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Becoming an Expatriate or Retiring Away

John Picard

John Picard

Vice Admiral
Admiral
More and more I'm starting to despise living in the US. The polarizing and rabid politics; the car culture; the people who think everyone should kiss any and all Veteran's Asses; those who think the Government can fix all that ails society, etc. That, and the friggin' winters. I'd love to live someplace where there is good public transit, so I no longer have to own a vehicle, a comfortable lifestyle, and affordable living. I don't want to be one of a drove of Americans who arrive at some location and then fuck up property values, local living, etc. I'm the kind who would have no qualms with blending in no matter how "foreign" the culture. I definitely would not buy a house or any property. Renting would yield better flexibility if I had to pack up and leave.

Anyway, I've got at least another 25 years or so and am looking for locations. I know Costa Rica and Nicaragua seem to be destinations for retired Americans, but Belize popped up on my radar as well. For the longest time, I've been enamored with the Tuscany region, and also saw that a lot of Brits and Americans have been headed to Spain, although, like I said, I'd rather be the tolkein oddball than one of the bunch.

Ideas and suggestions? Sources for information?
 
Unless you speak the local language very well, you'll always stick out as an American in any of the places you mentioned no matter what you do, I wouldn't worry about that too much if I were you.
 
Roger Wilco said:
Unless you speak the local language very well, you'll always stick out as an American in any of the places you mentioned no matter what you do, I wouldn't worry about that too much if I were you.
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Right, I understand that. Let me explain - I'm the kind of person who, when in a foreign land, tries to blend in and show appreciation for the local culture, customs, and way of life. I spent seven years in the US Navy, four of which were on board a ship. Nothing was worse than my fellow sailors who were very rude in foreign ports and would seek out McDonalds or other American fare and/or claim that the particular area "sucked" because it did not cater to Americans. A lot of American tourists are like that as well -- they can't understand why the rest of the world doesn't yieldl or cater to them, which I say stems from Americans believing the BS that was preaced since WWII that "America is the greatest nation on the earth". Americans (not all, but most) have this sense of entitlement that America is the best country ever and they expect the rest of the world to kiss up.

No thanks.

Anyway, I hope that makes things clearer.
 
Well, if you want readily available public transport, then you'd probably have to live in or near a city/bigger town, at least as far as Europe is concerned. Due to your aversion to winters, it would boil down to Southern Europe.
A lot of pensioners go to Spain, so you might want to avoid those places. I'd personally recommend Portugal because it's still cheap and the people there are very nice and helpful (they almost never speak English, though), even in touristy places.
Greece also has good public transport, even overland buses if you want to travel around and see some sights. Many people speak English, but don't expect to get too much information when you ask someone something. The Greeks have this thing to not mention vital info, even if you ask them in Greek. It can be quite maddening, especially if you then end up somewhere you didn't want to. :lol:
I'm not sure whether you'd like local politics any more than US ones. I know very little about Portugal regarding that. As much as I love Greece, its culture and history, but if I had to live there permanently, naturally getting involved in public and political life, I'd go mad.
 
Roger Wilco said:
Unless you speak the local language very well, you'll always stick out as an American in any of the places you mentioned no matter what you do, I wouldn't worry about that too much if I were you.
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I already understand Spanish, and speak it horribly, I'm already studying up on Arabic. I'm gonna go to Morocco prepared.
 
Count Zero said:
Well, if you want readily available public transport, then you'd probably have to live in or near a city/bigger town, at least as far as Europe is concerned. Due to your aversion to winters, it would boil down to Southern Europe.
A lot of pensioners go to Spain, so you might want to avoid those places. I'd personally recommend Portugal because it's still cheap and the people there are very nice and helpful (they almost never speak English, though), even in touristy places.
Greece also has good public transport, even overland buses if you want to travel around and see some sights. Many people speak English, but don't expect to get too much information when you ask someone something. The Greeks have this thing to not mention vital info, even if you ask them in Greek. It can be quite maddening, especially if you then end up somewhere you didn't want to. :lol:
I'm not sure whether you'd like local politics any more than US ones. I know very little about Portugal regarding that. As much as I love Greece, its culture and history, but if I had to live there permanently, naturally getting involved in public and political life, I'd go mad.
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Ahh Greece, someplace I've wanted to visit since I was a young boy -- except for the earthquakes, the aforementioned attitude, and the occasional social unrest, it's a lovely place :lol:

Portugal? Hmmmmm :shifty: Thank you for the tip.
 
Jadzia said:
What about mainland Europe? Like Austria? It's a cheerful and sociable country.
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Ideally, I would like to be in a tropical setting where topless women serve frozen drinks with the little umbrella :)

Austria = cold. No thanks.
 
The mountain areas of Austria are colder, but the bulk of the country has a temperate climate (32F winter, 70F summer).
 
I hope that one day I can move to Australia or New Zealand, or at least visit often on vacations or something.
 
JonathonWally said:
John Picard said:
Jadzia said:
What about mainland Europe? Like Austria? It's a cheerful and sociable country.
Click to expand...

Ideally, I would like to be in a tropical setting where topless women serve frozen drinks with the little umbrella :)

Austria = cold. No thanks.
Click to expand...

West Indies.
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+1. Pick a country where they speak English and you're all set! Barbados, US Virgin Islands, etc., would be ideal. You just have to worry about hurricanes really...
 
Roger Wilco said:
How about a place like Thailand or India? That's where I would want to go.
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Hmmm. You know, I should have given some background as to where I've been in my life. Here we go:
The Philippines
Singapore (LOVED IT)
Hong Kong (Another Favorite)
Japan
Thailand (Pattaya Beach - LOVED IT)
Kenya
Australia (Perth)

India would be an adventure in itself, and I have grown to appreciate the beautiful, colorful traditional dresses the women wear.

Jadzia said:
The mountain areas of Austria are colder, but the bulk of the country has a temperate climate (32F winter, 70F summer).
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Hmmmm, too cold in the winter. Sorry, but I'm tired of freezing in the off months.
 
You could always try the west coast of Canada. British Columbia is beautiful year round. Winters are mild (snow is pretty uncommon in Vancouver) and did I mention it's beautiful? Plus it's a short drive from the border if you ever wanted to visit the US.
 
John Picard said:
Ahh Greece, someplace I've wanted to visit since I was a young boy -- except for the earthquakes, the aforementioned attitude, and the occasional social unrest, it's a lovely place :lol:
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Don't let that keep you. Earthquakes and social unrests are rather rare, the latter even more outside of Athens and Thessaloniki. And the attitude doesn't really affect you when you're there for a holiday.
I've been there a few times and it always was great. I never experienced any earthquakes. It's definetely worth a visit (more than one, actually).
 
What's his face said:
You could always try the west coast of Canada. British Columbia is beautiful year round. Winters are mild (snow is pretty uncommon in Vancouver) and did I mention it's beautiful? Plus it's a short drive from the border if you ever wanted to visit the US.
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Ahh yes, BC is a crown jewel. Been there, but again TOO COLD IN THE WINTER! :lol:

The Caribbean might be it.
 
Nice is nice, though pricey.

Sidney, Australia would seem to fit your bill. Mild climate, topless beaches, good public transit, no language issues. You could truly blend in there with a little accent work. The only problem there being you may not feel "foreign" enough. Not culturally distinct enough from the U.S. per se.

Me personally, I would like to retire to Ireland or Scotland. Some small village where I could become known as the quiet, friendly, respectful foreigner who bought so and so's old place but hasn't changed a thing.

Now if I can just win the lottery to afford this dream.
 
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