I have thought about it...my dream retirement was project managing internationally and traveling with Lee...here's why I am giving that up to tour the country..YMMV

1. I am very patriotic and am very grateful to have been born here. As a woman I see what my life would have been like born into other parts of the world and I think I would have a very tough time living there. For instance I could make huge money in Dubai in my field but I just don't think I could handle the culture.

2. We have the best public parks system in the world and there is so much here I have not experienced. Why not see this great country first?

3. Safety issues and healthcare are a big concern. My inlaws were going to move to a resort island in Honduras which was amazing but they knew if there was a catastrophic event they wouldn't get to mdeical care in time. Also the poverty was crazy outside of the resort areas. They could live like kings but the inequity between the "rulers" and the "serving class" was horrendous. I would have a very hard time ignoring that.

That leaves plavces like Canada, Australia, Europe which are not totally out of the question but much harder to find a job and get a VISA in unless you have a VERY specilized skill set which neither of us do.

So although it was on my dream job list for over 5 years once I really started looking into it I realized it would not be everything I thought for us. May still happen if I get the right offer, but I am not actively pursuing

-- Edited by Trace on Thursday 10th of April 2014 10:19:45 AM

There's a show on TLC or Discovery Channel called International House Hunters. Many of the couples that are looking for homes shown on the show are expats looking for a lower cost place to live. It seems based on the shows and what I've read over the past couple of years there are large numbers of expats from US & Canada in Costa Rica, Panama, Belize (lowest cost of living) with whole communities devoted to the expats.

One gated comunity in Panama included security guards that would go with you if you left the compound...that seems a little scary. But the houses within the compound were spectacular along with great amenities like golf course, retail & dining center, pools, gym ...etc.

That being said.... I still plan to stay within the US.  Just going to have to learn how to speak a couple of other languages so I can shop and order stuff to eat...

-- Edited by The Bear II on Thursday 10th of April 2014 10:54:47 AM

bjoyce wrote:

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...I would live in another country for the adventure, not to save money.   

-- Edited by bjoyce on Thursday 10th of April 2014 10:53:41 AM

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 Yep. Having done the Navy for 5 years ..."It's not just a job, it's an adventure" accurately portrays a lot of what I got to see in service to this country.  As a civilian, I'd go to other countries for exactly Bill's reason.

-- Edited by biggaRView on Thursday 10th of April 2014 11:05:30 AM

Well we are doing a version of this scenario in our retired life. Five years ago we purchased a home in Mazatlán, Mexico. At that time our retirement plans included living aboard our trawler in Washington during the Summers and spending Winters in Mexico.

As we got closer to 60 years old our plans changed. We sold the boat and bought a motorhome. My wife said she had seen enough water in the 13 years we had the Grand Banks and that it was time to see the country. She was right. We are both loving the RV life and travels.

The cost of living in Mazatlán during the Winters runs about $1,000.00 less per month than being in our motorhome. Fuel and RV site rentals account for most of that savings. Food and other daily items are also a bargain there. Medical and dental costs are major savings over the states.

We feel very safe there and have worked through the challenges that come with living outside of the USA. It is not all a bed of roses but we do like our decision to try something different in retirement. I agree, we do part of it for the adventure, not the cost savings.

Just like RV'ing, living out of the country will change for us someday, but we are loving our retirement.

Life is good.

Not probably in the context you're thinking. We do travel internationally and even have explored the options of living abroad for a summer or so, but my ties to the U.S. both growing up and in my career are too strong to permanently reside overseas. Not right or wrong, just our leanings.

If I would the first place would be Boquete, Panama. Lots of expats, in the mountains so climate is milder. 2 hours or so to either the Pacific or the Caribbean. And with the canal their economy is doing great.
But we've done enough traveling in Central America and the islands to know that it ain't like the good ole USofA!

We lived for 3 years in Costa Rica before returning to the U.S. as full-timers. I would look at living in a 3rd world country as an adventure - a very fun one. But, most expats return to the U.S. after a few years. Many of those we know have returned or are returning. The U.S. is hard to beat in many ways. Rule-of-law and medical expertise are among the top reasons we live here and not there. In the case of Costa Rica, low cost of living = beans/rice and frequently poorly trained doctors. Do your homework before you commit to a move out of the U.S.

Life is what you make it. I wouldn't be here if my father did not travel internationally. He met my mother overseas, in the country of her birth. He obviously found something better in another country.

By the grace of God, I was born here, in the greatest country on earth.

It is not perfect, but still the best.

A country where people are literally dying every day trying to come here.

Live somewhere else never was, and never will be on my radar.

I not saying leaving is wrong, just not for me.

Because you live in the U.S. you have the freedom to leave.

Appreciate that freedom.

Thoughts of leaving have had there fleeting moments.   I prefer the USA and most of the freedoms we have especially being able to travel just about anywhere we please. I have been a visitor to the NE parts of Canada (beauty of the NE Kingdom). Visited Greece and was stationed in W. Germany; they are great to visit. Even been to Nogales; Mexico; all I seen was the Marke-places.

In the US; I have seen the NE from the Coast of Maine to as far as South Miami Beach, Fl. (Nice view of the wild life in thier bikinis; LOL!). I have traveled the Heartland from the little finger of W. Michigan to Dallas/Ft.Worth to the Redwood Forests of California; (Visited Disneyland; the Original). Even visited The Pioneer Village in Minden, Neb. and The Grand Canyon (Awe Inspiring--if you like geological history!

However; I never been to San Antonio or the Rio Grande; never been from Minnesota to Washington or from Oregon to S. Dakota. Maybe I will never get to see these places; only in pictures. I know i have seen more of this country than my parents who are deceased; also most of my relatives. Guess I was born the traveler of the family.