looking at a RTW in 7 years or so once I get my full superannuation payout.

In my research on the top spots to retire to worldwide the top 2 countries seem to be Ecuador and Panama, both having excellent programs and incentives for retirees, which extend to non nationals.

At this stage though I'm more likely to choose Thailand but am open to anyplace I find on the road that takes my fancy.

So I'm wondering how many people actually relocate or retire to another country after their travels?
And what made you choose that country?

Cheers,

James

I suspect not that many is the answer; the ties of family and familiarity draw a lot of people back 'home'.

I would surely be considering Thailand, Panama and Costa Rica as well as Belize and Ecuador. Paraguay and Uruguay are often overlooked as well. The availability of decent healthcare as one gets older is a consideration, I think, for a lot of people.

It seems like the economic crisis in the U.S has seen record numbers retiring in countries where the standard of living is still high but the cost of living is 50-70% less. Europeans and Australians are also moving to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia.
I can understand that family and friends are probably the main factor.

From my point of view I could work another 5-10 years after I reach my full firefighting pension to be able to have a comfortable lifestyle in my own country or retire 5-10 years earlier and live a tropical beach lifestyle at a fraction of the cost.

Healthcare in Asia(perhaps apart from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam) is now of a high standard at a fraction of the cost of western countries.
Anybody who has been to a Bangkok hospital can tell you they are more like hotels, have excellent care and are relatively a bargain compared to their own country.

I would have thought that given the general population are retiring in foreign countries in record numbers, overlander's would be even more likely to relocate for a higher standard of living relative to cost.

Or are most adventure travellers these days BMW 1200gs/Touratech riders with unlimited funds :-)

I am a pensioner and my home base is a country that gives me free health care with priority treatment, free travel and arguably the finest TV and radio programmes in the world. My dwelling place has one of the best beaches in the world, OK most of the year lying on it semi naked would probably lead to hypothermia but on the good or even better side, there is no chance of being continually bothered by locals trying to remove my hard earned pension by almost any means possible, legal or otherwise. I must admit that attempting to satisfy what remains of my rapidly diminishing sex drive without resorting to slightly illegal means is harder than it would be living in the tropics, but each to his or her own. Like almost every country that I have been to and they are many, on closer inspection they are all, in my opinion, better to visit than to live in. I am writing this missive in Colombia whilst waiting to catch a boat to Cuba and the moto that is parked beside me on the hostel patio is my 2004 BMW R1200GS with some Touratech bits and 260,000k on it, I bought it by saving up from my miserly military pension which is not a patch on the one that our police and firemen get but they have a union and my lot have to rely on the goodwill of our elected representatives. Still, mustn't grumble. Just in passing, how many counties in the world can you take an indexed linked pension to and also, once again, how much will this super duper health care cost. I would keep buying a lottery ticket. Oh and bye the way, I am a two wheeled tourist and not a poser adventure traveller. Ride safe.

Maja thanks for your input. You started well but halfway through deteriorated into a somewhat bitter little rant thereby confirming another well known factoid on the HUBB, being that BMW R1200 GS riders not only have money to burn but have absolutely no sense of humour whatsoever :rolleyes2:

You do sound quite old so FYI in future note that a :-) at the end of a sentence is called an "emoticon". It tells the reader that the previous sentence was meant in jest.

When you get to Cuba, chill out, have a beer or two and get some sun. The vitamin D is great for depression. smiley face!

You did well to get to the end of the previous posters "post":thumbup1:

I got to about line 4, :helpsmilie:

vette

What Mike says above, more or less.

I've been retired 15 years now and travelled a lot. Staying the winters in various warmer places, S. Spain, Guatemala, Mexico, Oz, S. America.
I'd return to all of them tomorrow for another visit, but there are lots of other places still to see.

Nearly every place I visit I think - well, this is a great place, nice people, warm biking climate, a good place to live.
The places where this really kicked in were Bali, New Zealand, Bolivia, Oaxaca Mexico, eastern suburbs of Malaga, Margarita Island (N. coast away from the holiday towns, Venezuela), Cartagena Colombia, Western Kenya and others.
But every time, after a short or maybe a long while, I get homesick.
For London.

Winter here now. Inside the M25 40 mins from the West End. An hour from Brighton:
http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9bdfda1b.jpg

http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...psada59d57.jpg

I took the photos a couple of hours ago, then read this thread.
I don't think being an overlander has anything to do with it. It's the depth of your roots, the sense of belonging, the sense of place.
My travelling has been mainly by big Honda, big Ducati, big Aprilia and little Yamaha. Never felt any sort of draw towards those Bavarian machines.... (My word, they're getting controversial in these threads lately!)

In fact I think the more I've travelled (I travelled around the world a bit for work before retiring), the greater has been the sense of belonging here.
Something about being born within the sound of Bow Bells I suppose.

And to confirm the purely mercenary aspect hinted at by Mike. Yes, the index linking of my pension stops the minute I move abroad.

So it's very nice to imagine a home in the sun, to daydream a new life, but reality is much better.
Home is where the heart is!

(From above, it seems I should add some of these to go with the winter Vitamin D ... :thumbup1: :thumbdown: :thumbup1: :( :cool4: :biggrin3: :wink3: )

Nicely said and with a little more thought and good nature than Mike.

I have also been to many places around the world where I thought, yes I could live here but as you say, the return home gives you a certain sense of place.
Obviously not for everybody and it may turn out eventually to not even be for me but it is interesting to hear other peoples perspective either for or against such a move. Happy:mchappy:

Heimat
 

The german language has a single word for this:-
Heimat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Regarding the index linking thingy, I understand that there is a range of countries which have some kind of recipocral arrangement with the UK, whereby the pension benefits earned in UK employment are maintained while residing overseas (such as the EU for instance, or have I got that bit wrong?).

And in case anybody else takes offence at my use of the word "Overlander" I use it with reference to mode of transport wether Motorcycle, Bicycle, 4WD, Mogi and yes even cranky old gits on BMW R1200 GS"s.

I find it hard to imagine how offence can be taken with that word, but it does seem to be used increasingly within the HUBB; just as the website has developed/evolved into aspects of riding bicycles, driving 4x4 etc etc.
Maybe the word adventurer (with or without motorcyclist) is "so last year".

Next, there will be a section for the walking fraternity; then there will be real ructions, with rambling rights, access to the countryside etc
The hubris associated with that would be enough to kill off the jibes at Boxer twins.
:innocent::censored::taz:doh:offtopic::ban:

[QUOTE=Walkabout;408576]
Next, there will be a section for the walking fraternity; then there will be real ructions, with rambling rights, access to the countryside etc

I think the term independent ambulatory explorers might be a suitably PC term for their own forum

Thanks for the nice thread..You are not alone after this target(incl. me)
and nice life lessons are given here..Cheers All.
Mehmet zeki avar

I think about this a lot when I'm travelling. The grass always seems greener when on holiday because we're not bogged down with the mundane chores of living there.

At first, I too struggled to read Maja's post, but having read it again, I think he was basically saying - he likes living in Scotland :)

I am like McCrankpin, the more I travel the more I appreciate my home in Devon and have no wish to live elsewhere, but having spent 2 of the last 4 winters in warmer climes fully appreciate the benefits and would like to do it as often as possible, Asia being the favourite destination for a variety of reasons, price being one of them.

It will take more than that!

expats
 

Having been an expat for the last 18 years, I fully expect to retire in a country that is not my "birth" country. Or, more precisely, I expect to retire in travelling mode for as long as that's physically possible. Maybe that will change when my kids have kids - but they have been expats their whole lives, so the likelihood that they will have those kids in a settled "home" that equates to my birth country is not high, anyway. At least for AmCits, pensions are portable :thumbup1:. It's already the case that close family is spread across 3 continents - no reason for that to change! :D

I`m under 40 - and cant talk about the life as pensioner :eek3:

But - i like the standard we have at home (switzerland) in any kind. Democracy, Quality of Food, Restaurants, cultural stuff, Healt Care, Income, Security and safety, public services, technical services and and and and....

I like to travel, like to overland, can life in easy environment for a while - but - would always go back 2 switzerland - that is my (also) beautiful homecountry.

Surfy

You got it in one, I am a bitter little ranter who is not only quite, but very old and have no sense of humour as anyone who knows me will confirm. However, I will take one thing that you said very seriously, I will have a beer when I get to Cuba, in fact I have already started practising. Finally, despite all of my apparent social problems, identified courtesy of your long distance psychological profiling, some things cannot be denied:

1. I have a BMW and you don't.:innocent:

2. I am travelling and you aren't.:scooter:

3. I already have my pension and you don't.:clap:

4. Next week I will be in Cuba and you won't.:Beach:
5. Our beer is better than your beer.

It truly is a hard life but try not to weaken, just hope that the world economy will not continue so far down the tubes that it screw up everyone's pension plans

Ride safe

OK I'll concede the first 4 but not the 5th!
Nice to see appropriate use of emoticons!
Enjoy cubabier

I agree retiring in a foreign country is something that appeals very much to me.



We are all from different walks of life and have opinions a plenty although the binding factor here is travel, regardless of your chosen mode. Being fortunate enough to travel many a country really opens ones eyes to the world economy. What one may perceive as good value at home is often a very different case elsewhere. It's not hard to see why so many people are becoming expats, don't quote me on this but I heard some 80,000 Ozi's are leaving our sunny shores yearly and I for one fully intend to join their ranks.


I'm not bitter or twisted but have my opinions and love my country but think there is so much more to life and lets face it is short enough. I don't intend to wait for retirement and have lot stock n barrel on the market. The quality of health care is an important factor to be considered although for me I'd like to keep on the move, spending time here and there where one finds friendships, countryside and an economy where bend over, spread your cheeks and not too deep please ...... isn't the norm!

?c?

Yay! You, sire, have a admirer in Sweden. :thumbup1:

One thing that I´ve noticed is that it´s always the ones with very small penises and no bike that is complaining about what everyone else is riding. ;)

Comment below
 

?c? has been requested.

A common factor in this thread appears to be the idea of emigrating from a "westernised" highly developed country (for which you can read, over-drawn on both personal and national debt) in order to live in one or other of those developing countries that aspire to join that group; along the way those developing countries face the problems of avoiding the mistakes of the countries which they aim to emulate; personally, I think their chances are not good, international capitalism being what it is nowadays since the demise of communism as a creed that tended to maintain a balance.

Blessed are the youth for they will inherit the national debt (or another round of world war, or both). Individual national governments struggle with this issue IMO, having no answer except, perhaps, to try to replace those people who choose to leave their home country with other, "less fortunate souls", who in their own turn wish to leave very poor, destitute countries for a better life; the churn of economic migration.

Just a thought.

Very true although my ramblings were not country specific, for example it's cheaper to live in Europe or the USA than it is to live here in Oz!

Er, no it ain't, mate!

It's all about the same in the G7, from my experience; what you don't spend on heating you spend on air con; what you save on gas here (Canada) you spend on food; in the states what you save on food and gas you spend on healthcare etc etc.

Oh yes it is my learned friend!
 

Ok then I will be specific, it is cheaper than living in Darwin!

Maybe, but I bet not by much..... it's usually the accommodation that's a killer....

argument solved Cost of Living Index By Country

Australia is god damn expensive!

oh and to remain on topic. i do think about retiring to a much cheaper country. but i am only 28 so the world will be a different place by then. maybe indo, Malaysia is nice too.

I wish, hold all bets, a couple of facts!


Average house rental, $600 Per Week which will get you a 3 br dog box, in a great suburb, not! Thankfully Im not in that boat. Power and water up by a whopping 40% so far this year! That's about $800 a quarter just for minimal sparks no water! $5 for an avocado $8 for a lettuce WTF? $762 to rego my bike for a year! Every single item is trucked in thousands of miles and its dear as poison. Seriously mate, it's well out of hand and sadly getting worse by the minute!

Australia they say is the lucky country, I recon were lucky KY was invented!

Isn't that cost of living index and some comments here saying any country is expensive is only from the point of view of those living and earning there?

Plenty of Brits have moved to Spain because of the climate and cheaper housing only to find the law gets re-interpreted and suddenly their life savings sunk into their retirement home have been taken away :(

Some of my family have moved to SE France to retire. One hard working couple sold their Dagenham terrace 2up2down for about £160,000 and bought a lovely rural cottage for €52,000. The others bought a 300yr old bakery in a quiet small village for about €80,000 and are doing it up, leaving a big wedge just from selling their UK house let alone pensions. Ace healthcare, space, empty roads, nice :)

I looked into moving to NZ and Canada a while back but decided the UK was better. I like the footpaths :) Miles and miles that you can explore all sorts of history :)

Maybe today the UK is getting a little too full though, so somewhere warmer in the future? :scooter:

Yeah that does sound pretty pricey - I take it all back! But presumably pay there is higher to compensate for the higher cost of living? - or not?

But if the pay is higher, of course you are better off spending in a cheaper area.....

Well. Whatever you do. Don´t move to Norway. Must be one of the most expensive countries on the planet. ;)

Yes Doc there are much cheaper areas in the southern states some 3000 K's from here. No the average wage does not make up the difference. I have lived in this country for 51 years and in Darwin for 45 of those. I love it here despite my grumblings, sun, bush, fish, space, wildlife, family & friends ect. When I move and it's all on the market, I would prefer to move further afield, and keep moving, a couple of weeks / months here and there, to coin a phrase, A rolling stone .......


Hellboy, Norway, beautiful country (in summer) DAMN EXPENSIVE!

Griz, Moving to the south of France, Magnifique, mon ami!

While a long way from Darwin and not having the same types of costs associated with transport I am finding in Melbourne, while earning more than I ever have, I am able to do far less with my money than in say the 80"s and 90"s and early 2000's when I went overseas frequently, ate out and went drinking out a lot and still saved money.
Housing prices here are ridiculous, power bills going through the roof, food going up BUT all the same first world problems and its still a bloody great city to live in.

I have a mate, renting in Sydney for the last 10 years with his wife, both earning a decent wage struggling to afford to buy something that is not 60-90 minutes commute from the city. They figure their best bet was to retire in France as well. Just bought a nice house in a village not far from a major city at less than 1/3 of what they would have spent on a cheapish 2 bedroom apartment in Sydney.

I would like to see more on this thread
 

My point exactly. And it's not the first time France has been mentioned, stunning architecture, landscape, people and only in France does one experience dining in the true sense of the word, simply awesome food. I do love my country although retiring here is just too expensive and therefore restrictive. I figure while the prices are high, get out, reinvest here or elsewhere and see the world in detail. Who knows miss right might turn up and rearrange the whole apple cart!

Perhaps some of the former Soviet Union (FSU) countries are of interest? For example, TonyP moved to Moscow Russia. I know that when I visited there, I got a lot of bang for my buck($). I did notice that housing was expensive in the big cities, much better out in the smaller places.
FWIW, USA is a very difficult place to be poor and live here. Tony has also said (in a roundabout way) that Russia is a free-er country than UK. Whatever, different perceptions from different folks. I'd like to be in (insert country of choice) for an extended visit to see if I could manage all the little differences.

As an example, McCrankpin posted photos of deer in the snow. I have deer, elk, rabbits, partridge, pheasants, and whatnot within 2 meters of my door. Of course, I did ask one deer in for a nice warm place, er, after removing his hat and coat... I'd miss that for sure.

Unfortunately, there is no silver lined cloud for us out there...
YMMV

It's a nice thought. One I have. But knowing the Government of the day. Eith this one or the next one down the line. What's my pension going to be like if I move over sea. As next to all of the party's in power look at pension's as a golden egg to plunder when ever they can. I've always liked Spain. But I also like the NHS in this country. A couple of health problems abroad could clear me out of my saving's.

I like the weather in Spain. The open road's, and your money go's a bit further than in the UK. So think about it. A soft landing is built in me. I'm not going to make the jump unless my lotto number's come up.
John933

Nonsense; not true at all! I've never complained about what everyone else is riding.

erm...er... :eek3::eek3:doh

Depends on the bloody Gulf Stream. I love the UK but if she decides to abandon us for good, I'm getting outta here. This last winter has about wiped me out

I've always been something of a "lone wolf", so I don't have much need to stay in my home country (Canada) - a visit back maybe once every year or two will be plenty once I retire.

In 2021, I can start collecting a "reduced pension" of about $2000/month. Now, in Canada, that's enough to survive but not to thrive. I'd be renting a basement suite or small apartment, and be just able to afford necessities: forget owning a motorcycle or having money to travel overseas. If I stay in Canada, I realistically need to work at least 5 more years (if not more) just to have a moderate standard of living.

However...

I lived in Mexico from 2004 to 2007, and lived comfortably on just $600 or so per month. Even factoring in inflation and such, I suspect that if I retire at age 55 in Mexico I'll be able to live very well on $2000/month.

The rest of Latin America is generally (with some exceptions) cheaper than Mexico. If I find that prices start to creep up too high for my liking, I can always move further south.

Hi,

I jumped to spain in 1997, when I was 40, with the idea that a) I was working my ***s of in Britain for no useful gain b) I/we (that's Mrs Spanish Biker) were young enough to get established both socially and get 'into the system' by working and paying our taxes, social security. So fat so good :)

But if you move here to retire from any other EU country you will get free health care from the fabulous Spanish system - well until this year when the ****** government is slashing away and privatising the pants out of it, so in a year or two it will be on a par with the British NHS and then what's the difference.

Re. the climate - be very very careful before you buy - come in January and take a long look around your preferred region!

Meanwhile, Grizzly7 wrote, "Plenty of Brits have moved to Spain because of the climate and cheaper housing only to find the law gets re-interpreted and suddenly their life savings sunk into their retirement home have been taken away"

Yes, that's true, although 'enforcement' may be a more accurate term than 're-interpretation' - and a salutary lesson for everyone reading this topic wherever they're thinking of going.

Regs

Simon

I love to travel for 7-8 months.

It's long enough to get really home sick whilst still having a huge break from my normal life, which I need often.... Not that I have a terrible home-life. It's actually very comfortable. It's just monotonous and unadventurous.

In the first few weeks, everywhere I like, I think:

"Oh man, I could totally live here". And I make little plans how to do it in my head etc.

As the weeks go by I think

"This is really nice, I'd love to 'come back' here"

Months later I'm like "This is okay. But I really want a bag of hot chips on a wet Wirral beach.

At the end of the trip, I'm torn in half. I usually love where I am. (A beach in South Africa or in the Mountains of Colombia etc.) But I'm pretty home sick too.

I miss English butter on Crusty Brown bread. I miss bacon butties whilst looking out of my kitchen window and I miss supping cold beers with my mates in the garage, tinkering with bikes...

I think the real trick is to keep moving. Don't grow moss.

Whatever the rolling motion has to be.


Obviously the dream would be to spend the year travelling and half the year at home in the U.K but my lottery numbers have still not come though...doh

Ignore that last post...

I want to live by the beach in Brazil..... Like now !! :rofl:

Ted you pretty much described exactly my feelings about travel.

As you said the lifestyle of perpetual travel with periods at home is beyond most save a lottery win.
Which got me interested in the Tiny House movement which started in the US in response to the Global economic crisis and people losing their homes.
Basically these tiny homes are built on trailer beds for around $20,000 US if you buy all of the materials from home depot or similar.
They are not trailer homes. While portable, they are not meant for extended travel.They can be placed in somebody's backyard, In their driveway, on a farm and only need an electrical cord for power or some are "off the grid" capable. Because they are on wheels you don't have to comply with building reg's for permanent housing.
People often exchange free rent for parking on peoples property with odd job's etc or park in a relatives yard or driveway while they travel.

So that long winded intro leads to my idea. If I build this sometime in the next 7 years when I can retire, I will then have a small but comfortable home that is free of mortgage and upkeep costs that regular houses have, I can free up capital for my travel, I can move it anywhere I want to, beach one year maybe country or mountains the next and I am not paying rent on it when I am travelling.
Some of these houses are very cool and have everything you need to live comfortably. Its not for everybody but if you can live in a small space with only the necessities it could give you that life you want on far less than you would need if you had to maintain a house/flat while you travel or the hassle of moving and storage each time you take off.
Theres lots of info on the net or google tumbleweed tiny houses.

Jimmy

well said Ted - Brazil is bloody amazing :thumbup1: Me and the missus loved it and we only saw one state ( Natal ) . If i were single then i would be landing there the moment i got my pension - which is in three years time and yes its index linked . Before anyone moans about early retirement i pay 13.5 % of my salary and i still have to deal with the public :(
My other half really fancies Turkey , so if i can pin her down to this who knows , i wouldnt complain as its huge and i havent even touched the surface of it yet .
That said a very elongated visit is on the cards to India when i finally retire and we aint leaving till we get deported .
As for Bmw s i had one and it had more recalls then a Mediums road show !! Waffle over jeiger

Been back in the uk for 3 weeks almost...the weathers shite,I live next door to retards,I have to roll around under cars and and vans in the cold juggling large heavy things to pay a hundred odd quid a month to effectively empty my rubbish bin...and to live in a 2 bedroom shed,the lunatics from tv licensing write to me demanding money for some square thing I don't have and don't need anymore thanks to modern wonders of I pads an Internet porn..
The sooner I can return to the mountain in catalunya,where's there's no mains electric but its bloody great..the better...
It's not all bad here realy,everydays different and I'm not stuck in a factory or office all day...which would drive me even more round the bend than fixing shagged out vehicles does..

Any opinions on living in Hungary?
I met a couple of guys recently advocating the pleasures of living there - a member of the EU but not the Euro so the cost of living is still cheap.

The hookers in Hungary are MINT, so it's a thumbs up from me!!

we ended up on the same continent, different country.
best move we ever made...the sense of well being from better weather and cheaper, more relaxed lifestyle is worth any amount of upheaval.
plus being 10 minutes from some of the most amazing mountain roads is a bonus.
If the missing of friends and relatives gets too much (not an issue for us) theres always the phone or skype!

We did. Spent our annual two/three week break from work on the bike seeking out a new place to call home. Looked all round Europe, and even Goa. Nearly decided on Transylvania, Romania but the winters put us off. Flew to Turkey, flagged down a guy in the street and asked him to rent us his bike. Tootled about the countryside, found a field we liked, bought it and had a house built. Been here full time since 2004 and still loving it.

Cheers,

Dicky

Kas-Antalya, Turkey | Horizons Unlimited

DickyB's Turkish Delights

Simon could you give a short run down on the home ownership issues for non Spaniards..:thumbup1:

So where have you moved from and where have you settled?

I have spotted a lovely little chalet up a Swiss Alp where I'd like to retire. I wouldn't mind France if it weren't for the French (ooo did I say that out loud). I could handle a Greek Isle for a while. I'd like to immerse myself in the history of Ieper.
But I'll still call Australia home!

Darwin
 

I was listening to the radio, & they were talking about how many people retire in.... YES DARWIN, apparently the tropical heat does wonders for arthritis ????:innocent:
Now I know how expensive Darwin is....we are in the same position, living in Mackay:( is one of the dearest cities in Australia !!!!! & to rub in insult just drive 300km either north or south & those cities are about 30 to 40% cheaper, but enough whinging,:nono: As for retiring well I want it to be where my family & friends are:clap:, regardless of cost & I think I will forget the cost living long before I forget the cost of loneliness !:confused1: I also know exactly how I would like to die...At the hands of a jealous husband !!!!:thumbup1:

Cheers
Paul

Food for thought RTW trip
 

Yes your post does get you thinking about that final place to rest the boots and bike after a RTW trip.

Plenty of great suggestions posted. I agree Darwin sounds good, and you can jump onto the Stuart HWY for some nice riding.

Just got back from a 2 week trip riding through Laos and some R&R in Bangkok after. I have had a couple of hip operations and still have had aching in both hips for a few years now, usually only lying on my side in bed. 3 weeks away in hot humid weather and the pain miraculously disappeared completely!
Darwin might be an option!

We will go to Tenerife.

Been last year on the road for 3 months, now again for half a year and when we get back from this one, we sell our home in Belgium and do another "without end date" trip the cheapest way possible and once we stop we go and live in an apartment with an incredible view in tenerife. Sun, sea and mountains all in one spot and with 5million tourists every year, and us speaking 4 (5 in a while) languages we'll always find work on a beautiful island...

that's our dream that we will make happen, just first want to go for another big ride before "settling" somewhere else... :helpsmilie: